Highlights
- Jonathan Majors' guilty verdict has led to rumors of a Kang the Conqueror recast in Avengers 5.
- Marvel Studios confirmed a new direction for Avengers 5 and the possibility of a different main villain, potentially Doctor Doom.
- However, conflicting reports suggest that The Beyonder may be the main villain in Secret Wars, allowing for a recast of Kang's role. Uncertainty remains about which villain will be the primary foe in Avengers 5.
New rumors have surfaced surrounding the MCU's Kang the Conqueror replacement in Avengers 5 following Kang actor Jonathan Majors' guilty verdict.
The fate of The Avengers has been up in the air since Majors was arrested on domestic violence charges. Amid speculation of a Kang recast, Marvel Studios recently confirmed they would be moving away from Kang as the central villain, officially changing the title from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, back to Avengers 5. While no other information about the new direction has been confirmed by official sources, a popular fan theory supported by scooper reports suggested that Kang may be replaced by an entirely new big bad, Doctor Doom.
However, a new conflicting report from several scoopers including @MyTimeToShineH and @Cryptic4KQual, suggests Doctor Doom is not actually in consideration for The Avengers' main adversary. According @MyTimeToShineH on X, "Beyonder is still the main villain for Secret Wars ... that will be their excuse to recast Kang." Speculation about The Beyonder appearing as the main enemy in Secret Wars has been circulating for some time, but the new prevailing theory is that The Beyonder will appear as a multiverse Kang variant, serving as the perfect excuse to recast Majors' role, while gracefully transitioning out of the Kang the Conqueror storyline that was left open-ended in Loki Season 2.
@Cryptic4KQual added some context to the report. "They won't explicitly present him as Beyonder Kang until the aftermath of the 616 collapse, when he will then go on to establish battleworld," the anon scooper posted, suggesting that Kang's variant may not appear immediately, leaving fans confused about which villain will be the primary foe in Avengers 5.
Whether these rumors turn out to be true or not, it's very possible that the MCU will still see a Doctor Doom in Marvel Studios' upcoming Fantastic Four film. Insiders have reported that Mads Mikkelsen is currently in talks with the studio, and many believe the Casino Royale actor to be up for the role despite him previously appearing as another MCU character in Doctor Strange. As for The Beyonder, many fan castings have put A-lister and Barbie star Ryan Gosling in the role, although nothing has been officially confirmed.
There has been a growing web of conflicting rumors surrounding the future of The Avengers franchise, and it can be difficult to keep them straight. Remaining skeptical about any unverified information is key to navigating online discourse, as scooper reports are often debunked. However, after a difficult year for the studio and pervasive superhero fatigue among audiences, keeping fans engaged and talking leading up to the Avengers 5 premiere may be paramount to the film's success.
Avengers 5 is tentatively scheduled to release on May 1, 2026.
