When Loki’s first season came to a close in 2021, Marvel finally felt like it was getting back on track in a post-Endgame world. Until that point, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe felt rudderless — but the introduction of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) gave the franchise a fixed point to build its new saga around. Loki teased the beginnings of a multiversal conflict with Kang, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania brought the antagonist (and his many, many variants) center stage.
While Ant-Man and the Wasp seemed to have defeated Kang, that’s definitely not the last we’ll see of Majors. Quantumania’s post-credits scene laid the groundwork for his return in Loki season 2 as the 20th Century variant Victor Timely. That was back in March — but a lot can change in five months. Majors was arrested on charges of domestic assault just a few short weeks after Quantumania opened in theaters, and allegations against the actor have only piled up since. The anticipation surrounding Majors’ MCU role has given way to some real controversy, especially as the days pass without any statement from Marvel Studios.
Marvel’s been pretty tight-lipped on Kang’s status in their cinematic universe, and a new trailer for Loki season 2 seems like the only answer fans are going to get for now. Majors doesn’t have much of a presence in the new trailer. But just the suggestion of Kang and his variants is enough to cast a sense of dread over the new season, and that may be exactly what Marvel is banking on... for now.
Majors has yet to be convicted for his arrest back in March (he goes to trial in August). Loki, meanwhile, doesn’t return until October. So Majors’ role in the series could depend entirely on the verdict he receives.
But then again, it might not. Marvel may be able to write Kang out of the MCU at large, but the character is an integral part of Loki, baked into the very fabric of the series. Season 1 set him up as a major force moving forward, and Season 2 won’t be able to write him out so easily.
More importantly, would Marvel even want to? Per The Hollywood Reporter, Majors is set to appear in about half of Loki season 2. With the actors’ and writers’ guilds currently striking, it’s way too late to recast Kang or reshoot his scenes. Marvel could try to edit Kang’s role down to the bare minimum, but removing him entirely could seriously derail the series. At the moment, Marvel doesn’t seem to have any good options.
