Highlights
- Marvel Studios is facing challenges with the Kang storyline in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty due to Jonathan Majors’ controversy and disappointing box office numbers.
- Jeff Loveness, screenwriter of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has allegedly been removed from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, possibly indicating a shift away from the Kang storyline.
- There is uncertainty about how Marvel will distance themselves from the Kang narrative, but possibilities include introducing a new writer or focusing on other Marvel storylines like Fantastic Four and a possible Young Avengers film.
A major shake-up at Marvel Studios regarding Avengers: The Kang Dynasty may reveal the future of the Kang storyline amid Jonathan Majors’ controversy.
Between Major’s domestic violence charges in March of this year and Marvel Studios’ plummeting box office numbers, creatives behind The Avengers have been struggling to find a path forward. Writers at the studio, finally able to work again after the months-long WGA strike, have been weighing their options. Rumors of the murky MCU future have ranged from recasting Kang the Conqueror to replacing him with a new villain entirely.
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However, new updates reveal that a change within the team may come. In an episode of the House of R Podcast, Joanna Robinson, author of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, revealed that Jeff Loveness, screenwriter of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has been removed from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and is no longer working with Marvel Studios at all. While the decision to boot Loveness from Marvel Studios and the upcoming fifth Avengers film doesn’t come as a huge surprise due to the disappointing box office numbers for Ant-Man 3, it may point to an MCU future without Kang. Robinson added, “They said the reason why, is he was all wrapped up in this Kang storyline, and they are likely going to be moving away from that.”
How Marvel Studios will distance themselves from the Kang narrative remains uncertain. The Loki season 2 finale, which aired unaltered, even after news of the scandal broke, seemingly set Majors’ Kang up as the central bad guy. Perhaps the hope is that a new writer not so invested in Kang will pick up where the franchise left off and aid in a smooth transition to a new Phase 6 villain, given that rumors of Doctor Doom replacing Kang have been circulating since Majors’ arrest. Or perhaps the studio will refocus, emphasizing other Marvel storylines, including Fantastic Four and a possible Young Avengers film.
After The Marvels bombed at the box office, a clean slate may be what Marvel Studios needs to reinvigorate its fatigued fan base before the 2025 phase 6 kickoff. There is speculation whether Loveness will be the only creative removed from the Marvel Studios team or if he is the first in a larger purging of creatives taking the fall for the once-infallible studio’s faltering box office numbers. Even as Marvel fans worldwide weigh in, only time will tell what a creative pivot for the studio looks like and whether it bodes well for the MCU’s future.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently set to release on May 1, 2026.
The Avengers
The Avengers is a group of comic book characters that consists of some of the world’s most iconic superheroes, such as The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.The Avengers have been a powerful force in Hollywood for over a decade now, both as a collective and individually. The group has also starred in video games, such as LEGO Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Avengers by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix.
Source: Joanna Robinson/House of R Podcast