While Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is currently in theaters now, Jonathan Majors is already gearing for the release of another one of his blockbusters, Creed III. These are some big movies, and both required Majors to get physical on screen. Both films also have him starring alongside former Sexiest Men Alive - Paul Rudd in the Marvel flick and Michael B. Jordan in the boxing threequel, respectively. With that in mind, one can't help but ask a question of Majors in regard to battling the Hollywood heavyweights -- who’s the better puncher between his two co-stars? Well, the up-and-coming star explained just how Rudd’s punches compared to Jordan's.
While intense fight scenes play an instrumental role in both blockbusters, Jonathan Majors’ roles in them couldn’t be more different. He plays the menacing and timeline-hopping Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man 3 and portrays Adonis Creed’s childhood friend-turned-rival Damian Anderson in the latest Creed installment. So he goes blow-for-blow with Michael B. Jordan in the boxing ring while taking on Paul Rudd in the Quantum Realm. Major revealed that fighting his fellow MCU stars took months of extensive combat training. After going toe-to-toe with both actors, he was able to tell NME -- without any doubts -- that one of his colleagues doesn't hit as hard as the other:
I think Paul Rudd hits in softer spots which hurts more… and Mike hits harder. Mike hits hard.
So basically, it sounds like the 36-year-old actor couldn't catch a break either way. It's not surprising that Michael B. Jordan’s punches were harder, though, especially given the more grounded nature of the stars' staged fights. But then again, as those who've seen Quantumania (or even just the trailer) know, Scott Lang and Kang get into some good, old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat during the film.
Ahead of Creed III's release, Jonathan Majors has been talking up his and Michael B. Jordan’s boxing scenes. The rising Hollywood star discussed what it was like taking real punches from the Killmonger actor a few times during filming. However, Majors was just happy to be part of the Rocky franchise. The on-screen co-stars also formed a bond off the set, to the point that they even commiserated with each other over their girl troubles. Hopefully, the bond between the two actors will translate to their characters’ relationship in the boxing film.
Along with Quantumania and Creed III, Jonathan Majors has gained critical praise for his bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams. The Sundance Festival standout will be released later this year after getting picked up by Fox Searchlight. All the while, Majors will continue to play Kang in the MCU, with one of his next appearances being in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. He’s also reportedly attached to the Dennis Rodman biopic 48 Hours in Vegas, and it's a role he selfishly wanted due to the controversial NBA figure's personality.
He's got a lot of physical roles on the horizon, and chances are he could very well take a few more punches as time goes son. But if he can withstand jabs from the likes of Michael B. Jordan and Paul Rudd, he should be fine. Check out Creed III, which opens on March 3rd as part of the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
