Jonathan Majors is presently one of the most exciting stars on the rise in Hollywood, and certainly a part of that is his anticipated future as a blockbuster villain. Earlier this year he debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang The Conqueror a.k.a. He Who Remains in the Disney+ original series Loki (a role he will reprise in the upcoming Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania), and before too long we’ll get to see him square off in the boxing ring with Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed in Creed III. On paper, you’d think that these two characters would have very little in common, but according to Majors, there is a connection between them, and it makes us only more excited to see what he is cooking up with his performances.
Currently doing the press rounds for his new movie The Harder They Fall (in which he delivers a fantastic turn), Jonathan Majors recently spoke with Variety about what he has been cooking up in his career recently, and in the conversation drew a line between his work in the MCU and the Rocky franchise. They are both antagonists in their respective canons and stories, but he is accessing something deeper in them to understand and better portray their perspectives. Said Majors,
In my opinion, there’s no difference, but there is. What is happening, how it manifests may seem like there’s malice in it. Sometimes I feel like with the villains or the antagonist, there’s more hurt, so it almost seems impractical or it seems extreme what it is they’re trying to do.
When talking about playing realistic villains, actors regularly talk about the importance of not actually seeing their parts in that specific light. People who do evil things don’t traditionally view themselves as the “bad guy;” they justify their actions to themselves based on their own experience. Ant-Man and Wasp may view Kang as evil, and Adonis Creed may view Jonathan Majors’ character as his enemy, but the performer is evidently making specific strides in his turns to add greater complexity to the roles and make the audience understand his side of the story.
Talking more about his future with Marvel, Jonathan Majors also teased that we have just seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his mysterious character’s role in the future. He didn’t divulge much, but he does come across as very excited about doing more with Kang than sitting in a room discussing the potential fate of all reality. Said the actor,
And He Who Remains is in the world now, and so there’s so much we know about him. There’s 40 minutes of that guy and that narrative. So it really set me up to tell a story and add another canvas, with more players. This time, it’s not the incredible Tom Hiddleston; I’m dealing with Paul Rudd and Evangeline and the likes of the Ant-Man family, so it’s a whole different world and I’m just exploring and trying to do the best I can.
If you’re looking for an immediate dose of Jonathan Majors’ impressive talent, you can watch The Harder They Fall on Netflix right now – and it will surely only serve to make you excited about the blockbuster projects he has coming up. Creed III, which marks Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, is presently on track to hit theaters in a little over a year (specifically on November 23, 2022), and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will be hitting the big screen on July 28, 2023.
