The Marvel Cinematic Universe has spent over a decade dominating pop culture, with new projects coming to theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. After being the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie in years, Deadpool & Wolverine finally hit theaters and has been crushing at the box office. The movie is success, but we just found out how Deadpool 3 was reportedly factoring in Kang before Jonathan Majors’ firing.
The critical response to Deadpool & Wolverine has been overwhelmingly positive, as has the fan reaction. But the movie was a long time coming, and a number of different versions came and go throughout the development, writing, and filming process. Scooper Daniel Richtman is known for revealing behind the scenes info about the MCU, and alleged a way that Kang was originally going to be mentioned during the recent blockbuster. In his words:
Apparently, the original idea was that Paradox collected Anchor Beings from different universes to create an army to fight the Council of Kangs.
Well, my mind is blown. If this rumor is true, it makes a great deal of sense. Kang was meant to be the next Thanos-level threat to the MCU prior to Jonathan Majors' legal issues and eventual conviction. And since Deadpool & Wolverine was a multiversal story that included Loki's TVA and Alioth, it's a logical next step to at least mention Kang by name.
One of the main villains of Deadpool & Wolverine is Mr. Paradox, played by Succession icon Matthew Macfadyen. While he originally seems to have good intentions, it quickly becomes clear that he's out for himself. And collecting variants to take on Kang and his forces is on way he might have fooled Wade Wilson into thinking he was one of the good guys.
After appearances in Loki and Ant-Man 3, it definitely seemed like Kang and his army of variants were going to be dangerous. The next Avengers movie was originally titled The Kang Dynasty, although that's been scrapped and replaced by Avengers: Doomsday.... complete with RDJ playing Doctor Doom. With Marvel seemingly abandoning that major plot point, Kang no longer factored into the events of Deadpool & Wolverine.
It should be interesting to see if the MCU ever acknowledges Jonathan Majors' character again, or if it simply moves on. The credits scene of Ant-Man 3 showed off a legion of variants, which seemed like disaster for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Alas, it seems like the studio moved on rather than choosing an actor who could replace Majors as Kang.
We'll just have to see if this rumor about Deadpool 3 and Kang ends up being confirmed by Ryan Reynolds or anyone in power at Marvel. In the meantime, check out the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater next year.
