10 Most Popular Kang Recasting Casting Choices, Ranked

Summary

Despite initial plans, Kang’s MCU future looks diminished due to actor controversies and audience reception.
RDJ’s return as Doctor Doom signals a new direction for the Avengers, likely excluding Kang as the main villain.
Potential recasts for Kang include Terrence Howard, Will Smith, John Boyega, Lakeith Stanfield, Denzel Washington, and more.

Kang may have been replaced as the MCU’s next major villain in Avengers: Doosmday, but the fact remains that Marvel Studios will still likely need to recast the multiverse-hopping conqueror. Originally planned to be the next overarching big bad of the franchise on the level of Thanos, Kang’s actor Jonathan Majors was fired due to controversial assault and harassment convictions. Combined with general audiences’ lukewarm reception to the character in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the MCU has pivoted to a new Avengers-level threat.

As such, Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, setting up the next major villain the Avengers will battle. However, Kang will likely still be present in the cast of Avengers: Doomsday in some capacity, as it wouldn’t make sense for him to suddenly be abruptly cut from the story altogether. Because of this, Marvel Studios will need to recast Kang, choosing between several popular options that each have their own arguments for and against.

3:16 Related Avengers 5: Why Doom Replacing Kang Is Great For the MCU

Doctor Doom is set to be the next big bad of the MCU, and he could be an even better choice than Kang the Conqueror.

10 Terrence Howard

Wouldn’t be worth the abysmal negative publicity

Kang is far from the first character in the MCU to be recast entirely, with one of the most famous examples being Terrence Howard. In the first Iron Man, Terrence Howard played James Rhodes, only for Marvel Studios to recast Howard with Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2, who addresses the change in the film with the tongue-in-cheek line “Look it’s me, I’m here, deal with it. Let’s move on.” Bringing Howard back into the fold as Kang would be a great avenue for Marvel to subtly acknowledge the recast in a clever way.

Marvel would be walking right back into the same hot water they hoped to avoid by firing Majors.

That being said, Howard has his own P.R. woes that easily dwarf those of Jonathan Majors, making him by far the worst of the popular Kang recasting suggestions. Since Iron Man, serious allegations of abuse have been leveled against Howard by two of his ex-wives, with one even going as far as a restraining order. By signing Howard, Marvel would be walking right back into the same hot water they hoped to avoid by firing Majors.

9 Will Smith

Might have too much star power to fit into a smaller role

Will Smith is one of the most famous movie stars to have thus far avoided a brush with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From large-scale blockbusters like Independence Day to thoughtful dramas like King Richard, Smith has proven his acting skill time and time again across a variety of genres and tones. However popular he may be, Will Smith wouldn’t make the best Kang replacement for a multitude of reasons.

For one, Will Smith’s star power is so great that it seems unlikely he’d be willing to settle for a role as a minor villain in the shadow of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom, whose salary will account for nearly half of Avengers: Doomsday‘s budget. Smith’s ask for such a role would likely be high enough to bankrupt the MCU entirely when combined with Robert Downey Jr.’s long-awaited return. Even disregarding financial realities, Will Smith isn’t as proven in villainous roles, making him a poor choice overall.

8 John Boyega

A great actor trapped by unfortunate circumstances

Few great actors have been done as dirty as John Boyega has when it comes to the making of blockbuster films. From having his role drastically reduced as a main protagonist of the Disney Star Wars sequels to being trapped in the abysmal writing of Pacific Rim: Uprising, John Boyega is a true diamond in the rough of the box office.

No critical or monetary failure is ever the fault of his phenomenal acting ability, but the British actor can’t seem to catch a break.

That being said, bad luck alone isn’t the only reason to consider other actors for Kang’s replacement. Like Will Smith, Boyega doesn’t have as much experience in antagonistic roles, which could limit his effecacy as the tyrannical timeline-conquering Kang. On top of that, Boyega recently admitted in an interview with Mens Health that he wasn’t interested in joining the MCU as of 2022, wanting to instead focus on more “nuanced” roles for his immediate future.

7 Lakeith Stanfield

Could make Kang more sympathetic and nuanced

Lakeith Stanfield has become a well-respected actor that high brow audiences have slowly come to associate with well-told stories that are often bizarre or dreamlike in quality. From Get Out to Sorry to Bother You to the hit series Atlanta, Stanfield has made his way across some highly respected projects that demonstrate his skill at inhabiting a variety of characters. It’s safe to say that a world as strange as the MCU would be easy for him to digest, which might make him a great Kang variant.

Lakeith Stanfield’s talent at portraying characters in strange circumstances that are nevertheless very down-to-earth could add a new layer of depth to Kang that other actors might not be able to wring out of the seemingly one-dimensional villain. Loki has already toyed with making Kang, or at least certain versions of him, more sympathetic, which Stanfield could expand on with one of his trademark thoughtful portrayals. That being said, Stanfield is fairly unproven when it comes to mastering the physicality of a role such as Kang’s.

6 Aaron Moten

Might give Kang a delicate sense of unease and danger

Aaron Moten first gained notoriety for his portrayal of the main character in Netflix’s Disjointed, a workplace sitcom set within the bounds of a Los Angeles Dispensary. But it’s his work as the Brotherhood of Steel member Maximus in Amazon’s Fallout that makes him a noteworthy candidate for Kang in the MCU. Compared to the rest of Fallout‘s cast, Moten portrays a more self-serving, morally gray character, not as heartless as The Ghoul but far from the optimism of Lucy.

In Fallout, Moten proved that he could handle fight scenes and fantasy worlds, making him a good fit for the MCU. Maximus’ conflicted moral compass and sense of dangerous apathy lurking beneath the surface could also be expanded upon in a Kang performance. The only issue is Moten’s sense of comedic timing, which might infect Kang’s character too much, reducing the profile of his threat in favor of humorous beats both intentional and unintentional.

5 Denzel Washington

Could portray an older, more grizzled Kang

Denzel Washington might be a surprisingly prescient route for the MCU to go with for the next iteration of Kang. At 69 years old, casting Denzel Washington would obviously age up Kang, which the MCU could explain easily via multiversal variants. In this way, it would make more sense for Kang’s appearance to be changed due to his age, making a recast go much smoother and making sense outside of the real-world drama that led to Majors’ replacement.

Kang’s intense persona fits Denzel Washington’s filmography to a tee, which could serve Kang’s new role in the MCU excellently.

Denzel Washington needs little introduction as a noteworthy actor, giving breathtaking performances in movies from Training Day to Fences. Kang’s intense persona fits Denzel Washington’s filmography to a tee, which could serve Kang’s new role in the MCU excellently. The only issue is Denzel Washington’s alarming levels of star power that, like Will Smith, may threaten the practicality of the next major MCU movie’s budget.

4 Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Could build on what Loki already introduced

Of all the possible actors to replace Kang in the MCU, one of them has already been introduced in the series. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Judge Ravonna Renslayer of the TVA in the Loki series, a character with messy romantic ties to Kang in the comics. The next movies could expand on this relationship by revealing that Ravonna was a variant of Kang all along, rather than Rebecca Tourminet, paralleling the relationship between Lokie and Sylvie with a dark reflection.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw does a phenomenal job as Ravonna in Loki, and could easily carry this same energy as Kang’s replacement in a mainline crossover film. The only issue is her exclusivity to the Disney+ show, meaning that most general audiences wouldn’t be aware of who she is or what her relationship with the previous Kang was. Great as a choice though she may be to carry on Kang’s MCU legacy, Mbatha-Raw as a Kang variant might be too confusing of a theory to confirm.

3 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Has already proven himself as a comic book villain

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is no stranger to playing evil characters. From his slow fall transformation to becoming the next Candyman in Jordan Peele’s reboot of the same name to his status as Aquaman’s greatest enemy in the DCEU, Abdul-Mateen knows what it takes to make a terrifying or evil character work. Combined with his impressive physicality, he could make for a properly intimidating Kang.

Unfortunately, there are several issues with casting Abdul-Mateen as the next Kang the Conqueror. Ironically, he might be too effective and compelling as Kang, which would draw too much of the spotlight away from Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor Von Doom. He’s also set to play the superhero Wonder Man in a Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show planned much further down the pipeline, which might disqualify him from double-dipping in the franchise with two prominent roles, although this didn’t stop Robert Downey Jr.

2 Aldis Hodge

Is the perfect level of notoriety for Kang

Aldis Hodge isn’t quite a household name, but the actor has been continuously proving himself in several popular releases ever since his portrayal of MC Ren in Straight Outta Compton. Hodge has gone on to gain further notoriety in projects like The Invisible Man and the TV show Leverage. As Hawkman in Black Adam, Hodge was able to finally break in to the superhero space, proving himself as a worthy contender for the MCU’s Kang replacement.

Even if Black Adam was far from the smash hit Warner Bros. intended it to be, Hodge’s performance was easily one of the best things about the film. It shouldn’t be too difficult for Hodge to transfer his superhero acting talents into a more villainous character, filling in as a solid Kang without drawing too much attention away from the MCU’s shift in focus to Doctor Doom. With an impressive comic book physique and subtle performances that can evoke something greater lurking beneath the surface, Aldis Hodge is near-perfect for Kang.

1 John David Washington

A rising star that could finally embrace his villainous side

Like Aldis Hodge, John David Washington adds just the right amount of marquee value for a Kang replacement, famous enough to be recognizable but not an overwhelming presence of star power like Denzel Washington or Will Smith would be. Getting his first big break on the HBO series Ballers as Ricky Jerret, John David Washington has since proven himself as a capable lead in films like BlaKkKlansman, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, and most recently, The Creator. His roles repeatedly demonstrate a great mind for a thrilling Kang performance.

Even if he’s usually the hero, Washington has consistently given a certain edge to his performances that make it easy to imagine him pivoting into a more antagonistic force. His effortless charisma would be the perfect solution to Kang’s relative lack of popularity as an overarching villain, but he wouldn’t distract from the renewed direction of Avengers: Doomsday. Of all the popular fancasts for Kang the Conqueror’s next appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, John David Washington is easily the strongest.

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