Jonathan Majors says he is “heartbroken” to be replaced by Robert Downey Jr. as Marvel’s new villain

Jonathan Majors has said he is “heartbroken” to be replaced by Robert Downey Jr. as the main villain of the next two Avengers movies.

Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, Downey Jr. announced his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the new role of Doctor Doom, having previously portrayed Iron Man/Tony Stark in the franchise.

Majors was dropped by Marvel on the same day he was found guilty of two counts of harassment and assault. His villain, Kang the Conquerer, was set up as the new major villain of the MCU, with the next Avengers movie initially being titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Now, however, that film has been replaced by the Downey-led Avengers: Doomsday. Downey Jr. will also appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Speaking to TMZ, Majors said he was “heartbroken” to be replaced as the MCU’s next major villain. “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.”

The outlet then noted that Downey Jr. has been given the chance to lead more Marvel movies despite his own history of legal troubles. The actor was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded gun, and given three years of probation. He faced numerous other legal issues in the years that followed, which made some Marvel executives hesitant to cast him as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man.

“I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love … and [he’s] being allowed to work [his] art and be creative at that level,” Majors said about Downey Jr. being afforded a comeback despite his legal troubles. “I didn’t really get that.”

When asked if he’d still be up for returning as Kang in the future, Majors replied: “Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang. If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”

Majors was arrested in New York in March after he allegedly assaulted ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in the backseat of a car. The actor pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

The actor, who faced four charges of assault, aggravated harassment and harassment, was found guilty on two of the charges. He was found not guilty of one count of assault in the third degree and one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree.

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