According to the Variety report, the end of “Loki” Season 2 doubles down on Kang, setting him up as a true terror for the next “Avengers” movie and supporting stories. That move was already well underway after “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and “Loki” Season 2 wrapped production prior to the allegation against Jonathan Majors coming out. But with the case against Majors now going to trial and Marvel in no less of a content conundrum, committing again to this particular direction certainly seems like a dicey choice.
Of course, there are options. Variety reported that the Marvel execs discussed various potential solutions in September, including recasting Majors or rewriting the story to center around a new lead villain like Dr. Doom. Recasting might be the simplest move, but according to the report, the studio was already wary of Kang when “Quantumania” failed to produce at the box office. Variety also cited reports that Marvel could try to bring back original MCU stars like Robert Downey Jr. Such a drastic move could be both expensive and lucrative, but with interest in the franchise fading fast, it might be too little, too late.
Regardless of the fix, the problem is the same — yet another narrative reroute that keeps fans on the perimeter instead of building something new. It’s already been almost five years since “Avengers: Endgame” came out, and now it looks like Marvel could be going back to square one yet again.
