Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gave the Marvel Cinematic Universe its latest standout villain performance, in the form of Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. Iwuji’s maniacal performance as a fascistic genetic engineer was powerful enough to cause some viewers to get legitimately triggered by how he torments Rocket Raccoon and other animal characters in the film.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
Well, Marvel fans who saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and are discussing the film on social media have come up with a theory/plan of action that seems to be gaining steam with the fandom โ or at the very least is sparking debate. The idea is simple: have Chukwudi Iwuji replace Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, the MCU’s next big bad, and use the premise of Kang’s many variants to do it.ย
One tweet that went particularly viral started the ball rolling, by throwing out the joke that the reaction to Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary was giving Kevin Feige serious recasting ideas:ย
“Kevin Feige right now is without question trying to figure out a way to explain that High Evolutionary is a Kang variant to bring Chukwudi Iwuji to replace Jonathan Majors after his performance” -@NicholasJLevi
Kevin Feige right now is without question trying to figure out a way to explain that High Evolutionary is a Kang variant to bring Chukwudi Iwuji to replace Jonathan Majors after his performance pic.twitter.com/wW5qUxomgS
— Nicholas (@NicholasJLevi) May 8, 2023
After that came an avalanche of similar posts, as the idea seems to be growing on more and more Marvel fans. Of course, even the overwhelmingly beloved MCU is not a monolith, so not everyone agrees with the idea of replacing Jonathan Majors with Chuckwudi Iwuji as Kang:ย
Wanting the high evolutionary to be Kang is the stupidest thing I've seen in a while
— D๐ ฐ๏ธhz๐ ฐ๏ธn (@D4hz4hn) May 9, 2023
How High Evolutionary Could Replace Kang The Conqueror In The MCU
As the fan theory points out, the nature of Kang the Conqueror’s existence is that he has many variant forms from different realities across the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. There are expected to be a few new “gotcha” twists in the future, as we learn there are various versions of Kang embedded in places we never expected to see him; fans are ready and willing to make the cognitive leap to learning that The High Evolutionary was, in fact, just a variant of Kang โ making it that much easier to move Chukwudi Iwuji into the role, going forward. In terms of MCU recasts it’s easier to see (literally) than, say, Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as War Machine after Iron Man.
Will Marvel Replace Jonathan Majors As Kang?ย
Jonathan Majors came off a hugely successful start to 2023 (With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Creed 3 both topping the box office), only to crash and burn when he was arrested and accused of assaulting a female companion in late March. Majors has seen major film roles and endorsement deals get revoked, as more accusers have spoken up against him, and the initial alleged victim filed a formal restraining order against him, as a court date about the incident has been set.ย
Now, Marvel fans are waiting watching to see what Disney/Marvel Studios does with Jonathan Majors in the role of Kang, one of the pivotal roles in the current MCU Multiverse Saga storyline. ย