Jonathan Majors is 'heartbroken' over Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom replacing Kang the Conqueror in the MCU

Jonathan Majors is still mourning his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star told TMZ that he is "heartbroken” over the news that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU to play its new Big Bad, Doctor Doom, in Avengers: Doomsday. The film, previously titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, was originally slated to feature Majors as the titular villain Kang the Conqueror, prior to his conviction in a domestic violence trial.

"Yeah, heartbroken. Of course,” Majors told the outlet, when asked if he was hurt by the announcement. “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.”

When the reporter noted that Downey has endured his share of legal troubles, alluding to the actor's struggles with substance abuse and 1999 prison sentence (for which he served 15-months), Majors said, "I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love."

The reporter also mentioned The Flash star Ezra Miller, who faced a number of controversies before the release of the DC Studios movie in June of 2023. Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, was arrested multiple times in 2022 and pleaded guilty in January of 2023 to trespassing a house in Vermont, for which they received a one-year probation and $500 fine.

"They're being allowed to work their art and be creative at that level," Majors said, referring to both Downey and Miller.

With a laugh, the embattled 34-year-old actor added, “I didn’t really get that.” Asked about the reason for that difference, Majors said, “That’s hard. I don’t know.”

As for his interest in reprising the role of Kang, Majors expressed enthusiasm.

“Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang,” he said. “If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”

Back in December, Majors was found guilty on one count of assault and one count of harassment, following a dispute with his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. He did not face prison time for the conviction, but a Manhattan criminal court judge ruled in April that the Creed III actor must complete a 52-week in-person batterer’s intervention program. He was also ordered to continue his mental health therapy.

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Just hours after the verdict was read, Marvel announced it was dropping Majors from the role of Kang the Conqueror and did not announce plans to recast the role. Majors was a rising star in Hollywood prior to his March 2023 arrest and in the weeks that followed, the actor was dropped by his talent manager and publicist, and parted ways with several high-profile projects, including the forthcoming Dennis Rodman biopic 48 Hours in Vegas. His film Magazine Dreams, which had garnered rave reviews and awards buzz earlier that year, was pulled from the Searchlight release calendar.