Unfortunately, Majors as Kang seems too good to be true given what we now know. It was alleged that Majors choked his girlfriend to the point of her passing out, followed by an arrest for domestic abuse. Majors’ lawyer then denied the charges by…revealing private texts that reconfirmed everything. On top of that, there are suggestions Majors was abusive on-set, making him The MCU’s answer to Ezra Miller. All that’s missing is the confirmation that Majors leads a cult…
This is bad news. It’s bad news because it’s bad PR for Marvel, and it’s bad news because it’s another example of an openly-pleasant face in Hollywood having dark secrets. It’s also frustrating as someone who was looking forward to what Majors had to offer in general. I know that last point’s superficial, but I don’t care. Let me disappointed.
The question that arises is, “Now what?”. Contrary to what Majors’ lawyers claim, this hasn’t been buried. Nor is this the end of the drama, as suggested by the reports of Majors’ behaviour on-set. Marvel’s at the same crossroads The DCEU and Warner Bros. were at when Ezra Miller’s behaviour became public: a star with baggage that’s compromising their upcoming films. It’s a bad look, essentially. And it needs to be remedied.
This is bad news. It’s bad news because it’s bad PR for Marvel, and it’s bad news because it’s another example of an openly-pleasant face in Hollywood having dark secrets. It’s also frustrating as someone who was looking forward to what Majors had to offer in general. I know that last point’s superficial, but I don’t care. Let me disappointed.
The question that arises is, “Now what?”. Contrary to what Majors’ lawyers claim, this hasn’t been buried. Nor is this the end of the drama, as suggested by the reports of Majors’ behaviour on-set. Marvel’s at the same crossroads The DCEU and Warner Bros. were at when Ezra Miller’s behaviour became public: a star with baggage that’s compromising their upcoming films. It’s a bad look, essentially. And it needs to be remedied.
There are suggestions being thrown around online of possible remedies, all varying in quality. The first is to recast Majors. I’ve heard the option of John Boyega as a replacement, which I can get behind given that he looks like Majors. It’d even make sense given that Kang has variants in The MCU, so that could explain the change in actors. It’d also, as a side-note, give Boyega a second-chance in Hollywood, given that he was blacklisted for speaking up against racism following George Floyd’s murder.
This sounds great, but there’s a problem: Majors has a contract with The MCU. And given that actors are unionized, firing him midway would be difficult. It doesn’t help that he’s been in one show and a movie, with a second season of said show debuting this year. He’s locked-in as Kang, so replacing him is challenging. I’d love for Boyega to get another opportunity to shine, though.
Another suggestion is scrubbing Majors from what he’s already been in, like what happened to Kevin Spacey once allegations of misconduct were brought up about him. It’s great in theory, but costly in practice. Given how VFX artists are already exploited by Marvel, I also doubt they’d be happy about that. Not to mention, it’s revisionist history. And art deserves better than that.
This sounds great, but there’s a problem: Majors has a contract with The MCU. And given that actors are unionized, firing him midway would be difficult. It doesn’t help that he’s been in one show and a movie, with a second season of said show debuting this year. He’s locked-in as Kang, so replacing him is challenging. I’d love for Boyega to get another opportunity to shine, though.
Another suggestion is scrubbing Majors from what he’s already been in, like what happened to Kevin Spacey once allegations of misconduct were brought up about him. It’s great in theory, but costly in practice. Given how VFX artists are already exploited by Marvel, I also doubt they’d be happy about that. Not to mention, it’s revisionist history. And art deserves better than that.
Then there’s halting production on further projects involving Majors. This, like scrubbing his presence, would be costly, hence not worth it. It’d also ruin The MCU’s release schedule, something already impacted by the pandemic. It’d be a no-win situation for The MCU, which is already in a no-win situation with Majors. Of all the suggestions, this is probably the least-likely to happen.
Finally, there’s pretending nothing’s wrong. This is the easiest one short-term, as it allows everything to resume as scheduled, but it’s the worst one ethically. While Majors isn’t an anomaly in Hollywood, as even talented individuals have skeletons in their closest, ignoring what Majors has done does no one, especially his girlfriend, any favours. It also gives him free reign to continue his behaviour, which isn’t great. In other words, I’m not a fan.
Really though, the solution is out of my hands. But outside of that, it sucks that people are using this as a partisan chip for their grievances. For MCU diehards, it’s about “How will this impact Kang?”, while DCEU diehards are pointing at the hypocrisy of this and many anti-superhero film enthusiasts are hoping this is the end of superhero cinema. All three groups are wrong. Not only does Kang not matter here, but this doesn’t exonerate Miller’s behaviour and cheering about the death of superheroes is petty and gross. Also, anyone not concerned about Majors’ behaviour needs to get out more.
Finally, there’s pretending nothing’s wrong. This is the easiest one short-term, as it allows everything to resume as scheduled, but it’s the worst one ethically. While Majors isn’t an anomaly in Hollywood, as even talented individuals have skeletons in their closest, ignoring what Majors has done does no one, especially his girlfriend, any favours. It also gives him free reign to continue his behaviour, which isn’t great. In other words, I’m not a fan.
Really though, the solution is out of my hands. But outside of that, it sucks that people are using this as a partisan chip for their grievances. For MCU diehards, it’s about “How will this impact Kang?”, while DCEU diehards are pointing at the hypocrisy of this and many anti-superhero film enthusiasts are hoping this is the end of superhero cinema. All three groups are wrong. Not only does Kang not matter here, but this doesn’t exonerate Miller’s behaviour and cheering about the death of superheroes is petty and gross. Also, anyone not concerned about Majors’ behaviour needs to get out more.
Ultimately, I’m at a loss. Like I said, I enjoyed Majors as Kang! He was the right actor to bring this character to the big-screen, and he felt like a genuine threat! But I can’t ignore what he’s done. And given my own history, I’d feel like a hypocrite if I turned a blind eye.
So yeah, that’s what I have to say here. I’m sure there’s more I could add on a legal level, but I’ll avoid that because I’m not a lawyer and, therefore, inexperienced there.
So yeah, that’s what I have to say here. I’m sure there’s more I could add on a legal level, but I’ll avoid that because I’m not a lawyer and, therefore, inexperienced there.
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