Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Star Jonathan Majors Looked To Shakespeare To Play Kang The Conquerer

The early buzz on "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" has arrived. The consensus? Jonathan Majors absolutely rules. Beyond that, the opinions are all over the place, but if we can count on anything, it's a proper movie star performance from the guy who's set to play various versions of the Marvel Cinematic Universes' new Big Bad. After starting out as He Who Remains in the Disney+ series "Loki," Majors is now coming to the big screen as Kang the Conqueror, a variant of the powerful TVA founder.

Since joining the MCU is such a big deal (long-term contracts, huge stacks of cash, a minefield of potential spoilers to avoid for months at a time), Jonathan Majors did not take his role lightly. In fact, during a press conference attended by /Film's Jeremy Mathai, he went as far as to compare the job to joining a Shakespearean troupe at the height of the playwright's fame. Majors explained that becoming part of any given Marvel production means adapting to an ever-changing culture:

"This really feels like joining the Shakespearean troupes back in the day. You know, when you have Shakespeare in the room and you've got the guys in the room they're just like 'Alright, go.' And Shakespeare has a very clear idea of what it is they want to do. And you have your lead actor, and they set the tempo and the tone and you get in and you get busy. The culture of the play and the story is all there, but it's really changing."

As Majors sees it, his job as an actor across various MCU projects is to adapt. He added, "You really have to be very clear about what it is you're doing and who your character is — the spine of the character, what he's about, what she's about, what they're going after. So you build that and the rest of it... you just play hard."

Kang as a character remains shrouded in typical Marvel mystery, but the trailers do drop a few hints about what he's after. Trapped in the Quantum Realm, Kang is looking for a way out — one that likely involves Ant-Man, his gang, and Pym Particles. But what would escaping the Quantum Realm mean? What would he do next? Based on his role as the villain of this story, the answer is nothing good.

Unlike his "Loki" variant, Kang does not suffer fools. While Ant-Man is prone to cracking jokes, Kang gets things done, no matter the cost. That might sound antithetical to what Majors said about the lead actor setting the tone, but it perfectly suits his role as the antagonist:

"As an antagonist, we're following our heroes. In this case, I have a few to look at and breakdown, which is a fun part. I look at them and I figure out, 'Okay, you can't antagonize somebody if you don't know who they are, if you don't know what's the opposite of them, if you don't know what their hopes and dreams are.' My objective is to do that — antagonize in order to get what I need, in order to fulfill my life, my dream.'"

Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige also chimed in for the Kang talk, explaining why he thinks Ant-Man is a fitting match for the newest MCU baddie. The fact that the "Ant-Man" movies served as a light reprieve during the Infinity Saga was not lost on him and in fact, that's what makes it so exciting to close Scott Lang's trilogy with his biggest, most impossible obstacle yet. There's something special, according to Feige, about "the notion of that everyday quality in a person who has grown and continually surprised himself and the world around him." Putting him up against someone who is "near unbeatable" creates some exciting tension.

If it's difficult to imagine Scott in a situation as dire and deadly as "Quantumania" will introduce, then no worries — that's the point! Does he have a shot at coming out on top when his formidable villain is played by the likes of Jonathan Majors? Only time will tell. Although the heroes tend to win in the end, it's hard not to put money on the guy who can "rewrite existence and shatter timelines."

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" releases on February 17, 2023.