Paying Majors $20 Million for Avengers 5 Might Be Marvel's Dumbest Move Yet
Marvel has jumped the shark with their collaboration with the actor.
Just a year ago, Jonathan Majors was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest leading men in Hollywood after his promising early roles in small indie films and supporting roles in bigger movies made both critics and fans sure of his talents.
Everyone was excited to see Majors play Kang the Conqueror in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty — the main villain of the upcoming movie.
However, all that came crashing down earlier this year when the actor was arrested by the NYPD for assaulting a woman in his apartment. Most people were quick to believe the woman Majors allegedly assaulted, as several other victims began cooperating with the district attorney's office back in April.
Although the actor's representatives have been reassuring that he is completely innocent, it looks like Marvel Studios should rethink their long-term strategy and Majors' involvement in their projects.
Right after Majors was accused of assault, most of his upcoming movies were either canceled or another actor was hired to replace him, but the MCU can't do that, as they have been setting up Majors as the big bad guy since he first appeared in Loki. It would be rather strange to change the actor playing Kang after he was already introduced as Majors, so the producers were reluctant to fire Majors from the project.
Moreover, it turns out that Marvel Studios was already in negotiations with Majors regarding his paycheck for the Avengers movie, and the reported figure is truly staggering. According to reports, the producers were willing to give Majors $20 million including back-end compensation, which in light of recent events sounds like a really stupid idea on the part of the MCU.
If Jonathan Majors is found guilty during his trial on August 3, Marvel will be forced to fire him from the MCU, as other actors will clearly not be comfortable sharing screen time with a convicted felon. In that case, Majors could not only lose his career, but also spend up to two years in jail — and he would probably never see that $20 million again in his life.