Robert Downey Jr Just Made That Colman Domingo Marvel Update Impossible
Colman Domingo won’t be the MCU’s next big bad after all. He met with Marvel, but replacing Jonathan Majors as Kang never felt right—and he’s holding out for a role he can truly make his own.
Quick one: Colman Domingo is not your new Kang. Yes, he met with Marvel. No, he is not stepping into Jonathan Majors shoes. It did not vibe for him. And based on where Marvel seems to be steering its villains, it probably would not have mattered anyway. The fun twist: Domingo is heading to Oz instead.
So, was Domingo ever really in the Kang mix?
In a new Variety interview, Domingo says he did sit down with Marvel execs, but he was never seriously entertaining a Kang recast. He wants something he can truly own, not an inheritance with baggage.
It didn't feel right.
That is the pull-quote. And honestly, fair.
Marvel looks like it is pivoting the villain plan
On the studio side, the tea leaves suggest a reset. Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly stepping into Doctor Doom in the next Avengers phase — a wild swing that points to a new big bad and a fresh direction. If Doom is the centerpiece, the Kang multiverse arc gets squeezed, which makes a recast feel unlikely at best. Translation: even if Domingo wanted Kang, Marvel may have already moved on.
What Domingo is doing instead: Oz, Part Two
Domingo is officially voicing the Cowardly Lion in 'Wicked: For Good' — the second film in Universal's two-part adaptation of the Broadway musical. The production signaled the casting on Instagram, and it is a great fit: an iconic fantasy franchise, built-in audience, and a role that lets him perform on his home turf.
'Wicked: Part One' is already generating massive anticipation, so Domingo walks into Part Two with real momentum. Expect serious box office muscle and awards-season chatter. He joins a stacked lineup led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As a trained theater actor with a Tony nomination, this gig lets him blend acting and singing in a way a CGI-heavy superhero part usually does not. It is also a chance to front a major franchise on his own terms — not as a replacement cog in someone else's arc.
Cowardly Lion 101 (and why this is savvy casting)
L. Frank Baum’s Lion has always been about courage in spite of fear. In Wicked, the world around him amplifies that insecurity — the fear is shaped by how others treat him, not who he is at his core. This version gives the character more personality and backstory than the classic Wizard of Oz take, which means there is room for a fresh, emotionally specific performance.
The role demands both vocal presence and real feeling — a lane Domingo already lives in, on stage and on screen. Done right, he can redefine the Lion for a new generation. It carries genuine symbolic weight, the kind you usually only see with marquee villains, just in a very different universe.
- No, Colman Domingo is not replacing Jonathan Majors as Kang; after meeting Marvel, he decided it did not feel right.
- Marvel is reportedly re-centering its next Avengers phase around Doctor Doom, with Robert Downey Jr. in the mix — which sidelines the Kang-heavy multiverse plan.
- Domingo is officially the voice of the Cowardly Lion in 'Wicked: For Good' (the second film), joining Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
- With Part One’s hype and his theater chops (Tony nomination), the Wicked role could be a higher-visibility, more tailor-made showcase than a recast MCU villain.
So, no Kang for now. Oz instead. Honestly, that might be the better story for him. Thoughts on Domingo as the Lion? I’m into it — tell me if you are too.