Jonathan Majors says he is “blessed to have the opportunity” to play Marvel supervillain Kang The Conqueror in the upcoming Ant-Man movie.
The actor said fans’ “faith” in the character, who first appeared in the first season of Marvel spin-off Loki, was “emboldening”.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the third instalment of the franchise, is the first film of Marvel’s phase five and sees Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer reprise their starring roles.
Fans flocked to the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, chanting “Kang, Kang, Kang”, in anticipation of Majors’ big-screen MCU debut.
“The faith that these people have, not having seen the movie yet, is a lot,” the actor said, speaking to Marvel on the red carpet.
“It’s quite emboldening and I’m really excited to be here.”
Asked what drew him to the character, he continued: “I believe quite deeply that we contain multitudes, that the human being, the homosapien, is probably the greatest invention that will ever be.
“There’s no AI, there’s nothing that can top us, and with Kang there is this idea of variance, this idea of living multiple lifetimes, and there’s a lot of dream fulfilment in that.
“There’s a lot of imagination and heart and experience in that, and to do that with these folks with these facilities – it’s quite greedy of me.
“I’m quite blessed to have that opportunity.”
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania sees Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne (Rudd and Lilly) return to continue their adventures as the title characters.
Together, with Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym (Pfeiffer and Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm.
“He can give us a second chance.”
Experience Marvel Studios’ #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania in 3D, only in theaters February 17. Get tickets now: https://t.co/BUKUMeytC0 pic.twitter.com/yc4rMaY4jN
— Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (@AntMan) February 3, 2023
Rudd said it was “exciting” to reprise the role and that the production seemed “bigger” than the previous Ant-Man films.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige said Quantumania was “heartfelt and relatable” while also kicking of phase five “in a colossal way”.
“It’s amazing because it’s sort of the completion of a trilogy with this amazing family with Scott Lang and Cassie,” Feige told Marvel on the red carpet.
“It’s funny and it’s heartfelt and it’s relatable, but at the same time, kicking off phase five, and introducing Kang and Jonathan Majors in a colossal way.
“And that’s what I’m most excited for audiences to see tonight.”
– Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is set for release on February 17 2023.