Jonathan Majors, who's poised to play Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, showed off the impressive bodybuilding he's done to get into supervillain shape.The Nov. 2022 issue of Men's Health highlights Majors' journey from indie film darling in projects like The Last Black Man in San Francisco to his becoming the next major villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Majors described what appealed to him about playing Kang, saying, "It was the character and dimensions of Kang [that drew him to the role]. And the potential that it had. I thought, I’ll take a chance on that." He first played a multiverse variant of the character in the season finale of Loki before stepping to the forefront as the main antagonist of the forthcoming Quantumania. Majors is set to be a key figure of the MCU going forward, with the fifth Avengers movie being subtitled The Kang Dynasty.
Jonathan Majors' Two Physically Demanding Roles
Majors described working with strength-and-conditioning coach Jamie Sawyer to get into shape to play Kang, using an approach similar to boxers and MMA fighters that emphasizes performance over aesthetics. "He is the warrior version of Kang," Sawyer explained. "So there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who's been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill. It was about making him look like an imposing figure." Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige praised Majors for his talent as a performer and commitment to the role, saying "Jonathan is an incredibly compelling actor who puts in the work yet makes it look effortless, and he’s also just cool—everyone pays attention when he steps into the room."
Outside of the MCU, Majors is set to play heavyweight boxer Damian, the main antagonist in Creed III. Majors described his character's physique as one born of trauma, saying, "There are certain reasons you build your body. Dame’s body was built from loss. He had lost something, and that hole is what made him work the way he worked. When you see Dame's body, you go, 'Oh, that makes sense. You don’t look like that and be happy with life.'" Majors' trainer for the film was impressed by the actor's pugilistic prowess and said he was good enough to be a professional boxer.
Majors will also play an unsociable bodybuilder in the drama Magazine Dreams and a Korean War-era fighter pilot in Devotion. He is also in talks to play Dennis Rodman in the raunchy biopic 48 Hours in Vegas, which recounts the basketball star's impromptu trip to Sin City in the middle of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on Feb. 17, 2023.
Source: Men's Health