Jonathan Majors Gained 10 Pounds of Muscle to Play MCU’s Kang the Conqueror: This Is ‘the Warrior Version of Kang’

Zack Sharf
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Marvel has yet to debut a first look photo of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conquerer in the upcoming “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but expect some serious muscles whenever it does. As part of a Men’s Health cover story, Majors and his team revealed that he packed on 10 pounds of pure muscle to play the Marvel villain. The actor is set to become the new Thanos of the MCU, with Kang’s arc running from “Quantumania” to at least “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” in May 2025.

“It was the character and dimensions of Kang [that drew me to the role],” Majors said. “And the potential that it had. I thought, ‘I’ll take a chance on that.'”

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Stephen Broussard, an executive producer on “Loki” and a producer on “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” said Majors had “an insane work ethic” on set as Kang. The actor worked with strength-and-conditioning coach Jamie Sawyer to gain muscle for his MCU debut.

“He is the warrior version of Kang, 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,” Sawyer said. “It was about making him look like an imposing figure.”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige added, “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.”

The first trailer for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” debuted at Comic-Con over the summer, but Marvel has yet to release it online. The footage shows Kang telling Paul Rudd’s eponymous hero, “You’re an interesting man, Scott Lang. You’ve lost a lot of time. But time, it isn’t what you think.”

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opens in theaters Feb. 17, 2023.

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