Casting rumors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become quite a hot topic in the entertainment industry. Especially after the initial rumor and now confirmation that Pedro Pascal would be portraying Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. One actor who has been right in the center of one of the biggest rumors of the franchise has been Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) and if he would be the one to fill the shoes of Kang the Conqueror.

Though there’s been no validity to these rumors yet, it didn’t stop Domingo from addressing them in a recent interview alongside other Hollywood stars like Pedro Pascal in a cover interview shoot with Vanity Fair. In fact, even he was surprised by the rumor, saying, “…the moment it started happening, literally, I think I was on my couch. And I was like, What rumor? Who? Where’s this coming from? I just didn’t think about it. The next day I woke up, it’s everywhere.”

In the interview, he was asked if there was any truth to the rumors surrounding his potential role in the MCU. Domingo could only reply with, “Do I know this to be true or not? I actually don’t know.” Even still, he held out a glimmer of hope as he explained that his team had had conversations with Marvel before but that it’s only ever real if his team officially brings him something. “I would welcome a conversation around it. Whatever they’re working out with Jonathan [Majors] and his legacy in the MCU, I feel like I just have to be in my own lane, whatever that is.”

The source of these rumors came after a lengthy domestic abuse case led to actor Jonathan Majors receiving a guilty verdict. As a result, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star lost his role as Kang the Conqueror, as well as other projects lined up with the company, like the movie Magazine Dreams.

Since then, Marvel Studios has been tight-lipped on the character’s status and their direction moving forward until today. In a post from The Hollywood Reporter, they revealed that Kang will no longer be the main protagonist of the MCU. Even Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will have a reworked title. But the most startling revelation was that sources said that even before Majors’ conviction, they were moving away from Kang because of how Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania performed at the box office. 

With his star continuing to rise and an Oscar nomination under his belt, it’s just a matter of time before we find out if Colman Domingo will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, if so, in what capacity.