Forget Doom, Marvel Is Ignoring The Easiest Kang Solution

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Summary

Marvel's consideration of replacing Kang with Doctor Doom would be a mistake that is a disservice to both characters.
Recasting Kang is a viable solution for Marvel instead of completely replacing the character, given the precedent set by past character recasts in the MCU.
The concept of variants in the Multiverse has already been established in the MCU, making it feasible to have a different actor play a variant of Kang without causing confusion.

Jonathan Majors' legal battle is among the biggest contributing factors to Marvel's current crisis, but the studio's easiest solution to their Kang the Conqueror problem is not to pivot directly to Doctor Doom. The MCU's Multiverse Saga is now well underway, with the second season of Loki poised to further Kang's arc as its arch-villain. Following his disappointing defeat in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania, a lot hinges on Kang's imminent set-up as the MCU's arch-villain in earnest. Recent reports, however, suggest that Marvel has considered u-turning on his arc in light of Kang actor Jonathan Majors' current situation, readjusting the narrative to place Doctor Doom as the MCU's biggest threat instead.
Making such a consequential change would be a mistake from which Marvel could struggle to recover. Kang has been the presumed villain of Phases 4 through 6 for quite some time, but his central role in Phase 5's most recent releases have cemented that fact and necessitated a significant payoff. The Multiverse Saga's penultimate Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, has now been given a pretty lengthy lay-up, making a heel turn significantly less palatable halfway through MCU Phase 5. The Jonathan Majors debacle needn't hamstring Marvel, but the fact that it has considered such drastic changes in response is quite worrying.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Why Marvel Considered Replacing Kang With Doctor Doom

After the MCU completed Thanos' story, it moved on to Kang the Conqueror as its next central villain. However, Kang actor Jonathan Majors found himself mired in legal and publicity issues following accusations of assault in March 2023. Needless to say, this complicated things for the studio, which strongly considered writing out the character altogether.
A report by Variety details how a Marvel Studios retreat in Palm Springs included discussions over how to deal with the fact that Jonathan Majors was currently involved in a very public trial over allegations of assault. With the trial ongoing, executives have thus far decided to wait and see with regard to Majors, but that may not be an option if Majors is found guilty, and the MCU's Phase 5 clock is ticking. It was at this retreat, then, that executives reportedly considered the possibility of pivoting toward Doctor Doom, circumnavigating the potential problems caused by having Majors continue in his role as Kang.
The fact that Doctor Doom was waiting in the wings, most likely making an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars, meant that moving his arrival forward was perhaps the most sensible option. What this would mean, however, is that Kang's overarching presence would peter out before he had a chance to make a significant impact, rendering the movies and shows that set him up somewhat obsolete. This would throw an already stumbling MCU into further disarray - but it doesn't have to be this way.
Recasting Kang Is Easier Than Replacing Him

Given the consequences of changing trajectory so far into the current phase, there is one pretty evident solution that Marvel could opt for instead: recasting Kang. The fact that Majors has played multiple variants of the villain so far doesn't mean that Marvel's hands are tied when it comes to deciding how to deal with the actor picked to play him. In fact, the MCU is no stranger to recasting major characters, with Hulk and Rhodey being two stand-out examples of past recasts, both of which were easily overlooked as the cinematic universe rocketed towards unmitigated success.
Additionally, it isn't as if Kang has established himself as a fan-favorite character on par with MCU greats like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, mostly because he hasn't had time yet. While Jonathan Majors has done wonders for the role of Kang, especially as show-stopping variants He Who Remains and Victor Timely, his exit from the MCU wouldn't exactly ruin much. On the contrary, Marvel actually has plenty of recourse to do so and explain it away satisfyingly, thanks in no small part to the wider context in which Kang has made his cinematic debut.
The Multiverse Has Already Proved Marvel Can Recast Kang Close The MCU's variants can be a confusing concept to navigate. While there are variants that are physically identical to the main universe's characters - such as Doctor Strange and Peggy Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Earth-838 - there are even more variants shown in the MCU with glaring physical differences. Loki is the first character that springs to mind when considering wildly different variants - after all, Alligator Loki certainly wasn't played by Tom Hiddleston, yet it was still a Loki variant. Peter Parker's multiversal variants were also played by different actors to raucous fanfare, proving that the same actor isn't needed for variants to make sense.
If anything, it would make more sense to have at least one Kang variant played by a different actor. So far, Kang's variants, while characteristically different, have been identical, which flies in the face of what Loki proved first could be the case: that variants of the same character come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There is also plenty of scope to introduce a Kang played by a different actor, given that the fate of most variants introduced thus far has been to die in myriad ways. Introducing a Kang that looks different could even help to establish that particular variant as one that won't go down so easily.
Whatever Marvel decides to do, it should stick with the current narrative thread with Kang as the main villain. Majors, while a capable actor and great pick for the role, hasn't yet reached the stage where he is synonymous with Kang, meaning that Marvel can get away with a recast without much, if any, repercussions. Given that 2024 will see production commence on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the studio needs to make its decision and act fast. In the meantime, the fact that Kang's character looks physically different in future MCU installments needs little, if any, explanation.
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