The "Loki" finale just blew up the MCU. We are now in full-on multiverse territory, as
teased in "Avengers: Endgame" and "WandaVision." Eager Marvel fans have long-expected this,
with "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and "Ant-Man
and The Wasp: Quantumania" guaranteeing that we'll be seeing some major timeline shenanigans
in MCU Phase Four.
"Loki," however, has finally shown us how the multiverse can exist. In the finale, we
finally meet He Who Remains, a god-like figure who we discover created the TVA and is the
true protector of the sacred timeline. This timeline is destroyed, though, when Sylvie,
driven by revenge for being taken by the TVA as a child, kills He Who Remains, creating
endless branches and truly cracking the multiverse wide open.
He Who Remains is played by the enormously talented Jonathan Majors. It was first reported
by Deadline in September 2020 that Majors was cast as iconic Marvel villain Kang the
Conqueror and would be appearing in "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania." In the comics
He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror are different characters, but the MCU has merged
the two. As anyone who saw the episode can attest, Majors' performance as Kang in "Loki"
was certainly scene-stealing, and his previous performances are equally as captivating.
"We just crossed the threshold."
Audiences likely know Majors best from his work on HBO's "Lovecraft Country," based on
the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff. Majors plays Atticus Freeman, a young man traveling
1950s America in search of his missing father. Not only does Atticus have to overcome the
fierce racism in Jim Crow-era America, but some terrifying monsters said to have inspired
the iconic H.P. Lovecraft novels.
"Lovecraft Country" was cancelled by HBO, but earned an impressive 18 nominations at
the 2021 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actor for Majors.
In a statement responding to the nominations, as reported by Indiewire, Majors said,
"Thank you for seeing the light in the dark, and the smile in the tears of this character,
Atticus Freeman, he is one of my best friends, and I'm glad you all got to meet him as well.
Playing this role has changed my life, and this nomination is yet another growing and
changing moment."
"Lovecraft Country" may have been Majors' breakout role, but the performer has shown
his talents before. Majors also starred in the 2017 ABC miniseries "When We Rise," a
chronicled re-telling of the gay rights movement in the United States. Majors portrays a young
version of real-life LGBTQ activist Ken Jones, an early advocate in preventing the spread
of HIV, particularly among gay Black men. On playing such an important figure in the
gay rights movement, Majors told W magazine,
"My politics have become very clear, and they've come to the surface of who I am as a human
being. It's so rare to do a piece where you don't have to separate your politics and your
work and your art."
Majors has also been praised for his work in the A24 film "The Last Black Man in San
Francisco." Another overtly political project, the film follows a young Black man's efforts
to reclaim his childhood home in gentrified San Francisco. Written by and starring Jimmie
Fails, it's a semi-autobiographical recount of Fails' own quest to overcome the devastating
impacts of gentrification.
Majors stars as Montgomery Allen, Fails' best friend. The characters' bond is a key component
of the story, and talking with the Hollywood Reporter, Majors shared that the actors connected
off-screen, too. Majors told the outlet,
"There were deep things that were going on in [Fails'] life that we would just sit and
have breakfast and talk about. Things that I've experienced, what it is to be young,
gifted and black — or in my case, young, kind of gifted and black — issues [of] trying
to be a young man in the world. He's my buddy, he's my best friend."
"The Last Black Man in San Francisco" premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and earned
director Joe Talbot both the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award and a Special Jury Award.
Barack Obama also named it as one of his favorite films of 2019.
Audiences may also know Majors from his work on "White Boy Rick." Starring Matthew McConaughey
and set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the War on Drugs, the film follows a blue-collar
father and his teenage son, Rick. Based on a true story, Rick becomes the FBI's youngest
ever drug informant at age 14, and quickly finds himself immersed in the lucrative world
of drug dealing.
Majors stars as Johnny Curry, a local kingpin who brings Rick into his fold of illegal activities.
The actor talked to the Source about how he hoped the film would challenge people's perception
of drug dealers, calling his character "a leader of men." He elaborated, saying,
"That's something we miss when we're dealing with African-American drug dealers. It's an
occupation. He could be a lawyer or doctor and have the same attributes, it's just the
fact that he's a drug dealer it's easy to write him off."
With his career still in its early stages and already having a slew of impressive roles
behind him, Jonathan Majors is ready for more success. The ending of the first "Loki" season
is just one sign of greater things to come for him.
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