Marvel’s Loki series had a number of breakout stars, all technically playing the same character. Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, even a CGI alligator wearing a Loki helmet — but arguably, no one had a bigger impact on the series than Jonathan Majors, playing not a Loki variant, but instead appearing as He Who Remains at the end of time.

The Lovecraft Country star appeared in the first of many roles that will span the newly-introduced Marvel multiverse, surprising everyone waiting to the conclusion of Loki’s journey — and according to the Emmy-nominated actor, he didn’t even have to audition for the role.

Majors spoke to Total Film's print magazine ahead of the release of his newest film, The Harder They Fall, getting candid about how he landed the role of Kang the Conqueror — a time-traveling, evil cosmic entity — and his many variants. According to Majors, casting executives at Marvel had had their eye on him for a while prior to Loki, tracking the steady rise of his career from the time he appeared in The Last Black Man in San Francisco:

“The Marvel team has their ways. It's very much like getting a role in drama school. They're just watching. You don't audition for roles. You get into drama school, then the dean will watch what you're doing. If they wanted you, you get tapped. That's kind of what happened.”

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Image via Marvel Studios

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Clearly, Marvel saw a lot of potential in the star, who also recently appeared in Da 5 Bloods with the late Chadwick Boseman. He is set to reprise his role as Kang — or a variant of him, at least — in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, a role which many speculate will be the first of many as the multiverse continues to expand. Majors described shooting the film as “wicked”, a project he can’t wait for audiences to see.

And that isn’t where he’s stopping. Majors is also set to appear in Creed III alongside Michael B. Jordan, who will also direct the film in his feature debut. His role in the Rocky spinoff has yet to be announced, but his excitement for the project is clearly, particularly when it comes to working alongside Jordan:

“What I felt from speaking with him was a willingness to collaborate, to make something special, to sacrifice our bodies, our time, our energy, to tell a story that would add to the sports genre. But to really work hand-in-hand to build this thing, to show that two, quote unquote, leading men can get together and there is no competition, just cooperation — that is something I want to be an advocate for in my generation.”

While fans wait for Majors to continue his leading man streak, they can spot him in Lovecraft Country on HBO Max, for which he is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. He is also appearing in The Harder They Fall alongside Idris Elba and Regina King, which premieres exclusively on Netflix on November 3.

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