Marvel acknowledging Jonathan Majors’ existence days before he appears in court is the closest thing to a vote of confidence the studio has shown yet

Marvel couldn’t run away from its Loki season 2 trailer mere days before the actor appears in court is nothing if not curiously timed.

Of course, given that the narrative thrust of Tom Hiddleston’s return as the first star to headline a second season on Disney Plus revolves entirely around temporal shenanigans with Kang the Conqueror variant Victor Timely set to play a pivotal role, it’s hard for the franchise to continue selling the God of Mischief’s latest adventure without at least acknowledging the elephant in the room.

However, it’s still notable that Majors appears in the flesh, even if it is only for the sake of a single shot and sole line of dialogue. After all, let’s not forget that he was excised from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s marketing campaign when it landed on digital and VOD, there was no mention of Kang in the Disney Plus synopsis attached to the film, and the behind the scenes special was delayed for months for reasons that were largely attributed to the antagonist being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Majors appears in court on Thursday to defend himself against abuse allegations, which could prove pivotal to not just his short and long-term career prospects, but the remainder of the cinematic universe’s Five and Six. It’s a big week for Marvel regardless, but Secret Invasion might just be shunted out of the headlines.