Marvel drops Jonathan Majors after domestic assault conviction
Marvel Studios has decided to terminate its contract with Jonathan Majors, the actor who received an Emmy nomination, following his conviction for assaulting his former girlfriend.
A jury in New York has determined that Majors, who is 34 years old, engaged in an altercation with British choreographer Grace Jabbari and proceeded to attack and harass her in March.
After the decision was made, a representative from Marvel announced that the actor would no longer be a part of their future projects.
In February, when the verdict is delivered, Majors might end up spending an entire year behind bars.
This represents a remarkable decline for a prominent movie star who was anticipated to appear in numerous Marvel movies.
Kang the Conqueror was portrayed by Majors in the Marvel movies. He acted in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was released in February, and he is also present in the second season of the Disney+ series Loki.
Marvel recently rescheduled the premiere dates of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, a movie where the protagonist was supposed to be featured. The plan was for the character to make a comeback in the sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars.
It is uncertain if Marvel Studios intends to substitute him with a different performer or exclude his character from the movies.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has brought onboard the writer of Loki to redo a script for a movie that was originally thought to be titled The Kang Dynasty. The current temporary name for the flick is Avengers 5, according to insiders.
The movie called "Magazine Dreams" was set to have Majors as the lead actor. It was thought to be a contender for the prestigious Oscar award, but after Majors' arrest, its release was delayed.
Once the news spread, the US Army stopped featuring the Creed III star in a significant advertising campaign.
When they were together, his ex-girlfriend, Ms Jabbari, got a broken finger, bruises, and a cut behind her ear due to a disagreement over a phone while driving a rented car in New York City.
During the trial, the jury watched camera recordings that documented the physical attack.
During the occurrence, Ms Jabbari came across a message from a different lady on Majors' mobile device that stated: "I desire to be smooching you this very moment."
Ms Jabbari testified that the film star forcefully took hold of his phone by grabbing his then-girlfriend, and caused her physical harm by twisting her arm behind her back and hitting her in the head.
He was convicted of assault for causing physical harm through reckless behavior and also for harassing someone.
The jury chose not to find him guilty of the accusations of aggravated harassment and assault with the intention of causing physical harm.
In the court case, the prosecution depicted the attack as the most recent increase in Majors' endeavor to dominate his significant other by using physical and mental cruelty. The jury was presented with audio recordings of conversations and text messages that were exchanged between the ex-partners.
In September 2022, the actor texted that he is a monster and a terrible person who cannot love. He even threatened to take his own life.
During an audio recording of a disagreement in the same month, Majors advised Ms. Jabbari to emulate the behavior of Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama. The former are the wives of Martin Luther King and the latter is the spouse of former President Barack Obama.
He stated that he is achieving extraordinary things, not just for himself but also for his heritage and the entire world. He went on to mention that she would be required to give up certain things for him.
The lawyer of Majors released a message after the actor was found guilty, stating that he still maintains his innocence, trusts the legal proceedings, and eagerly anticipates the chance to fully vindicate himself.
The judgement for the case is set for the 6th of February. Additionally, the judge has imposed a fresh protection directive which prohibits any form of communication from him towards Ms Jabbari.
