Mon. Nov 4th, 2024
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Marvel has dropped actor Jonathan Majors after the actor was found guilty of assault and harassment on Monday following the conclusion of his high-profile assault trial in New York.

The studio didn’t share additional details.

Majors was also acquitted of a separate assault charge and of aggravated harassment. Majors has maintained his innocence throughout, with attorney Priya Chaudhry arguing that the accuser, Majors’ former girlfriend Grace Jabbari, had fabricated the whole ordeal.

Majors’ charges stem from a March dispute that led to Jabbari being hospitalized for minor injuries. Prosecutors have argued that Majors had been physically and psychologically abusive toward Jabbari for years, culminating in the alleged assault. Meanwhile, Majors’ defense team has long claimed that Jabbari was the actual aggressor in the former couple’s altercation. Jabbari was arrested in October after turning herself in, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to pursue charges.

“These prosecutors bought Grace’s white lies, her big lies and all her pretty little lies,” said Chaudry during her closing statement.

Majors has been a major presence throughout Marvel Studios’ film and TV slate. He made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2021 as the mysterious He Who Remains in the Season 1 finale of “Loki.” He was properly introduced as the villain Kang the Conqueror in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which included a glimpse into the studio’s bigger plans around the character that are expected to eventually culminate in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” slated for 2026. “Loki” creator Michael Waldron was recently hired to write the screenplay for the movie. Most recently, Majors appeared in the second season of “Loki” as Victor Timely, an eccentric inventor from the late 19th century (and another Kang variant).

“The Kang Dynasty” takes its subtitle from a comic book story line that involves Kang and his son successfully conquering the world (at least temporarily) and facing off against the Avengers. While it’s unlikely that the film will be a direct adaptation of the comics, “Quantumania’s” post-credits scene teased the potential for many more Kangs to come, all seemingly portrayed by Majors. (Although “Loki” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” have established a precedent for different actors portraying different variants.)

Majors was arrested in March on charges of assault, strangulation and harassment after New York City police responded to an emergency call from an apartment. He was later arraigned and charged with two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault and one misdemeanor count each of third-degree attempted assault, second-degree aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment. After a number of delays, Majors’ trial began on Nov. 29.

Before his arrest, Majors was a rising Hollywood star. But the assault allegations — as well as alleged history of abuse that came to light following his arrest — resulted in Majors being dropped from his management and public relations firms, and a number of upcoming projects.

Majors is not the only actor from a prominent superhero franchise to face troubling allegations. Among the most recent is Warner Bros. and DC’s “Flash” star Ezra Miller, who was arrested twice in Hawaii for allegations including assault, faced grooming allegations and a protective order in North Dakota, and pled guilty to trespassing for an incident in Vermont. “The Flash” bombed at the box office in June.

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