The rising Hollywood star, Jonathan Majors, found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, consequently led to Marvel severing ties with him for a prominent role in its superhero blockbusters.
Majors’s conviction may result in up to one-year imprisonment and has disrupted Marvel’s plans for the franchise, which had his character Kang the Conqueror as the focal point in multiple upcoming films.
Majors made his debut as Kang the Conqueror in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” earlier in 2023 and was slated to appear in at least two subsequent Avengers films — the flagship franchise in the Marvel universe.
As reported by US entertainment media, a source acquainted with the decision told AFP that the studio will not proceed with Jonathan Majors.
In early March, police responded to an emergency call in Manhattan, concluding from a preliminary investigation that there was a domestic dispute between Majors and Jabbari.
According to local media, the court heard that Majors had received a text message and Jabbari had tried to grab his phone, suspecting it to be from another woman.
A struggle ensued, with both parties’ legal representatives trading accusations about who attacked whom during the ensuing scuffle over the device.
“Jonathan Majors was found guilty by a Manhattan Criminal Court jury of assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Majors will be sentenced on February 6, it added.
“The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
“A jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr. Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend.”
Local media reported that the jury, comprising six individuals, spent over five hours deliberating over three days.
Majors has featured in several major films, including “Creed III,” “Lovecraft Country,” for which he earned an Emmy nomination, and “Magazine Dreams,” a film presented at the Sundance Film Festival.
