In a shocking turn of events, Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Corporation have severed ties with actor Jonathan Majors after he was convicted of assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
The 34-year-old actor was arrested on March 26 after a heated conflict with Jabbari in a chauffeured SUV on their way to Majors' apartment in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York.
On December 18, Majors was convicted on two of the four charges brought against him: third-degree assault and second-degree aggravated assault.
During the two-week trial, a Manhattan jury heard testimony from Jabbari, who recounted a physical altercation that ensued after she discovered romantic texts on Majors' phone.
According to Jabbari, Majors twisted her arm in a manner that caused "excruciating pain" and struck her in the head when she tried to retrieve the device from his hands.
After the incident, Majors fled the scene, running through the streets of lower Manhattan as Jabbari chased behind him, as shown in street surveillance footage presented during the trial.
The former couple first met in 2021 on the set of Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," released a month before Majors' arrest. Jabbari was a movement coach, while Majors played the time-travelling villain He Who Remains, also known as Kang the Conqueror.
The film was intended to be a pivotal moment for Marvel Studios, leading to more collaborations between Majors and the studio, including projects like both seasons of the "Loki" series and "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," set to release in May 2026.
However, following Majors' conviction, it remains uncertain whether the character of Kang will be recast or if Marvel will abandon future projects centred around the character altogether, potentially steering the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new direction.
Marvel Studios has not commented on the matter yet. Majors, once regarded as a rising star in Hollywood, gained recognition for his roles in films such as "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," "Devotion," "Lovecraft Country," "The Harder They Fall," "Da 5 Bloods," and "Creed III."
Majors' recent film, "Magazine Dreams," where he starred as a troubled amateur bodybuilder, made a successful debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January. However, ahead of the trial, Searchlight Pictures, a Disney-owned distributor, reportedly removed the film from its release calendar.
In addition to the professional fallout, Majors has been dropped by his public relations firm, The Lede Company, and his managers at Entertainment 360, media reports stated.
Jonathan Majors is scheduled to be sentenced in February and could face up to a year in prison for the third-degree assault charge.
