Jonathan Majors, who played Kang The Conqueror in Loki and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, was found guilty of assault and harassment on Monday after a two-week trial
Marvel and Disney have reportedly dropped actor Jonathan Majors from their future projects after he was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
Jonathan, 34, who played Kang The Conqueror in Disney+ series Loki as well as in Marvel Studios movie Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, was found guilty of assault and harassment in New York on Monday, 18 December, after a two-week trial. A lawyer for the actor said he “looks forward to fully clearing his name” – suggesting an appeal against his conviction will be lodged.
The conviction has dealt a blow to Jonathan, who was once expected to lead the upcoming phase of the Marvel universe as the comic book supervillain. The actor, who starred in Creed III opposite Michael B Jordan, is also believed to have lost endorsement deals and saw his drama, Magazine Dreams, pulled from its scheduled US release earlier this month.
Marvel and Disney have reportedly dropped actor Jonathan Majors from their future projects after he was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
According to the BBC, following the verdict, a Marvel spokesperson said the studio would no longer work with Jonathan. Meanwhile, The Associated Press also reported that Disney has dropped the actor too.
Jonathan was on the verge of Hollywood stardom before his arrest in March on abuse charges, and is set to be sentenced on 6 February next year, when he faces up to a year in prison.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has hired the creator of Loki to re-work a draft of a film expected to be called The Kang Dynasty. The new working title for the movie is Avengers 5, sources said.
Following the verdict, Grace’s lawyer Brittany Henderson said “justice has been served”, adding that the British actress, who has appeared in the Barbie movie and in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, “hopes that her actions will inspire other survivors to speak out and seek justice”.
Jonathan Majors starred opposite Paul Rudd in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Image: Press Association Images)
Ms Henderson said Grace had shown “irrefutable strength and poise while being forced to relive, both in court and very publicly, the abuse she was subjected to”.
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“Her unwavering resolve to see this case through to the end is borne out of a desire to show other survivors and victims of domestic violence, that they too, can hold their abuser accountable,” the lawyer added in a statement.
Grace was left with a fractured finger, bruising and a cut behind her ear after the couple fought over a phone in a hire car in New York City, the court heard. A jury was told how the incident took place when she saw a text message from another woman on Jonathan’s phone that said: “Wish I was kissing you right now.”
Jonathan also starred in Creed III (Image: Press Association Images)
In a bid to retrieve his phone, the actor grabbed his then-girlfriend, twisting her arm behind her back and hitting her in the head, the court heard. He was found guilty of assault by recklessly causing physical injury, as well as harassment.
However, the jury acquitted him on charges of aggravated harassment and assault with intent to cause physical harm.
After the verdict came through on Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said: “The evidence presented throughout the trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion far too common across the many intimate partner violence cases we see each and every day.”