Actor Jonathan Majors, who has portrayed Kang in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been found guilty of assault of his former girlfriend after a two-week trial in New York City. The Manhattan jury found Majors guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation. He was acquitted of another assault charge and also of aggravated harassment.
The 34-year-old actor will be sentenced on February 6th. He could end up with as much as a year in prison for the assault conviction.
The charges that Majors was facing came from an incident in Manhattan last March between the actor and his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari in the backseat of a chauffeured car. This then ended up moving into the streets on the evening of the incident. Jabbari accused Majors of an attack inside the vehicle that left her in “excruciating” pain. She said that he hit her in the head with his open hand, twisted her arm behind her back, and also squeezed her middle finger until it fractured.
Majors’ team had a different version of the story. They claimed that Jabbari was the aggressor saying she flew into a jealous rage after reading a text message on his phone from another woman. They argued that she spread a “fantasy” to take down the actor, who was simply trying to regain his phone and get away safely. The jury didn’t agree with this version of events.
This verdict complicated the future of Jonathan Majors. He had been slated to have a large rule in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Kang the Conqueror. It is quite possible that this verdict could jeopardize this and see Marvel Studios moving forward in a different direction. This, coupled with less than stellar box office results in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania where he appeared as the big bad, could be two big reasons for Marvel to move on to another villain or to recast the role.
UPDATE: KANG THE CONQUEROR ACTOR JONATHAN MAJORS FIRED BY MARVEL STUDIOS
This development also could stop Majors’ swift rise in Hollywood. He attended the Yale School of Drama and since then has seen quite a rise in his profile. He has appeared not only as Kang the Conqueror but also in Creed III. Through these appearances, he landed endorsement deals and other parts. He has already lost some of these, along with his critically acclaimed drama, Magazine Dreams, which was scheduled to be released this month. There could be more deals canceled or not made because moving forward.
The case saw two sides of the story being told by the prosecution and the defense. At the end of the day, however, prosecutor Kelli Galaway said Majors was following a well-worn playbook that is often used by abusers to reverse the narrative by casting their victims as attackers. “This is not a revenge plot to ruin the defendant’s life or his career,” Galaway said. “You were asked why you are here? Because domestic violence is serious.” Daps Magic will continue to follow this story and see if Marvel Studios takes domestic violence as seriously as this court did.
What do you think of this verdict? What do you think should happen with Jonathan Majors and his role as Kang the Conqueror moving forward? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
