Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney company have reportedly dropped US actor Jonathan Majors from all future projects after the actor was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend, British actress Grace Jabbari.
Majors, 34, who played Kang The Conqueror in Loki season one and two as well as in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, was found guilty of assault and harassment in New York on Monday after a two-week trial.
A lawyer for Majors 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 Majors, who was once expected to lead the upcoming phase of the Marvel universe as the comic book supervillain.
NEW: Jonathan Majors was just found guilty by a Manhattan Criminal Court jury of Assault in the 3rd Degree and Harassment in the 2nd Degree. Read the statement from D.A. Bragg below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/572r2qBzD8
— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) December 18, 2023
The actor, who also starred in Creed III opposite Michael B Jordan, has also lost endorsement deals and saw his drama, Magazine Dreams, pulled from its scheduled US release earlier this month.
Majors was on the verge of Hollywood stardom before his arrest in March on abuse charges, and is set to be sentenced on February 6 when he faces up to a year in prison.
Following the verdict, Ms Jabbari’s lawyer Brittany Henderson said “justice has been served”, adding that the British actress “hopes that her actions will inspire other survivors to speak out and seek justice”.
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.
“Today, a jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend.
“We thank the jury for its service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive her trauma on the stand.”
Ms Henderson said Ms Jabbari has shown “irrefutable strength and poise while being forced to relive, both in court and very publicly, the abuse she was subjected to”.
“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,” she said in a statement given to the PA news agency.
Priya Chaudhry, who represented Majors throughout the New York trial, said the actor “still has faith in the process”, alluding to an appeal.
“It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her, we are grateful for that,” she said in a statement given to PA.
“We are disappointed, however, that despite not believing Ms Jabbari, the jury nevertheless found that Mr Majors was somehow reckless while she was attacking him.
“Mr Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends, and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months.”
Marvel has been contacted for comment.