Emmy-nominated actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped by Marvel Studios after he was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
The Marvel star, 34, was arrested in March in New York after Jabbari accused him of slapping her and throwing her into the car after she exited it, twisting her arm and grabbing and injuring her hand.
Following a 10–day-long trial a split verdict was returned on (Monday Dec 18). The jury found Majors guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment but acquitted him of another count of assault and one aggravated harassment count.
He previously pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment.
Majors will be sentenced on Feb. 6. The judge also issued a new protection order, requiring him to have no contact with Ms Jabbari.
His attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement that “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.”
Another statement by Majors’ lawyer shared that he continues to believe in his innocence, “still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name”.
After news of the allegations against him broke, the actor was dropped by Marvel Studios (Disney), his management team and the US Army pulled a number of advertisements featuring the actor from circulation.
The Primetime Emmy nominee was also let go from other projects including the feature adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel The Man in My Basement, an ad campaign for the Texas Rangers MLB team, as well as the unannounced Otis Redding biopic that the actor was circling from Fifth Season.
Having starred in high profile projects, “The Harder They Fall,” “Devotion,” and “Lovecraft Country,” this was supposed to be the year that would turn Majors into an A-lister. The actor was slated to star in blockbuster films “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III,” as well the theatrical release of “Magazine Dreams.”
However, right after the verdict was read, Marvel Studios announced it would no longer continue with the actor, who had been cast as the supervillain Kang and was set to recur as that character in a number of the studio’s properties, including the next two mega-budget “Avengers” movies.
Searchlight Pictures had already removed Majors from “Magazine Dreams,” in which he played an aspiring bodybuilder.