Shortly after a Manhattan jury on Monday found him guilty of assaulting his girlfriend, Marvel Studios fired actor Jonathan Majors, capping a year in which his rising star took a steep nosedive following allegations of domestic abuse.
Majors, whose role as supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was set to lead the next phase of the franchise, was convicted of misdemeanor assault and one harassment violation stemming from a March altercation involving him and his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. He was acquitted of aggravated harassment and a different assault charge.
The six-person jury deliberated for roughly six hours. Majors, 34, now faces up to one year behind bars. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6.
Jabbari, a 30-year-old dancer, had accused the actor of attacking her in the back of an SUV in New York City on March 25. Majors denied the accusation. His attorney claimed that Jabbari was the aggressor and suggested that Majors was arrested after the altercation instead of Jabbari, a white woman, because he is Black.
The mixed verdict has dashed Majors’ hopes of clearing his name. Before his arrest, he had been on the fast track to superstardom following his roles in a string of acclaimed projects in recent years, including “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and “Creed III.” He was set to feature as the next main antagonist in the MCU. But the fallout from the incident happened quickly after he was arrested. He lost roles in film projects and brand deals, and he was dropped by management and PR firms that represented him. A scheduled December release of a major drama in which he has a starring role was also pulled. Since his arrest, several allegations about his past behavior have surfaced as well, all of which he has vehemently denied.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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