After his debut in season 1 of Loki as the Kang variant He Who Remains and as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Majors was charged with domestic violence and assault, leading to the end of his time in the MCU. After the defeat of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU turned to the next big bad, hiring Majors to play the time-traveling, multiversal villain Kang the Conqueror (and all his variants). However, serious charges leveled changed a lot of those plans.
2023 was off to a big start for Majors with strong reviews for Creed III and his theatrical MCU debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, in March 2023, Jonathan Majors was arrested for misdemeanor charges of assault, strangulation, and harassment after an altercation with his girlfriend. In December 2023, Majors was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault, with THR reporting that Marvel had cut ties with the actor shortly after the verdict was reached. Given the MCU’s prior plans involving Majors on an integral level, they made the decision to pivot in a different direction.
Jonathan Majors’ Kang Was Supposed To Be A Big Part Of The MCU’s Future
Kang Was The New Big Bad
After the MCU’s Infinity Saga featured Josh Brolin’s Thanos, culminating in his defeat in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU was without an overarching antagonist until the introduction of Kang the Conqueror. Kang is a time-traveling supervillain from the future who leverages his superior intellect, advanced technology, and numerous variants to wage war on the multiverse.
As teased in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there are numerous iterations of Kang, with dozens of versions played by Majors already depicted on-screen, making him far more difficult to recast than Thanos, who was portrayed by a different actor, Damion Poitier, in his initial tease at the end of The Avengers.
Majors’ first MCU appearance was in the season 1 finale of Loki, followed by a bigger role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and a reprisal in Loki season 2, but he had multiple additional appearances slated in the coming years. The next Avengers movie, scheduled for May 2026, had the character’s name in the title: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. However, following Majors’ firing by Marvel, the movie began to be referred to as Avengers 5, hinting that they were shifting away from Kang as the main focus.
Jonathan Majors’ Assault Charges Explained
Majors Was Found Guilty
Majors was initially arrested in New York on March 25, 2023, under charges of strangulation, assault, and harassment. The NYPD says the arrest was in response to a 911 call from the victim in which she “informed the police she was assaulted.” The statement from the NYPD also said the victim “sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.” On April 19, a report revealed multiple other alleged victims of Jonathan Majors were working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office on additional abuse allegations.
After the charges, Majors was removed from ad campaigns for the United States Army and the Texas Rangers, and his role in Nadia Latif’s movie The Man in My Basement, in addition to Majors being dropped by his management company and PR representation. The trial began on November 29, 2023, with Majors pleading not guilty to misdemeanor assault and harassment charges. However, on December 18, 2023, Majors was found guilty of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a charge of harassment as a violation.
In April 2024, he was sentenced to 52 weeks of a domestic violence intervention program and probation.
What Was Jonathan Majors’ Legal Defense
Majors Plead Not Guilty
Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, claimed the actor was innocent of all charges and is “provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows.” She said witness testimony and video evidence would fully exonerate Majors. Additionally, Chaudhry claimed the charges are an example of racial discrimination by the New York justice system:
“This glaring double standard between the treatment of Jonathan Majors, a Black man weighing 200 lbs, and his accuser, highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
After Majors’ initial arrest, Chaudhry released text messages to TMZ featuring the alleged victim apologizing to Majors for putting him in this position and saying she would “make sure nothing happens about this.” The text messages from the victim also show her taking the blame for the incident and that she told police “…it was my fault for trying to grab your phone.” Despite the texts deflecting blame from Majors, they still implicitly acknowledge some sort of violent altercation occurred.
Jonathan Majors’ Trial Was Delayed
Majors’ Defense Team Made Claims He Was Attacked First
During the September 15 hearing, Judge Michael Gaffey set Wednesday, October 25 for the next hearing (via Variety). In September, Majors’ attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office must respond by October 6; then the defense must respond by October 13.
On September 6, a short hearing was held where it was decided that another would take place on September 15, as reported by Deadline. The cause for that delay came from the defense, who stated there were “deficiencies” in discovery on their end. Majors did not appear in person for the September 6 hearing but was present virtually.
Previously on August 3, 2023, Majors appeared in person in a Lower Manhattan courtroom for what was meant to be the start of his trial. However, according to Deadline, Judge Gaffey approved a postponement following Assistant D.A. Kelli Galaway’s request for more time for discovery. Following the hearing, DA spokesperson Doug Cohen told Deadline, “We look forward to presenting the full facts and evidence at trial.” Chaudhry issued a statement after the court hearing:
For an excruciating four months, Jonathan Majors, the real victim in this shameful ordeal, has had his life, career, and reputation torn apart. Yet he remains unwavering in his determination to be absolved from this harrowing ordeal.
Previously, on June 20, 2023, Majors appeared in court for the first time since his March arrest. Shortly after, Chaudhry issued a statement that noted how Majors’ legal team had urged the judge to instantly dismiss the charges brought against the actor and initiate proceedings against Grace Jabbari, Majors’ first alleged victim, whom Majors’ legal team now claims attacked him first. Per Deadline, the NYPD has “no plans” to make an arrest.
Marvel Is Replacing Kang
Doctor Doom Is The New Big Bad
Following Majors’ firing from the MCU, there were a lot of rumors about what would be done with the character. There were theories about existing characters like Ravonna Renslayer from Loki or the High Evolutionary from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being revealed as Kang variants and those actors taking over the role. There were even other actors suggested as replacements, with Colman Domingo as a popular choice.
However, it seems that instead of recasting Kang, the MCU seeks to simply replace the villain entirely.
However, it seems that instead of recasting Kang, the MCU seeks to simply replace the villain entirely. While Avengers 5 was originally called Avengers: Kang Dynasty, the movie will now be called Avengers: Doomsday with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. The excitement of the news served as a distraction from the fact that Kang would seemingly no longer be the big bad of the MCU.
How Marvel Marketed Movies & Shows Featuring Jonathan Majors
The MCU Struggled To Avoid Majors’ Presence
In the lead-up to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Disney+ release on May 17, Jonathan Majors’ Kang was featured only very briefly in the two trailers Marvel Studios posted online. The focus of the trailers was put more on Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne, and Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang, which makes sense given they’re the lead heroes. However, Majors’ Kang was a focal point of the promotion for the initial theatrical release of the movie, so his lack of presence in the streaming release promotional material is notable.
Further, at Disney’s upfront presentation on May 16, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige spoke to assembled advertisers and press about upcoming MCU shows, including Loki. He announced Loki season 2’s October release date, spoke about the series, and screened a trailer. According to Axios reporter Tim Baysinger (via X), Feige didn’t mention Majors, nor did Victor Timely or any other Kang variants appear in the Loki season 2 trailer, despite Timely having a not inconsiderable role in the sequel season itself.
Neither Disney, Marvel Studios, nor Kevin Feige have commented on Majors’ assault conviction as of the publication of this article. Previously, a Deadline report published on April 17, 2023, stated Marvel had not discussed recasting Majors in the MCU at that time.
Marvel Changed MCU Phase 5 & 6 Plan After Jonathan Majors’ Kang Performance
Kang Was Made The Centerpiece Of The Multiverse Saga
According to Joanna Robinson, author of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Marvel changed their plans for MCU Phase 5 and 6 after seeing Jonathan Majors’ performance as He Who Remains in Loki season 1 and Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Further, Robinson said she’s heard different stories about what the studio plans to do in regard to Majors’ role in the MCU following his arrest. Robinson said:
I was told by someone who works for Marvel, it was not the plan to make Kang the center of everything until they saw the dailies from Quantumania and after his performance in Loki, which was so strong they were like, ‘This is it. This is our way forward’… They don’t usually hang this much on one person in the way that they did here. And that has put them in the bind. We do not know what they are going to do. I’ve heard conflicting stories about they are going to replace him, they’re not even considering replacing him etc. etc. But it’s just one more thing.
Now that Majors has been fired, Marvel had to change their plans once again. The announcement of Avengers: Doomsday confirms that Kang will not be playing the role he was originally supposed to in the franchise and may not appear again at all. While Doctor Doom is an exciting character and Downey’s casting has been a huge boost to the excitement about the MCU’s future, it seems odd that this major character who was built up over the course of several movies will just disappear.
Anthony Mackie Addresses Jonathan Majors’ Assault Arrest
Mackie Did Not Address Any Recasting
During an interview with Inverse, published on June 28, 2023, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie was questioned about the future of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU after Majors’ arrest. Mackie responded to questioning by stating:
We’re a country that was built on ‘everyone is innocent until proven guilty,’ that’s one of the staples of this country. Nothing has been proven about this dude. Nothing. So everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Mackie became the first individual within Marvel Studios to make any comment on the arrest and allegations, though he refrained from speculating whether Majors would be recast in the MCU’s future.
Loki Season 2 Producer Responds To Jonathan Majors’ Assault Arrest
Majors’ Arrest Took Place After The Actor Finished Production
In the lead-up to the premiere of Loki season 2, producer Kevin Wright was asked by Variety whether Majors’ assault arrest affected the show. Wright explained that it didn’t, largely because all filming on the season wrapped in 2022, prior to Majors’ arrest. When asked if the arrest led to any discussions of making changes to Loki season 2, Wright said:
No. And that mainly came from — I know as much as you do at the moment. It felt hasty to do anything without knowing how all of this plays out.
Based on Wright’s comment, it seems Marvel was waiting to see the result of Majors’ trial before making any decisions about how to proceed with his involvement in the MCU. However, it’s clear that no changes were made to Loki season 2 due to the arrest of Majors.
Jonathan Majors Spoke About No Longer Being In The MCU
Majors Addressed Doctor Doom Taking Over For Kang
Over a year after his initial arrest and several months after he was fired from the MCU, Jonathan Majors addressed the controversy. TMZ caught up with the actor and asked him what he thought about Kang being replaced in the MCU by Doctor Doom. Majors responded that he liked the character of Doom, but admitted that he was “heartbroken.“ When asked about how he was treated compared to other actors with criminal pasts who have played superheroes, such as Robert Downey Jr. and Ezra Miller, Majors shared:
“I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love and that Mr. Miller has gotten the same treatment and that they’re being allowed to work their art and be creative at that level. I didn’t really get that.”
Others have made similar observations as Majors makes regarding big-name actors whose criminal convictions and controversial pasts have been ignored, and they have been allowed to thrive. However, with the example of Downey, his casting as Iron Man came years after he had served his prison time and gotten sober, whereas Majors’ firing is in response to the current conviction. As for Miller, the poor reception to The Flash will likely mean he will not return to the role of Barry Allen again either.
Where Is Jonathan Majors Now?
Since everything happened, news about Jonathan Majors has been relatively quiet, though he did recently get engaged to Meagan Good (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) who backed Majors up through the entirety of his domestic violence trial. The two have been dating since May 2023, just two months after his initial arrest.
In terms of Jonathan Majors’ acting career, his bodybuilding movie, Magazine Dreams, is finally getting released after Disney had previously shelved the film after acquiring it in 2023 following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. There is no set release date, but it will arrive in theaters early in 2025. In June 2024, Deadline reported that Majors was set to star in his first film since the guilty verdict with the supernatural thriller, Merciless, directed by Martin Villeneuve, younger brother to acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve.
With a couple of releases on the horizon, the question arises about whether his acting career will fully be able to recover. Hollywood has a history of people who have essentially had career-ending controversies returning in some capacity to the film industry. It seems likely that Jonathan Majors will find work if he continues to act, but it feels like he will never reach the level he was at not too long ago. His rise to fame was meteoric and many viewed him as the next big actor for the industry, but Hollywood might rightfully be weary of a comeback.
