Jonathan Majors, who portrayed Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, was found guilty of two counts of harassment and assault by a New York jury and faces up to a year in prison.
Disney/Marvel Studios has terminated its contract with Jonathan Majors, the Emmy-nominated actor who played the villainous Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), after he was convicted of two misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault on December 18, 2023. Majors, who rose to fame for his role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country, could spend up to 12 months behind bars if sentenced.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on March 25, 2023, when Majors was arrested in New York City for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari during a domestic dispute. Majors maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty, but the jury did not buy his defense. Several other accusers also came forward with similar claims of abuse and harassment against Majors throughout his career.
The arrest and trial had a negative impact on Majors’ reputation and career, as he lost the support of his fans, peers, and collaborators. His manager 360 Entertainment and publicist The Lede Company severed ties with him shortly after his arrest. He also forfeited several lucrative roles and endorsements, such as:
- The lead role in Protagonist Pictures’ adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel, The Man in My Basement
- A spokesperson deal for the Texas Rangers MLB team
- The prince role in a live-action remake of Snow White starring Rachel Zegler
- The title role in a biopic of Otis Redding Disney/Marvel Studios confirmed that they will not work with Majors again in the MCU after his conviction. Majors was introduced as He Who Remains aka Kang the Conqueror in the MCU’s phases four through six. He made his debut as the character in the first season of Loki in 2021, and reprised his role in the second season of the same year, as well as in the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was released in February 202312. Kang was also expected to appear in two future Avengers sequels for Marvel3.
The second season finale of Loki left the fate of Kang and his variants ambiguous, opening the possibility for a recast. This is not the first time that Marvel has replaced an actor for a role in the MCU. In the early days of the franchise, Terrence Howard played Rhodey in Iron Man, but he was replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel due to contract disputes. Cheadle has continued to play Rhodey in the MCU, most recently in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion4.
Majors’ last film project, Magazine Dreams, in which he plays an aspiring bodybuilder, was scheduled to be released on December 8 by Searchlight Pictures. However, Disney pulled the film from its release slate ahead of his trial5. It is uncertain whether Majors will be able to resume his acting career after serving his time or face more legal troubles.
