Marvel Drops Actor Jonathan Majors Hours After Guilty Assault Verdict

Actor Jonathan Majors, known for playing Kang in the Marvel films, has been found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The jury found Majors attacked British choreographer Grace Jabbari during an altercation in March. 

Ms Jabbari told the court that she was left with a fractured finger, bruising, a cut behind her ear and "excruciating" pain, BBC reported. 

The 34-year-old actor is facing up to a year in jail, which has prompted Marvel to drop him from a prime role in its superhero blockbusters. 

The jury announced its verdict on Monday following three days of deliberations. 

According to media reports, as the jury was reading the verdict, Majors pursed his lips and looked downwards but gave no other reaction. 

Majors debuted as Kang the Conqueror in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" in 2023, and was set to appear in at least two subsequent Avengers films -- the top franchise in the Marvel universe.

The studio will not be moving forward with Jonathan Majors, a source briefed on the decision told AFP after US entertainment media reported it.

Majors was arrested in late March over a confrontation involving 30-year-old Jabbari during a car ride in Manhattan.

The court heard that Majors had received a text message and Jabbari had sought to take his phone, believing the contact to be from another woman, local media reported.

There was then a struggle, with the pair's legal representatives trading accusations over who attacked whom in the ensuing brawl over the device.

"Jonathan Majors was found guilty by a Manhattan Criminal Court jury of assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Majors will be sentenced on February 6, it added.

"The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. 

"A jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr. Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend."

Majors has appeared in several major films, including "Creed III," "Lovecraft Country," for which he was nominated for an Emmy, and "Magazine Dreams," a film presented at the Sundance Film Festival.