The fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the highest-grossing entertainment franchise in history, is being decided this month in a Manhattan courtroom.
That’s where Jonathan Majors, the 34-year-old actor who plays Kang the Conqueror in 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” is on trial for assault and harassment after being accused by his ex-girlfriend, actress Grace Jabbari, of abusing him at the back seat of an SUV driven in March.
He pleaded not guilty.
The domestic violence trial is expected to last several weeks, with prosecutors set to call about a dozen witnesses before Majors’ defense case begins – which could be within days. It is not known if the actor will take the stand.
On Wednesday, new surveillance footage was played for jurors in court showing Majors pushing his ex away from him at the corner of Central and Canal Streets in Chinatown before fleeing. According to Jabbari, the argument took place after she allegedly discovered evidence that the actor had cheated on her – flirtatious texts on her cell phone from a woman named “Cleopatra.”
Jonathan Majors was accompanied to court by his girlfriend Meagan Good. Steven Hirsch
His legal problems and their optics are a big deal for Disney, because Kang isn’t just another supervillain. The sixth “phase” of the MCU, or collection of several narratively connected movies and TV series, is largely built around the most powerful villains.
Kang was a key part of Season 2 of “Loki” on Disney+, and a movie coming out in 2026 is even named for his bad guy: “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Majors will also appear in “Avengers: The Secret Wars” the following year.
So Marvel Studios, also experiencing a troubling box office slump, is faced with three choices: Rewrite, retool or stay.
Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell told The Post that he believes Majors’ reputation — and the blockbuster show — is not 100% at risk if the jury rules in his favor.
Brigitte Stelzer
“His career has a chance to come back — if there’s any ‘innocence,'” Lovell said. “I know his management dropped him and Disney pulled ‘Dream Magazine’ from release. But believe me, they want to let it go. What happens in Hollywood is everyone gets really scared when something like this happens to their actors, but in the back of their mind, they always hope they can move forward because it’s money to them.
The soonest “Kang Dynasty” could go into production would be spring 2024, and, if Majors is found not guilty, Lovell said that could give Disney and the public enough breathing room to proceed as planned.
“What will happen is that he will still work [in indie films] and people will see it in the next two years. And when people go to see the film and the project starts to be seen, that will give them comfort [major studios].”
Majors is supposed to play Kang the Conquerer in several MCU films, including “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Disney Collection/Courtesy Everett
However, while several reports claim Disney is “committed” to Kang, insiders told Variety that they can’t imagine the studio continuing the storyline.
“Marvel is really f – – ked with the whole Kang angle,” they said weeks before the trial began. “And they didn’t have a chance to rewrite until recently [because of the WGA strike]. But I don’t see how they move forward with him.”
But to avoid going back to the drawing board and throwing away years of carefully plotted movies and TV series, Disney could choose to recast the division.
It’s easy to forget – with 15 years and 33 films under the MCU’s belt – that they’ve switched big roles a few times before. Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner in 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” was replaced by Mark Ruffalo. And Don Cheadle took over the part of James Rhodes from Terrence Howard in “Iron Man 2.”
Majors had a breakout year, starring in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Magazine Dreams” and “Creed III.” ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection
But the studio will be missing a rising acting talent in Majors, who won Oscar acclaim for his performance in “Magazine Dreams” after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and earned praise for his turn as a two-faced boxer in “Creed III.” He’s the only thing anyone likes about “Quantumania.”
However, a Hollywood producer said Marvel would be fine without the actor. When asked how Majors’ ordeal will affect the MCU, they said, “Nada.”
Majors appeared confidently in court, carrying a copy of the Bible and was joined by his girlfriend Meagan Good.
Lovell says confident defiance is key for famous individuals in such messy situations.
“They need to strongly reject the allegations and really fight for their reputation. This is what Majors do,” he said.
“He is on the warpath. He is doing a misdemeanor assault trial. He pushed back.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
