The Jonathan Majors Verdict, Explained
Last spring, actor Jonathan Majors was arrested in New York for allegedly strangling, assaulting, and harassing a woman who was later revealed to be his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Now that Majors’ trial has come to an end, here’s what we know about the charges, the guilty verdict, and whether Majors will be recast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This story is being updated as new details emerge.
What did Jonathan Majors do?
On March 26, 2023, Majors was arrested after a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute with Jabbari. In a statement to the Associated Press, the New York Police Department said, “The victim informed police she was assaulted. Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”
Is Jonathan Majors guilty?
***Content warning: Talk of suicide and suicidal ideation***
On December 18, the jury in Majors’ trial found him guilty of two charges: reckless assault in the third degree, and harassment.
Majors’ trial began in New York earlier this month. On Friday, December 8, 2023, a new batch of text messages was presented to the jury and read aloud in court. The texts had previously been deemed inadmissible in court, but found renewed relevance during cross-examination this week.
The jury was shown photographs of injuries Jabbari says were inflicted by Majors. The accompanying texts show a conversation between Majors and Jabbari from September of 2022, regarding another prior incident. In that conversation, Majors appears to admit to assaulting Jabbari and seems to be threatening to kill himself if she goes to the hospital for her injuries—a far from uncommon tactic employed by abusers.
“Last night I considered killing myself versus coming home,” Majors wrote to Jabbari, according to People: “I need love too. Or maybe I’m such a monster and horrible man, I don’t deserve it. And I should just kill myself. In this way, my existence is miserable, I want to die.”
People writes:
Jabbari — who in court was turned in the direction of the projected text messages — had responded: “I will not go to the doctor if you don’t feel safe with me doing so, or don’t trust me to. I promise you I would never mention you but understand your fear.”
Telling her that she could not reject his love and admonishing her for not hugging him after the alleged fight, Majors noted by text: “I will probably kill myself, it’s not really contemplating anymore.” He added: “I’m a monster, a horrible man, not capable of love. I’m killing myself soon.”
“Jonathan, you can’t say this I’m going to have to tell someone,” Jabbari responded by text, noting her perceived error in not hugging him.
The jury found Majors not guilty of two additional charges: intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in second degree. However, because Majors was found guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment, he’ll be sentenced to possible jail time on February 6.
Will Marvel recast Kang the Conqueror?
Hours after the guilty verdict was announced, Deadline reported that Marvel has severed ties with Majors. Majors has played three different variants of the same character in the MCU: He Who Remains in Loki season 1, Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Victor Timely in Loki season 2. Majors was expected to play more variants of Kang at least through 2026, when Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is slated to come out.
Right now, it’s unclear whether Marvel will recast Kang, or pivot away from the character completely. The Kang Dynasty has been in flux, with Loki writer Michael Waldron taking over writing duties from Jeff Loveness, who wrote Quantumania.
(featured image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)
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