Jonathan Majors, the rise and fall of the Marvel villain who abused his ex-partner

The fight occurs in the street. One teenager against another, unarmed. For both of them, who are clinging to the wicks and rolling on the ground, this could be the defining moment of their lives. But then a Hollywood actor appears, arms open, ready to stop the violence. He is Jonathan Majors (34), Marvel villain, “Creed” villain and, now, real-life villain after the sentence confirming his guilt in the physical assault of his ex-partner, a complaint that calls into question the scene recounted at the beginning of this text, recorded weeks before the verdict. That it is a public relations maneuver is among the possible.

Public relations, the narrative of the case, is what Majors tried to control from the first moment the complaint of violence was revealed. But when cases reach the Police first, and the Justice system later, it is like going through a storm on a boat: anything could happen. Only this year the actor’s life took a turn; A few months ago he spoke with El Comercio about his role in the third “Ant-Man” movie of the blockbuster MCU; It was sparing. “Kang the Conqueror is more active”he said in relation to his character. “It’s in his name, he is constantly conquering. He is looking for the next frontier.”

Born in California in 1989, Majors comes from a home complicated by paternal abandonment and financial problems. He defined himself as a boy who flirted with crime, with a violent attitude; at the same time he justified that this attitude was just what he needed to survive. He learned about theater at school and, upon finishing it, he signed up to study performing arts, going to one casting after another. He was practically unknown before 2017, when he entered the TV miniseries about LGBTIQ rights “When We Rise.”

Rolling Stone magazine spoke to 40 people who knew Majors during his acting studies. In the article, they mention that the actor had aggressive behavior on the set, with his fellow students, and off the set, with his partners. A common description of his time in college is that he could be physically intimidating, as well as being rude in his expression. Regarding his ex-partners, the magazine mentions that two were victims of physical and/or psychological abuse, citing people who knew the situation.

It is in 2020 when the world of Majors expands. On the one hand, he starred in HBO’s acclaimed television series “Lovecraft Country,” which reconstructed the legacy of a racist writer with a twist focused on African-American characters; In addition, he participated in “Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee’s Netflix film about a Vietnam platoon involved in the disappearance of a shipment of gold. If both examples were not already enough proof that the actor was growing, that same year his entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was confirmed as Kang, the ‘Conqueror’, a villain who would fill the void left by Josh Brolin’s Thanos.

The fruits of his entry into Marvel were seen in 2021, with the first season of “Loki”, where only one episode was enough to put fans in his pocket. In March 2023, a month after the premiere of “Ant-Man 3″, the news is revealed that would lead to the actor’s debacle: his then partner, Grace Jabbari, denounces him for harassment and assault. The incident occurred inside a taxi, when the woman wanted to see the cell phone of the accused, who had intimate conversations with a woman unrelated to the relationship. In the argument, Majors punched Jabbari in the back of the head and twisted his arm, breaking his finger.

Majors, once the complaint was revealed, became the victim; The actor’s lawyer even said that her client was the one who received abuse from the complainant. In addition, implied that his client was being treated as guilty of racist bias by the judicial system. As a result of these complaints, Jabbari was arrested in October for minor crimes, for which she would not be prosecuted. With the actor the story would be different.

“In March 2023, a month after the premiere of “Ant-Man 3″, the news is revealed that would lead to the actor’s debacle: his then partner, Grace Jabbari, denounces him for harassment and assault.”

This is how Majors fell

Majors became radioactive, no one wanted to associate with him. First the U.S. Army, for which Mayors filmed commercials promoting the draft, said it would exercise “prudence” by no longer airing the actor’s ads. Similarly, the fashion house Valentino said that the company and the actor decided “by mutual agreement” to no longer work together; elegant way to say they don’t want it anymore. In April, his agent and his publicist cut ties with him. Likewise, the film “Magazine Dreams” in which he starred was removed from the release calendar.

Majors’ trial began at the end of November, where Jabbari gave his testimony and confirmed the actor’s abusive behavior, both physically and psychologically. She said the actor, a volatile person, made her feel insecure; He also threatened to make an attempt on her own life. “I had low self-esteem, I lost a lot of weight. I felt really dependent on him because he was the only one who knew what was going on. I still tried to see my friends and family but it felt like I was lying to them. “I felt isolated,” said the accusing party. Majors pleaded not guilty.

Before the verdict, the judge who handled the case, Michael Gaffey, publicly revealed evidence presented during the trial against the actor. Among what was revealed is an audio in which the actor refers to himself as a “big man” what are you doing “great things, not only for me, but for my culture and the world. That’s the position I’m in. It is real. I’m not being a jerk about that. I didn’t ask for it. I have worked and that is the situation. The woman who supports me needs to be a great woman and make sacrifices the way the man is making sacrifices for herself and for them. [ambos]”. On December 18, Majors was found guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment against Grace Jabbari.

Once the sentence was known, Marvel Studios, which had not said anything about the Majors case, announced that it would no longer have the actor for future projects. According to The Hollywood Reporter website, the fifth part of the “Avengers” saga, titled “The Kang Dynasty”, has changed its name; Now the company only refers to it as “Avengers 5.” It is unknown if Marvel will hire another actor for the villain’s role or rule him out entirely. The situation comes at a crucial time for the company, which no longer makes as much money as before in theaters and whose quality on television is debatable.

Meanwhile, Majors, who grew professionally in record time and fell even faster, awaits his sentencing on February 6, which could put him in prison for up to a year. The future repercussions for his career are uncertain. For now, he is “kangcelado”.