Actor Jonathan Majors — who starred as the villainous Kang the Conqueror in Disney’s Marvel superhero movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — appeared in a New York court Wednesday for the start of his domestic assault trial. The Hollywood star faces misdemeanor assault and harassment charges stemming from an alleged incident in March with his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
If convicted, the actor — who reprised his role as Kang in the Disney+ series Loki — could face up to a year in prison. The actor has repeatedly asserted his innocence.
The high-profile celebrity case is the latest publicity setback for the Walt Disney Company, which is contending with a growing string of box office flops, the latest ones being the feminist Marvel movie The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, and the animated movie Wish.
On Wednesday, Majors arrived at the courthouse in a black coat, grey suit, and sunglasses. Some reports said he was carrying a Bible as he entered accompanied by his girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, as well as his defense attorney, Priya Chaudhry.
What will transpire over the next few days will be more difficult to discern.
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey agreed to a request from Majors’ attorney for the courtroom to be closed to the public during arguments about certain evidentiary matters. The attorney argued that certain aspects of the case, if reported to the public, would prejudice the case against Majors.
The alleged assault took place on March 25, when Grace Jabbari accused Majors of slapping her as they rode in a car to his apartment. She also alleged he threw her into the car after she got out of it, twisted her arm, and grabbed her hand hard enough enough to injure it.
In June, Majors filed a cross complaint against Jabbari, alleging that she physically assaulted him the same night.
But Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to prosecute Jabbari after she was arrested.
Bragg, whose campaign was backed by leftist billionaire George Soros, has sealed the reasoning behind his decision to drop the charges against Jabbari.
Majors is facing significant career repercussions as a result of the case.
Earlier this year, the actor was generating awards buzz for his role in the movie Magazine Dreams, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January.
But the trial has now killed any hopes of Oscar glory, with Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures scrubbing the movie’s planned December release daate.
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