Jonathan Majors‘ future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains up in the air, but according to a new report from Variety, Marvel Studios may have already been looking to pivot away from him.
In a new report looking into Marvel Studios, Variety reported that, “regardless of” the legal issues Majors is facing, the company had reportedly already been considering moving away from him being a major focus in the MCU after the poor box office results of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which earned just over $470 million at the box office, a low figure for Marvel.
“A studio source notes that regardless of the actor’s legal issues, Marvel already had considered moving away from a Majors-led phase because of the box office performance of Quantumania, which will struggle to make a profit,” reads part of the report. “‘It gave people pause given that ‘Quantumania’ didn’t exactly land,’ the source says.”
Should Majors’ face more legal issues, Variety also notes that recasting Majors in the role of Kang the Conqueror is also on the table. It wouldn’t be the first time a major character had to be recast (Terrence Howard was replaced in Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle), and Variety even notes that the company has changed direction after making big announcements in the past.
What legal issues does Jonathan Majors face?
Jonathan Majors faces three counts of third-degree assault, second-degree aggravated harassment, three counts of third-degree attempted assault, and second-degree harassment. These stem from an incident in March in which he’s accused of assaulting a 30-year-old woman. Police cite that Majors allegedly struck “[the victim] about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.” Additionally, he allegedly grabbed her hand and neck, “causing bruising and substantial pain.”
A previous report from ABC News notes that Majors made the 911 call himself, which police responded to. The call was “purportedly over concerns about his girlfriend, whom he lives with in a penthouse apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood.” After police arrived, the girlfriend told officers they were in a taxi together after returning from a bar and that Majors physically attacked her. Majors was then arrested after police noticed marks on the woman.
Majors’ criminal defense lawyer previously stated Majors is “provably innocent” and expects charges to be dropped due to multiple witnesses and written retractions from the victim, followed by a later claim that there is video evidence of Majors’ innocence.
