The situation surrounding Jonathan Majors just keeps getting messier.
The 34-year-old actor was first tapped to portray the MCU’s Kang the Conqueror back in 2021, debuting as the character in Disney Plus’ Loki, and later on the big screen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It’s a huge moment in the man’s career, but that’s been overshadowed by the assault allegations dogging Majors for months now.
The allegations first arose in March 2023, and cast a shadow over Majors’ future in the MCU. Kang is key to the future of the franchise, but with these accusations weighing him down, Majors’ future in the family-friendly films is shaky, at best.
And that was before old text messages between him and Grace Jabbari, his ex-girlfriend and the woman accusing him of abuse, arose. Fans became leery of Majors back when the allegations first cropped up, but a series of text messages — shared in Majors’ trial and later made public — are only reinforcing the idea that Majors’ time is ticking. He may be the key to Marvel’s big-screen future, but even Disney can’t sweep everything under the rug.
The texts between Jonathan Majors and Grace Jabbari, explained
Majors and Jabbari dated for around two years after meeting in 2021 on the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Their relationship seemed perfectly fine to outsiders until Jabbari slapped Majors with serious accusations in 2023, alleging he’d assaulted her in the backseat of a car, setting off a series of events that took months to come to a head.
Majors was initially flippant. He denied any accusations of abuse, indicated that a mistake had been made, and assured his fans that everything would be ironed out soon. Even when months passed without evidence sufficient to clear Majors’ name, he continued to treat the allegations as rumors, lies, or exaggerations. At least a few of his fans remained on Majors’ side — at least, until texts between him and Jabbari were revealed.
Those texts were included in Majors’ ongoing trial, and were released to the public in Dec. 2023. They contain hard proof of the contentious relationship between Majors and Jabbari, and lend credence to Jabbari’s claims of assault.
Texts between the pair include several threats of suicide from Majors, along with heaps of controlling language, hints toward ongoing abuse, and a massive amount of placating by Jabbari. The texts, paired with a damning audio recording, appear to confirm Jabbari’s story and could see Majors ejected from the MCU for good.
First, let’s address the texts. Screenshots of messages between Majors and Jabbari, some of which are redacted, show Majors seemingly attempting to steer Jabbari away from visiting the hospital for a head injury.
Majors goes on to threaten suicide, calling himself a “monster” and “a horrible man” and claiming that “last night I considered killing myself versus coming home… I’m a monster. A horrible man. Not capable of love. I am killing myself soon. I’ve already put things in motion.”
A large part of Jabbari’s following text is redacted, but it’s clear she attempts to placate him in her response. She promises Majors that she won’t visit the doctor if he doesn’t approve, and begs him not to hurt himself. The exchange is a classic example of an abusive relationship, as Majors wields multiple forms of manipulation to keep Jabbari close, quiet, and in his control.
Then there’s the audio log, which reinforces everything the texts seem to hint at. In the clip shared by the Manhattan District Attorney, Majors refers to himself as “a great man,” and urges Jabbari to act more like Coretta Scott King or Michelle Obama. He indicates that, since he sees great things in his own future, Jabbari needs to step up, quiet down, and act as his support system.
The audio log and texts, paired with images of Jabbari’s injuries, which were shown earlier in the trial, change the dialogue around Majors. Many of his fans urged the public to await hard evidence before handing down judgement on Majors, but we now have just that. And, despite our high hopes that the accusations were false, or at least exaggerated, none of that appears to be true. The texts, audio log, and pictures give credence to the story that Majors did, in fact, attack Jabbari in that car, and that it was just the latest in a myriad of similar examples.
All of which brings us back to Majors’ future in Hollywood and, in particular, the MCU. He’s already signed on to several massive projects, and ejecting him from the MCU would be a tall order. But with so much baggage weighing him down, Majors is a terrible fit for the franchise. He’ll cast a shadow over any project he’s in, particularly for fans who are sympathetic to Jabbari. That leaves the MCU with some major decisions to make.
Majors is currently on trial, and facing a trio of misdemeanors for assault and harassment. He’s pleaded not guilty to all charges, but — if convicted — he could face a full year in prison.
Published: Dec 14, 2023 10:44 am