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Marvel is reportedly “in crisis” amid Kang star Jonathan Majors’ assault trial.
Majors, 33, was charged with assault and harassment in March this year after he was accused of attacking his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in New York. Majors has denied the claim and accused Jabbari of attacking him.
Last week, a New York judge denied the defense’s request to dismiss the case and set the trial date for November 29.
Majors was introduced as Marvel’s new “big bad”, Kang the Conqueror, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which kicked off the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“After Quantumania, however, it seems far more helpful to refer to the next batch of Marvel films and TV shows as the ‘Jonathan Majors Phase.’ “It’s just that good,” wrote Clarisse Loughrey in her February review for The Independent.
This next batch of Marvel projects is reportedly on the rocks due to Majors’ legal troubles.
According to a new report from Variety, Marvel executives, including studio boss Kevin Feige, met in Palm Springs in September to discuss “replacement plans, including switching to a different comic book antagonist like Dr. Doom” to discuss.
(Disney)
Dr. Doom first appeared in the Fantastic Four comics and was portrayed by Julian McMahon in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel. and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 film.
Kang will also appear in the final episode of the Loki series with Tom Hiddlestone, airing on November 9th.
“Marvel is really screwed with the whole Kang angle,” a dealmaker who saw the latest Loki episode told Variety. “And they haven’t had a chance to rewrite until recently [because of the Writers Guild of America strike]. But I don’t see any way they can move forward with him.”
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The Independent has contacted Marvel Studios for comment.
Earlier this week, Walt Disney Studios removed Magazine Dreams, an upcoming major drama, from its release calendar.
After news of the allegations against him broke, Majors was dropped by his leadership team, while the U.S. Army pulled a series of ads featuring the actor. He has also reportedly been dropped from an upcoming adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel The Man in My Basement.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247 or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a special advice number for men on 0808 8010 327. In the US, you can call the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Further international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org