Marvel to “change” ‘Avengers’ title following Jonathan Majors guilty verdict

Marvel will reportedly “change” the title of the forthcomng Avengers movie after lead star Jonathan Majors was found guilty of assault.

On Monday (December 18), the actor was dropped by Marvel Studios immediately after the verdict, which saw a jury find him guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. He could now be facing up to a year in prison.

Majors previously played the role of Kang the Conqueror in 2023’s Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantumania and the Disney+ series Loki. Both projects set him up as the next major villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the fifth Avengers film orginally being titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film’s title has now been scrapped, and the project will be officially known as Avengers 5 until a new title is chosen. The decision to completely change the name of the film suggests that Kang will be written out of the franchise, as opposed to being recast.

In September, it was reported that Marvel executives, including studio boss Kevin Feige, discussed “backup plans, including pivoting to another comic book adversary”, like Fantastic Four character Dr Doom.

After news of the assault allegations broke, Majors was dropped by his management team and several film projects, including The Man In My Basement.

The actor, who faced four charges of assault, aggravated harassment and harassment, was found guilty on two of the charges. Majors was found not guilty on one of the counts of assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree.

Majors was arrested in New York in March after he allegedly assaulted Jabbari in the backseat of a car. The actor pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

In the trial, Jabbari said she grabbed Majors’ phone after seeing a text message from another woman, which read: “Oh how I wish to be kissing you.” As Majors attempted to retrieve his phone, Jabbari said she felt “a hard blow” across her head and that he twisted her arm.

The prosecution claimed Majors was manipulative and controlling throughout their two-year relationship, which culminated in the car incident. In text messages shared in court, Majors appeared to dissaude Jabarri from going to the hospital after she sustained an injury to the head. Majors also said he “considered killing myself” following a disagreement.

“I will probably [k]ill myself,” a message from Majors read. “It’s not really contemplating any more… I’m a monster. A horrible man. Not capable of love. I am killing myself soon. I’ve already put things in motion.”

The defense, meanwhile, claimed Jabbari was the one who had assaulted Majors in the vehicle in an act of jealous rage. They also alleged that she had fabricated the allegations to get back at the actor following their break-up, branding her a “liar”.

Majors did not testify during the trial.

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