Actor Jonathan Majors, who had been expected to play a key role as the villain Kang the Conquerer in Disney’s forthcoming Marvel films, went on trial on Monday in New York, accused of beating up his then-girlfriend in the backseat of a car in March. Mr. Majors, 34, who is facing misdemeanor assault charges, has seen his promising career collapse in the wake of the assault accusations. 

The misdemeanor trial is unusual, as most defendants take a plea deal. Mr. Majors, however, is looking more to the court of public opinion as he tries to save his career by convincing the jury of six he was not the aggressor, but the victim of a girlfriend who attacked him a jealous rage.

When “Creed III” came out in March 2023, Mr. Majors was poised for a stellar rest of the year. 

The New York Times was calling him an “ambitious up-and-comer,” The Guardian was hailing him as a “charisma forcefield” and “acting heavyweight,” and it seemed the world was Majors’ oyster.

He had already been on the big screen that year for his role as Kang the Conqueror in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and fans were slated to see a top-notch Majors performance later that year with his starring role in “Magazine Dreams” – an art film that received glowing praise following its Sundance Film Festival premiere.

Yet all the buzz surrounding Mr. Majors’ career quickly shifted in tone after his ex-girlfriend and professional dancer, Grace Jabbari, came forward saying he assaulted her in the backseat of a car during an argument.

After the Emmy-nominated actor was arrested and charged, the official premier of “Magazine Dreams” was postponed indefinitely and his ad campaign with the U.S. Army was pulled.

Deadline also reports the assault charges led to Mr. Majors being dropped from an upcoming adaptation of the Walter Mosley novel “The Man in My Basement” and from an ad campaign for the Texas Rangers MLB team. He’s also, reportedly, no longer being considered for a much-anticipated biopic about Otis Redding.

Mr. Majors arrived in court on Monday dressed all in black, carrying a bible and accompanied by his new girlfriend, Meagan Good, 42, who’s been seemingly supporting him every step of the way.

The prosecution and defense agree that the fight between Mr. Majors and Ms. Jabbari began when she saw an amorous text on his phone from another woman, but that is where the narratives diverge.

Prosecutors allege Mr. Majors grabbed Ms. Jabbari’s hand hard enough to fracture her middle finger before twisting her arm behind her back and hitting her on the side of the head.

The defense, on the other hand, alleges that Ms. Jabbari “slapped, clawed and scratched” Mr. Majors “in a way that made the driver, the only witness to this event, describe Ms. Jabbari as ‘psycho girl.’”  

What’s more, the actor’s attorney, Priya Chaudhry, says her client left the altercation bloodied by the attack, headed to a hotel for the night and texted Ms. Jabbari to end the relationship.

Meanwhile, Ms. Chaudhry claims, Ms. Jabbari unsuccessfully chased her boyfriend through traffic before leaving to go dancing at a club where a video shows her letting people “twirl her ballroom style, while she spins on the very finger she now claims was freshly broken.”

Prosecutors say differently, alleging that an enraged Mr. Majors lifted Ms. Jabbari and threw her inside the car multiple times after the driver pulled over. Eventually, she left to join her friends for a few hours at the club trying to “temporarily [block] out” the abuse she had just endured. When she returned home, she took two sleeping pills before passing out on the bathroom floor.

The next morning Ms. Jabbari reportedly awakened to Mr. Majors standing over her with police officers at his side. After sharing her side of the story with police, Mr. Majors was arrested. Ms. Jabbari was arrested six months later after Mr. Majors made a counter-claim against her for the event in the vehicle, but the Manhattan DA dismissed those charges a day later.

In the trial that began on Monday, prosecutors will attempt to convince the jury that Mr. Majors’ attack on his girlfriend was the culmination of a “cruel and manipulative pattern of psychological and physical abuse.” The defense, on the other hand, will be pushing the narrative that these “false allegations” against Mr. Majors were made in an attempt “to take away everything he has spent his whole life working for.”  

 If convicted, he could face only one year or less in prison, but the damage to his once-shining career could be irreparable.