The actor Jonathan Majors was photographed by paparazzi from a distance on Tuesday night, disembarking from a private jet at Los Angeles International Airport, his girlfriend Meagan Good by his side, and being whisked away in a waiting car. The once-celebrated Marvel star had been convicted in New York the previous day of assaulting a former girlfriend in a car in Manhattan in March. His professional future is now greatly in doubt.

Mr. Majors, 34, took his misdemeanor assault charges to court in an  attempt to save his reputation that backfired.   Now he faces possible prison time when he’s sentenced next year. Perhaps even worse, Disney fired him immediately after the verdict, ending his brief reign as “Kang the Conqueror” who was supposed to headline multiple blockbuster Marvel movies, and make Mr. Majors very rich in the process..

Mr. Majors was charged with misdemeanor assault in March after his then-girlfriend and professional dancer, Grace Jabbari, came forward with her story. The trial saw the prosecution and defense teams agree that a fight between Mr. Majors and Ms. Jabbari started in the backseat of a New York rideshare car after Ms. Jabbari saw a text from another woman on Mr. Majors’ phone. From there, prosecutors argued, Majors grabbed his then-girlfriend’s hand with enough force 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, said jealousy drove Ms. Jabbari to slap, claw, and scratch Mr. Majors “in a way that made the driver, the only witness to this event, describe Ms. Jabbari as ‘psycho girl.’” The defense also argued that after her scuffle with Mr. Majors in the car, Ms. Jabbari went out clubbing and danced the night away. These arguments did not convince the jury.

Generally speaking, most misdemeanor criminal cases end in plea bargains. But Mr. Majors likely hoped to persuade the six-person jury he was a victim rather than an aggressor, in order to save his career.  

Ultimately, the Emmy-nominated actor was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment while being acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment. In a statement made by one of Mr. Majors’ defense lawyers after the conviction, Priya Chaudhry shared her take on the results.

“It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr. Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her,” the statement read. “We are grateful for that. We are disappointed, however, that despite not believing Ms. Jabbari, the jury nevertheless found that Mr. Majors was somehow reckless while she was attacking him. 

“Mr. Majors is grateful to God, his family, his friends, and his fans for their love and support during these harrowing eight months. Mr. Majors still has faith in the process and looks forward to fully clearing his name.”

In Alvin Bragg’s statement following the verdict, the Manhattan District Attorney said his office was “committed to centering survivors” and thanked Ms. Jabbari for “bravely telling her story despite having to relive her trauma on the stand.”

“The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion far too common across the many intimate partner violence cases we see each and every day,” the statement read. “Today, a jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr. Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend.”

Prior to the trial, Mr. Majors’ charges led to an indefinite premier postponement of his critically acclaimed film “Magazine Dreams,” the pulling of his ad campaign with the U.S. Army, and his removal from other projects and campaigns.

The termination of his partnership with Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company is most sigificant and news that will change the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” as we know it. That’s because Mr. Majors made appearances in the Marvel Disney+ series “Loki” and played a huge role in 2023’s critically lampooned “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” He was set to be the next big villain within the world of Marvel’s superhero movies, so it’s unclear where the Marvel universe is headed next.

“If Marvel drops him, that would be a big indicator of his future,” an agency source told CNN prior to the Manhattan trial reaching a verdict. “If he’s found guilty… there’s nothing to represent.”

If Mr. Majors has one good thing going for him, it’s his new girlfriend, Ms. Good, 42. She showed her support for her boyfriend throughout the court proceedings, so it’s presumed she’ll still be by his side come February when he will receive his sentencing. His assault conviction may lead up to one year in jail, but probation or other non-jail sentences are a possibility, as well.