Anthony Mackie Addresses Jonathan Majors’ Arrest, Is First MCU Actor To Comment
Anthony Mackie discusses the future involvement of Jonathan Majors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the actor’s arrest earlier this year. Majors made his debut in the MCU as He Who Remains in the finale of Loki’s first season before taking on a larger role as the main villain in the Phase 5 launchpad Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The post-credits scenes in Quantumania introduced the Council of Kangs as a major threat to the MCU and set the stage for Majors to play a new variant of Kang in Loki’s second season. In March, Majors was arrested on charges of strangulation, assault, and harassment.
In a recent interview with Inverse, Mackie – who will be reprising his role as Sam Wilson in the upcoming 2024 film Captain America: Brave New World – was asked about Majors’ situation. There was speculation among fans about whether Marvel would recast the role of Kang in the MCU following Majors’ arrest, but no official statement had been made by Marvel Studios until now. Mackie chose not to speculate or provide a clear answer regarding Majors’ future in the MCU, stating:
We live in a country that was founded on the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ Nothing has been proven about this individual. Nothing. So, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That’s all I can say. It’s astonishing where we are as a society. But as a nation, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Everything We Know About Jonathan Majors’ Assault Arrest
Anthony Mackie comments on the future Marvel Cinematic Universe involvement of Jonathan Majors after the actor’s arrest earlier this year. Majors debuted in the MCU as He Who Remains during the Loki season 1 finale before taking on a larger role as the main villain in Phase 5 launchpad Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The Quantum post-credits scenes introduced the Council of Kangs as an Avengers-level MCU threat while also setting the stage for Majors to play a new Kang variant in Loki season 2. In March, Majors was arrested on charges of strangulation, assault and harassment.
In a new interview with InverseMackie – who’s set to reprise his MCU role of Sam Wilson in the upcoming 2024 movie Captain America: Brave New World – was asked about the Majors situation. Following Majors’ arrest, there was speculation among fans about whether Marvel would recast the role of Kang in the MCU, but no one in the Marvel Studios camp had officially commented until now. Mackie refrained from speculating or offering any clear answer as to Majors’ involvement in the MCU going forward, saying:
We’re a country that was built on ‘everyone is innocent until proven guilty.’ That’s one of the staples of this country. Nothing has been proven about this dude. Nothing. So everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That’s all I can say. It’s crazy where we are as a society. But as a country, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Everything We Know About Jonathan Majors’ Assault Arrest
Jonathan Majors was arrested on March 25 in New York City when police responded to a 911 call. The NYPD said a 30-year-old woman reported being assaulted by Majors and had sustained minor injuries to her head and neck. The actor’s criminal defense lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, has denied wrongdoing on his behalf. Majors faces misdemeanor charges of assault and aggravated harassment, with a trial date set for Aug. 3.
Following the arrest, the U.S. Army pulled recruitment advertisements featuring Majors, with the actor later cut from starring in ads for the Texas Rangers. He was additionally dropped by his management company as well as his PR firm. More recently. Majors was dropped from two projects, The Man in My Basementa movie starring Willem Dafoe, and an Otis Redding biopic to which he was attached. In terms of the MCU, Marvel Studios hadn’t had any conversations about replacing Majors in the role of Kang as of an Apr. 18 report.
It remains to be seen how Majors’ trial will proceed, but it’s certain the outcome will determine the actor’s future, not only in the MCU but Hollywood as a whole. Although Marvel is reportedly downplaying Majors’ involvement in Loki season 2, the show was filmed entirely before the actor’s arrest, so it’s unlikely to be changed. Avengers: The Kang Dynastyhowever, was recently delayed to 2026, giving Marvel Studios time to make adjustments, whether with the cast or the story, should Majors be found guilty of the charges he faces. For now, Majors’ MCU future is unclear, and it wouldn’t be surprising if other Marvel actors remain silent on the situation, or offer a vague response similar to Mackie’s.
Source: Inverse
