Jonathan Majors in Loki season 2: Marvel actor facing abuse allegations returns in Disney+ series trailer

With American actor Jonathan Majors due to face assault charges at court this week, some Marvel fans were shocked to see him appear in a newly released Loki trailer just days before his scheduled court date.

The trailer for Loki season two was released by Marvel Studios on 31 July and has been watched more than 8 million times in the first 24 hours.

As well as the return of main cast members Tom Hiddleston as the god of mischief Loki, and Owen Wilson as his ally Mobius M. Mobius, the trailer also confirmed what many fans had suspected - Jonathan Majors would return in the series.

Majors, who is a rising star in Hollywood, with supporting roles in Hostiles, and Da 5 Bloods, followed by bigger parts in The Harder They Fall, and Creed III. But following his arrest earlier this year, Majors' future looks uncertain.

Which is why, with the star being dropped from other projects, it came as a surprise to see the actor's continued place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe confirmed by the Loki trailer this week.

What allegations have been made about Jonathan Majors?

Majors’ ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, accused him of attacking her, and the actor was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, attempted assault, second-degree aggravated assault, and harassment on 25 March this year.

Majors denies the allegations and alleged that Jabbari actually attacked him when she was drunk. He filed a domestic violence complaint against her in which he said that she had caused him pain and bleeding after slapping and scratching him.

A judge granted a temporary restraining order, preventing contact between Majors and his alleged victim, in April.  

Who does Jonathan Majors play in Loki?

Jonathan Majors made his Marvel debut in season one of Loki, in which he played Nathaniel Richards, a scientist from the 31st century who was the first person to come into contact with versions of himself from other universes.

Some of his variants attempted to conquer other realities, and Richards established the Time Variance Authority, under the mysterious title He Who Remains, to protect the multiverse. 

Richards was killed in the season finale of Loki, but Majors returned in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as the evil variant Kang the Conqueror. 

Majors will play another variant of Richards, time travelling scientist Viktor Timely, in season two of Loki. In the trailer he is re-introduced, in silhouette, as he says 'make the hard choice', which could be read as a meta-point about Marvel's decision to keep Majors in the series. 

Why hasn’t Jonathan Majors been recast in Loki?

Following his arrest, Majors was dropped by his talent agency Entertainment 360 and PR firm Lede Company. A series of US Army recruitment adverts which he starred in were also suspended - a spokesman for the Army said that Majors was innocent until proven guilty but that the ads would be suspended until the investigation is completed.

He was also removed from the Texas Rangers ad campaign, had his invitation to the Met Gala 2023 rescinded, and was dropped from an upcoming adaptation of the thriller novel The Man in My Basement, which he was set to star in and executive produce.

Given all of these actions against the accused star, it is noticeable that Marvel does not seem to have taken any action against him, and he features several times, although briefly, in the trailer for Loki season two.

However, unlike The Man in My Basement, which had not begun filming at the time of Majors’ arrest, Loki season two finished production months before, in October 2022.

And whereas it’s quite simple to suspend a series of adverts, it could cost millions of dollars to delay or reshoot large parts of the Marvel series that Majors features in, especially as the series is connected to the rest of the MCU franchise.

Moreover, as Majors is yet to be found guilty of any crime, it wouldn’t be entirely fair to recast the star who may yet be found innocent at his trial. Majors is currently set to return as Kang in two major upcoming Marvel movies - Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will be several hundred million dollar projects and are due for release in 2026 and 2027.

If Majors were to be found guilty on the charges of abuse it is highly likely that at that point Marvel would take the decision to recast him in these two films.

The real problem for Marvel is that were Majors found guilty at his trial this month, it could cause plenty of bad press for the second season of Loki which is now locked in for a 6 October release on Disney+. 

Majors is also currently slated to star in two non-Marvel projects, comedy film 48 Hours in Vegas, and Spike Lee drama Da Understudy, both of which are in pre-production. Again, his continued role in these films will probably be dependent on the outcome of his trial.

When is Jonathan Majors’ court date?

Majors is due to face misdemeanour charges of assault and aggravated harassment at a US court on 3 August. His trial could last several days.