‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Star Anthony Mackie Urges Impartiality Towards Jonathan Majors: “As A Country, Everyone Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty”
Spencer Baculi
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Amidst a social climate that is increasingly giving itself over to mob rule, Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie is urging the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions – particularly those that espouse the actor’s guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt – regarding the accusations of domestic violence currently facing fellow Marvel star Jonathan Majors.
Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
The next actor to take on the silver screen mantle of the Star-Spangled Avenger weighed in on Majors’ MCU future during a recent interview with Inverse’s Jake Kleinman.
Speaking with the outlet primarily in promotion of his starring-role in Peacock’s upcoming Twisted Metal adaptation, Mackie was eventually asked by Kleinmann whether or not he could provide any insight into the current conversations surrounding Majors’ future as Kang the Conqueror.
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) reflects on the weight of the Captain America mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Season 1 Episode 1 “New World Order” (2021), Marvel Entertainment
In turn, rather than add any further fuel to the fire, Mackie instead opted to urge impartiality and fairness from the court of public opinion.
“We’re a country that was built on ‘everyone is innocent until proven guilty,’” the Marvel star asserted. “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,” he then affirmed. “It’s crazy where we are as a society. But as a country, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”
Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Eli Adé. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
The man upon who would be Kang was first arrested on March 25th after officers with the New York City Police Department “responded to a 911 call inside of an apartment located in the vicinity of West 22nd Street and 8th Avenue, within the confines of the 10 Precinct.”
“A preliminary investigation determined that a 33-year-old male was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old female [later identified as professional Hollywood film dancer Grace Jabbari],” explained the department in an official statement. “The victim informed police she was assaulted. Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident, The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”
After being processed by law enforcement, Majors was released from custody later that same weekend.
Unfortunately for the actor, just two days later, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office would officially charge him with “three counts of assault in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, three counts of attempted assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree” in relation to the supposed incident.
Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) prepares to force his way out of the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Marvel Entertainment
Meanwhile, according to Majors’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry, not only is her client completely innocent, but the aggressor in the situation was actually Jabbari herself.
“Ms. Jabbari claims that Mr. Majors assaulted her in a car in Chinatown around 12:00 a.m. on March 25, 2023, and during this incident, Mr. Majors broke her finger and lacerated her ear,” explained Chaudhry in a letter submitted to the court on April 8th. “The driver [of the cab where the incident allegedly took place] will testify that Mr. Majors never struck Ms. Jabbari in any way at any time, or even raised his voice, and instead – while Ms. Jabbari was hitting, scratching, and attacking Mr. Majors – Mr. Majors beggerd the driver to open the door so that he could jump out of the car and escape her.”
Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) is ripped apart by the stress of multiversal travel in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Marvel Entertainment
Further, Chaudhry has regularly blamed racism for Majors’ current legal troubles.
In a statement released to TheWrap on May 8th, Chaudhry claimed that “When Mr. Majors showed a white police officer the injuries the woman caused him, the white officer got in Mr. Majors’ face and taunted him, saying that if the officer were to slap Mr. Majors, the officer wouldn’t break his finger.”
“None of the white officers present investigated the assault of Mr. Majors,” she further accused. “Worse, the District Attorney has not indicated any intention to pursue charges against the woman, or even investigate the truth.”
Concluding her statement, Chaudry ultimately argued, “This glaring double standard between the treatment of Jonathan Majors, a Black man weighing 200 lbs, and his accuser, highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) finds himself trapped within the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Marvel Entertainment
Chaudry would once again raise the spectre of racism in the aforementioned April 8th letter.
“In this country, we must view everything through the prism of race,” she argued to the New York Country Criminal Court. “If Mr. Majors (or any black man) had done these things to a white woman, you might consider him a violent, dangerous, abusive psychopath. This is exactly what Ms. Jabbari has done – how does Your Honor consider her?
Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) is unable to accept his defeat in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), Marvel Entertainment
Notably, on June 26th, it was revealed that the NYPD had previously found probable cause to arrest Jabbari in relation to Chaudry’s claims, but after issuing an order to take her into custody for at the very least questioning, law enforcement decided to rescind their call. As of writing, it is unknown why the NYPD made this decision.
Majors’ next court appearance in the matter of his arrest is currently scheduled for August 3rd.
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