THEY may have been blessed with impressive superpowers on screen but some Marvel stars prove far from heroic in real life.
This week it emerged Kang actor Jonathan Majors has been dropped by the franchise after being convicted of a violent attack on ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in March.
Jonathan Majors starred in Ant-Man Wasp: Quantumania this yearAlamy
The Mega AgencyThe star was convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend[/caption]
The 34-year-old, who was set to appear as the Marvel villain in several upcoming movies including Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, was found guilty of assaulting the British choreographer in a row over phone messages from another woman.
The court in New York heard that the actor twisted her arm behind her back and hit her in the head after she saw a text message from a woman reading: “Wish I was kissing you right now.”
He then threatened to kill himself if she went to the hospital to have her injuries treated.
While Marvel is now reviewing its release schedules, Magazine Dreams, another of Majors’ movies which was being touted as a possible Oscar contender, has had its release postponed.
The disgraced actor, who is now facing jail, is not the first Marvel star to face ruin over their heinous off-screen crimes.
Here we look at the stars who have brought scandal to the multi-billion dollar comic franchise.
Child sex abuse
Zara Phythian starred in the 2016 film Doctor Strange alongside Brit actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
But in May 2022, she and husband Victor Marke were convicted of sexually abusing a teenager over the course of three years.
Zara Phythian starred as Brunette Zealot in Doctor StrangeFilm Company
EnterpriseThe pair were convicted at Nottingham Crown Court[/caption]
The horrific abuse, between 2005 and 2008, began when the girl was 13.
The court heard that martial arts ‘master’ Marke plied the teenager with rum before making her perform a sex act.
He and Phythian would abuse the girl ‘once or twice a month’ at their home over a three-year period from 2005.
The British actress was found guilty of 14 charges of sexual activity with a child and jailed for eight years.
She is serving her time in Foston Hall Prison in Derbyshire, where former inmates include Maxine Carr and Karen Matthews, who faked the kidnap of her daughter Shannon.
Marke was found guilty of an additional four counts of indecent assault against another girl from 2002 to 2003, when she was 15, and jailed for 14 years.
Murdered own mum
Mollie Fitzgerald appeared as Stark Girl in the 2011 Marvel movie
MegaShe was arrested after her mum was stabbed to death[/caption]
Mollie Fitzgerald had a small role as Stark Girl in the 2011 smash Captain America: The First Avenger. She later hit the headlines for allegedly murdering her own mum in 2019.
Patricia “Tee” Fitzgerald, 68, was found dead with four stab wounds in her back on December 20, 2019, in their Kansas home.
The actress was arrested 11 days later and charged with second-degree murder.
She confessed to hitting her mother with a vacuum attachment, biting her and stabbing her but claimed she acted in self-defence, after her mum lunged at her with the knife.
However the autopsy report contradicted her account, saying Patricia suffered “defensive injuries” including bruising around her neck that suggested strangling, and there was no evidence she had held the weapon.
A close friend said the actress had spiralled into mental illness and become increasingly paranoid, making bizarre and untrue allegations about her parents before the murder.
She was declared unfit to stand trial in January 2022 and is now in a secure psychiatric hospital.
Domestic abuse
AlamyTerrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2008 hit Iron Man[/caption]
GettyMichelle Ghent accused her ex of abuse[/caption]
Iron Man actor Terrence Howard has a string of assault claims against him stretching back to 2001, when he launched a violent attack on his estranged first wife Lori McCommas.
According to police reports he arrived at her house after a row on the phone, broke down doors and chased her into the backyard before punching her twice in the face.
The attack only ended when Howard’s brother stepped in. He pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace.
The couple, who share three children, divorced in 2001, but remarried four years later. They split again in 2007.
Howard later admitted assaulting Lori, telling Rolling Stone magazine: “She was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids.”
Howard married Michelle Ghent in 2010, but they split a year later and she was granted a restraining order after telling a judge he had physically attacked her, broke her computer in half, repeatedly threatened her and stalked her.
In August 2013 she was granted a second restraining order after showing up in court with a black eye she claimed he had given her.
Drug-driving arrest
Nick Nolte and Eric Bana in HulkAlamy
AP:Associated PressThe actor’s mugshot is among Hollywood’s most famous[/caption]
Nick Nolte’s arrest in 2002 led to one of the most famous mugshots of all time – with the Hollywood legend posing with dishevelled hair and a floral Hawaiian shirt.
The actor, who starred as David Banner in Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk movie, was nicked for driving under the influence of GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy.
In his 2018 memoir, Rebel, he admitted: “I took GHB prior to going to the gym for a long workout. A strong dose made me feel great.”
The star, who has a long history of drug abuse, was driving to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when the drug kicked in and said he he turned around, despite being on a dual carriageway.
“I was a mess and driving on the Pacific Coast Highway,” he wrote. “I’m told six drivers called 911 to report a big sedan weaving on the wrong side of the road.”
He pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was given a three year probation and ordered to go to rehab.
Tax fraud
AP:Associated PressWesley Snipes starred as Blade in the 1998 movie[/caption]
United States Marshall ServiceHe was jailed for fraud[/caption]
While Wesley Snipes’ Blade vanquished enemies with superhuman strength and stamina, the actor’s own nemesis turned out to be the tax office.
Ten years after he starred in the 1998 Marvel classic Blade, Forbes dubbed Snipes “the highest-profile criminal tax target in years” after he was sentenced to three years behind bars for owing £2.25million in back taxes.
He was charged with three misdemeanour counts of failing to file tax returns at the peak of his Hollywood powers, in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
He was acquitted of five other charges, including felony tax fraud and conspiracy charges.
Released from prison in 2013 and placed under house arrest to complete the last four months of his sentence, he was dealt a further blow when the tax office discovered he had failed to pay taxes between 2001 and 2006 and owed £18.5m.
Drunken arrest
GettyBarry Keoghan attends the The Eternals premiere in 2021[/caption]
Barry Keoghan, who appeared as Drug in the 2021 Marvel movie The Eternals – was reportedly arrested in April 2022 after a drunken night in Dublin.
Local police – or Garda – were called to an apartment in the Irish city after reports by residents that the 31-year-old actor was intoxicated and causing a scene on a balcony, according to Irish outlet Independent.ie.
The Dublin native was reportedly taken to Coolock garda station and given a caution before he was released from custody with no charge.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
