Marvel

Jonathan Majors is pretty clearly in a new relationship because he and Meagan Good were jetting off together ... looking affectionate.

Jonathan and Meagan were at LAX Saturday, arriving in the City of Angels after leaving NYC. They were holding hands and leaning in close as they walked to a white sedan on the tarmac.

The romance comes in the swirl of controversy surrounding Majors, who is accused of physical abuse by his ex ... something he strongly denies.

Majors was arrested on assault and aggravated harassment charges. His lawyers have called the arrest a "witch hunt" ... pointing to a video they released showing the alleged victim partying in a club and seemingly unbothered ... just after the alleged incident.

Issa Rae is over the moon she's making her big Marvel debut in the world of animation ... because she tells us she's been a big comic book head since she was a lil' kid!

We got Issa Thursday at LAX, and we talked about her getting her spidey senses flowing for the upcoming flick "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" -- something she's stoked about for a couple of reasons.

For those unaware, Issa's playing Jessica Drew -- another variant of Spider-Woman ... and even though a majority of the film's plot is kept under wraps, one thing about her character is certain -- she's fighting crime with a bun in the oven!

Issa's all about representation, but she has a word of warning for any pregnant ladies out there ... don't be fightin'! Regardless, she's all for the bigger message -- that women's lives don't need to be put on hold just because they're having a baby.

As Jonathan Majors continues to fight his DV case, it appears the internet has already settled on a possible replacement in the MCU ... another bad guy in a new superhero movie.

We're talking about Chukwudi Iwuji -- who made a splash this weekend in the third 'Guardians of the Galaxy' flick as the big bad, the High Evolutionary ... and who left audiences and comic book fans more than impressed with his epic performance.

While HE meets his grisly demise in the end (spoiler) ... a lot of folks on the bird app are nominating Iwuji as the next would-be Kang the Conqueror if things go south for JM.

There's chatter about how Iwuji's take on his supervillain is how Kang should've been portrayed in the 'Ant-Man' film that recently featured him ... namely, over the top and downright ruthless -- which is certainly how Iwuji's High Evolutionary comes across.

As the comparisons continue to fly ... a good handful of Twitter users are also straight-up saying Iwuji should be considered to step in as Kang if Disney decides to ultimately drop Majors -- which they have not done yet, and which may be premature at this point.

This "what if" speculation seems to be a mix of praise for Iwuji and jumping the gun on Majors' MCU future. Frankly, ever since he was arrested -- a lot of names have been floated as possible stand-ins ... but now, it would seem Iwuji's at the front of the line in fans' eyes.

Again ... there's been no indication from Disney that they're considering cutting Majors loose just yet -- despite the fact that he's been dropped from other projects and organizations.

As we've reported ... his team has repeatedly denied he did anything wrong from the beginning and has even suggested he was the victim here -- while also claiming to have evidence that they say will exonerate him. We've seen surveillance footage of the woman in question out partying after the alleged incident ... and she appears to be fine/uninjured.

Of course, he'll have his day in court soon enough. The guy's scheduled to appear before a judge on Tuesday -- where his team will undoubtedly push for the charges to be dropped.

Like everyone else, we're sure Disney will be monitoring ... as Majors is a key figure in their Marvel plans, with scheduled appearances in several more films and TV shows as Kang.

Mario just joined an exclusive club that started forming in 2020, when the pandemic started -- one that includes 10 figures at the box office ... which is a rare feat in this day and age.

Indeed ... the "Super Mario Bros. Movie" crossed a major milestone over the weekend -- having now racked up over a billion dollars in ticket sales globally ... this after only 3 weeks and change since its release date earlier this month.

The official numbers, as of Sunday, are $490 million in North America ... and $532 million internationally. So, all in all -- Mario and co. are at about $1.02 billion. In terms of the other four flicks that have reached this coveted threshold in pandemic times ... it's at the bottom.

There are only 5 films that have hit the billion-dollar mark since the spring of 2020 -- including 'Mario Bros.,' "Jurassic World: Dominion," "Top Gun: Maverick," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and "Avatar: The Way of Water" ... which is at the top, at about $2.3B

'Mario' is far and away the most successful movie of the year at this point ... and it serves as yet another piece of evidence about the recipe to big-time success post-pandemic.

Mila Kunis may just be tapped to play The Thing in the new "Fantastic 4" movie -- that is ... if you buy a rumor that's running rampant on Twitter this morning.

A movie insider named @MyTimeToShineH -- who's credited with getting scoops before trade publications, and generally being in the know on superhero news -- sent the bird app into a frenzy Friday when they claimed Mila was in talks to portray a female version of Ben Grimm.

Grimm is the name of the dude in the comics who becomes The Thing ... a giant orange rock figure who fights crime alongside Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman and the Human Torch.

MTTSH writes, "They are looking at Jewish actors, both male AND female for The Thing in Fantastic Four. Mila Kunis is one of them." They added that the director of the upcoming 2025 flick, Matt Shakman, insisted Grimm be portrayed be a real-life Jewish actor ... as the character is explicitly depicted as Jewish in the comic books, albeit in later iterations.

Now, in case it went over your head -- The Thing is a male character ... and has always been portrayed as such. Whether it was Chuck McCann in the '90s cartoon, Michael Chiklis from the 2000s flick, or Jamie Bell from the 2010s version -- The Thing's known as a guy.

Now, however, based on this report -- or gossip, more like -- it sounds like Marvel's possibly looking to switch things up with a little gender swap ... or at the very least, considering it.

As you might imagine ... Twitter users, by and large, aren't reacting well to the news. The jokes are flying -- and the consensus seems to be, if Kevin Feige and co. go down this road, much of the fanbase will turn their backs on the studio ... as they view this as a step too far.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a woman replaced a role usually played by a man -- it notably happened in "Ghostbusters" ... and more recently, in 'Black Panther 2' and "She-Hulk." among other examples. Point is ... it's been done before, and sometimes with success.

As for Mila potentially being eyed for the job ... she wouldn't be half bad. Big star with name recognition and a good range of films under her belt, including action movies and comedies.

There appears to be a reason why Jonathan Majors is being cut from projects as his team jumps ship ... he reportedly has more alleged abuse victims waiting in the wings.

The alleged victims are coming forward and cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to Variety.

Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry tells TMZ ... "Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated."

As we reported, Majors was arrested last month in New York City for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his girlfriend in the back of a taxi cab.

Variety reports the alleged incident is just the tip of the iceberg ... which explains why honchos in the entertainment industry are distancing themselves from the "Creed III" star.

Remember ... in the wake of his arrest, Majors was dropped by his management team, and a major PR firm pulled the plug on working with him. He's also been uninvited from the upcoming Met Gala.

Majors' attorney claims the alleged victim from the NYC arrest texted the actor after he got busted to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."

As you know, Majors has been working nonstop in Hollywood lately ... he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU after starring in the recent 'Ant-Man' movie.

But, with other alleged victims reportedly waiting in the wings ... it appears the hits could keep coming for Majors.

Jonathan Majors reportedly had the door closed behind him by his management team ... getting dropped after last month's arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman.

According to Deadline, Majors' talent management company Entertainment 360 gave him the boot -- and the PR firm The Lede Company also pulled the plug on working with the actor.

Italian luxury fashion house Valentino has also uninvited Majors as its guest at this year's Met Gala ... according to the report.

All this rejection's coming after the "Creed 3" star was arrested last month in NYC for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his GF in a taxi.

Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry told us the alleged victim texted the actor after he got arrested to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."

And as you know, Majors has been working in Hollywood nonstop recently ... and he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU. Deadline reports there have been no talks within Marvel to strip him of the role at this time.

Jeremy Renner continues to make a miraculous recovery from his near-death snowplow accident -- he strolled into Jimmy Kimmel's studio, fully on his own power.

The 'Avengers' star was using only a cane Monday in Hollywood, as he headed into the studio to shoot his appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

It's pretty incredible to see Jeremy using his legs like this ... remember he's only a little over 3 months removed from being completely crushed by a snowplow on New Year's Day at his Nevada home.

Jeremy's injuries included more than 30 broken bones, plus a collapsed lung and punctured lung ... just to name a few.

When he took his family to Six Flags on Good Friday, he needed a motorized scooter to get around the amusement park ... and we've previously seen him using an anti-gravity treadmill to strengthen his legs and get those muscles working again.

Jeremy's continuing his media blitz now that he's recovering at his L.A. home.

Before going on Kimmel, he described the enormity of his injuries and pain during a special interview with Diane Sawyer, which included a bone-chilling animation showing how he was hurt.

Jeremy Renner's incredible recovery has him in high spirits, but just after his horrific snowplow accident, he worried he would live his life as a shell of a human being.

Jeremy tells his emotional story of coming back from the edge of life to a point where he is mobile again ... with the help of a walker.

He worried in the days following the accident he would live the rest of his life as a brain and a spine, but not much else.

The "Avengers" star teared up as he spoke with Diane Sawyer about the pain he suffered and how he felt so sorry that his family was suffering as well. Jeremy was on the verge of tears as he told Diane he told his family he was sorry in sign language.

He looks amazing ... it defies what he went through. Jeremy is looking forward and says he refuses to be haunted by the accident that almost took his life.

He still has a ways to go, but all signs point to a return to normal life, which has gotta include acting.

Jeremy Renner says he was writing his final words to his loved ones after getting crushed by a snowplow earlier this year -- again confirming the guy thought he was going to die.

Jeremy got super emotional, telling Diane Sawyer dying alone would have been a horrendous way to leave this earth, and was incredibly thankful to his nephew for being there ... ironically, it was his nephew who Jeremy was trying to save that terrible day.

Then, he gets choked up ... saying that he was actually writing notes on his phone, which he intended to be his last sentiments to his family. Jeremy clearly believed he was at death's doorstep ... in fact, he was.

Fortunately, he survived ... getting airlifted to a hospital and undergoing extensive surgery. As you know, Jeremy suffered terrible injuries -- broken bones, ruptured organs ... the works.

ABC released an earlier clip, where Jeremy said he'd do it all over again, to save his beloved nephew..

His recovery has been miraculous ... and he almost looks like he's back to 100% -- a testament to his will and tenacity following a near-life-ending experience. Fact is, he still has a ways to go.

Bianca Belair could be the next John Cena, Rock or Dave Bautista -- at least, that's what wrestling legend X-Pac thinks ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he sees the current WWE RAW Women's champ moving from the squared circle to the silver screen!!

We spoke with the 50-year-old great out at LAX this week ... and asked the two-time Hall of Fame inductee who he believes could transition into Hollywood post-wrestling career.

After going through of list of WWE stars in his head, Pac finally figured it out ... it's Bianca.

"She's great at everything," Pac told us. "She's a good talker ... she makes her own outfits, bro."

"She's great in the ring. I'm a huge fan. That's who I'm picking."

Of course, Pac (real name Sean Waltman) doesn't see the 33-year-old starting an acting career any time soon -- Belair just made her wrestling debut in 2016 and recently became the longest-reigning Black singles champion in WWE history.

"She's still on her run," Pac added. "When she's done with her run, I think that's available for her. If she wants to."

A WWE star turned actor/actress isn't far-fetched obviously ... The Rock -- who wrestled from 1996 to 2019 -- is one of the highest-paid actors in the nation and his films have grossed over $10.5 billion worldwide.

Cena -- who still wrestles in the WWE -- has been featured in several movies and TV shows, including "Peacemaker." He also won the Action Star of the Year award at CinemaCon.

As for Dave Bautista, he solidified his spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his part in "Guardians of the Galaxy" ... and has since taken on some wide-ranging roles.

It's been a while since we've seen or heard from Tom Holland and Zendaya -- and in case you're wondering, they are still together ... although they seem to be a little PDA shy lately.

The two actors were on hand Friday evening in India, where they both attended the NMACC Gala in Mumbai ... looking completely done up and dressed to the nines as they were heading in -- especially Z, who was wearing a gorgeous traditional Indian saree.

Her dress was flowing -- and part of it even trailed her ... much like she did with TH, who didn't stand side by side with his girl. Instead, he let her have the spotlight for herself as he went first in his own pap crush moment. In other words, they didn't pose together outside.

Once they were indoors, however, Tom sidled up to Zendaya ... as well as some other famous stars who were there too -- like Gigi Hadid, Penelope Cruz, Law Roach, etc.

No outward signs of lovey-dovey-ness from them in this instance either. They looked pretty casual ... just chitchatting and shooting the breeze. And when they did a group shot with all their famous pals in attendance, Tom and Zendaya didn't even stand next to each other.

Their seemingly conspicuous spacing and blocking in public were also noticeable when they touched down in Mumbai earlier that same day -- where they appeared to get in the same car, but avoided being photographed in the same shot ... almost like it was planned.

So, what can we make of this apparent no-affection zone in India? Hard to say -- Tom and Zendaya have cozied up a lot since going public as a couple in 2021 ... even in front of cameras and on the biggest of stages, like world premieres and high-profile outings.

We've seen them hold hands, hug and sweetly hold each other in front of cameras (post-relationship news), and we've certainly seen them share the love in private. Sometimes, though ... they seem to opt for the opposite vibe, like here where they're more low-key.

Behind the scenes, they're still hanging out as much as they've ever been -- which was also on display for their India trip. What we can gather ... they're a fairly private pair and don't seem to like rubbing their relationship in everyone's faces so much, which is respectable.

Jeremy Renner says he'd go through his horrific snowplow accident experience again, if it meant saving his family ... getting emotional while opening up for the first time about the January 1, near-fatal accident.

The "Hawkeye" actor is laying it all out there in a trailer for his April 6 interview with Diane Sawyer ... saying without a doubt his frightening ordeal is something he'd tackle again, explaining how the plow was coming straight for his nephew -- who also tells his story.

Jeremy's nephew says he believed his uncle was dead when he first saw him, lying in a pool of blood coming from his head. Diane goes on to list the shocking number of injuries J.R. suffered, with the actor saying he had no clue how he'd look coming out of all this.

He also starts to shed a few tears, recalling the time he told his family he was sorry in sign language.

BTW, Jeremy's in incredible shape just a few months after the freak accident -- the teaser also highlights his strong determination to get back on his feet as fast as possible.

As we reported, Jeremy was attempting to stop the Snowcat from hitting his nephew, but the emergency brake wasn't engaged according to the redacted police report ... resulting in the vehicle sliding and running him over.

Chadwick Boseman got a lot of love at the Oscars ... something his family was well aware of and super appreciative to hear during the big night.

Allen Boseman, Chadwick's cousin and the attorney for the Boseman family tells TMZ ... "It's been incredible how Chadwick has been received by the entire Hollywood family and how his legacy continues to live on."

He goes on to say ... "Even though he's physically gone his spirit remains in the hearts and minds of his peers and fellow actors and actresses on Hollywood's biggest stage. While he was a figurative king in the movie, he appears to be a real king to many others, including those in our family."

ICYMI, Danai Gurira, who starred alongside CB in "Black Panther", paid homage to Chadwick before Rihanna performed "Lift Me Up".

Ruth E Carter, who took home Best Costume Design for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" also made a moving tribute to Chadwick and her late mother during her acceptance speech ... saying "Chadwick, please take care of mom."

You'll recall Chadwick played King T'Challa in "Black Panther". He died in 2020 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer.

Paul Rudd's still king of the (ant) hill in movies -- beating out a coked-out CGI bear ... but the weekend win isn't quite what it seems, considering a huge drop-off his flick endured.

We're talking about "Ant-Man: Quantumania" -- which came out last week with windfall box office numbers ($106 million) and which once again secured the top spot these past 3 days with another $32.2 million in domestic ticket sales against newcomer, "Cocaine Bear."

The goofy horror-comedy, directed by Elizabeth Banks, came in 2nd behind PR and co. ... raking in $23.1 mil domestically and $28.4 mil globally -- which is pretty good considering it only cost about $35M to make it. So, it's sure to make its money back and then some.

Not exactly the hit that "M3GAN" was for Universal -- but the studio's killing it lately with original ideas and relatively low investment. 'Ant-Man,' however, took a historical plunge.

Going from $106M to $32M in just one weekend is actually the biggest dip a Marvel movie has fallen into ... like, ever. As Variety noted, that's about 69%, more or less ... beating out the previous lowest record-holder in "Black Widow," which came in at a 67% drop-off in '21.

Actor Ray Buffer is officially going up against prosecutors for his comic book theft debacle ... which includes surveillance video of him allegedly swiping merch.

A rep for the San Diego City Attorney tells TMZ ... Ray's been charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft over the October 2022 incident. We're told the actor pled not guilty at his arraignment in January, and a further court hearing is scheduled next week.

As we reported, Southern California Comics claims Ray took $600 worth of comic books, and handed cops security cam footage of the whole caper.

Another comic shop -- this one in L.A. County -- said it had similar footage from their store of Ray attempting to swipe comics. That owner was seen on camera booting him out of the store over it.

The owner of Southern California Comics tells TMZ … he was told by the City Attorney's office that Ray's lawyer is attempting to cut a deal to handle the matter by paying restitution to the shop and entering a diversion program -- but the shop owner doesn't think such a slap on the wrist is enough.

Ray has more than 100 acting credits to his name, appearing in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and most recently "Into the Wild Frontier".

We reached out to Ray for comment ... so far no word back.