Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Wonder Man earns bad rap after reported similarities with a much-maligned MCU show.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Wonder Man was believed to be canceled at Marvel Studios. However, fans were surprised to see the project among the lineup of Disney+ shows this year. After departing from his DC role in Aquaman, Abdul-Mateen II is all set to make a comeback to a superhero project. However, a concerning update has emerged about the series.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams/Wonder Man in Wonder Man | Credits: Marvel Studios
It was reported that the film will have similar tones to Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, one of the worst shows put out by Marvel. The report is not far from the truth after a leaked teaser introduced the central character as an actor auditioning for the role of the superhero Wonder Man.
Is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Wonder Man about to take the She-Hulk route?
Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Credits: Marvel Studios
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II‘s Wonder Man is poised to be the most meta show of all from Marvel Studios. While earlier reports already suggested a satirical nature to the show, the latest update from @marvel_updat3s is concerning for fans. It was reported that Wonder Man would be similar in tone to the much-maligned Marvel show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
It was also reported that the runtime of the show will be around 35-40 minutes. If the show were to become anything like Tatiana Maslany‘s legal comedy, fans can expect tons of fourth-wall-breaking and self-referential humor. The show has the perfect setting to take this route as the central character Simon Williams is set to appear as an actor, starring in a superhero film.
Fans do not like the odds of the series succeeding after the comparison to She-Hulk. To be honest, Wonder Man is not among the most anticipated Marvel projects of the year and any association with Maslany’s show is bad rap for Abdul-Mateen II’s show. Some have already started making remarks along this line, as the X comments read:
So that means it’s gonna be bad…
— Michigander (@Michigander1426) January 14, 2025
Wonder Man can work on two aspects to avoid ending up as a disaster like She-Hulk. The earlier Marvel show failed to deliver on its promise of a legal comedy. As for the comedy part, the show was full of cliched jokes, probably crowdsourced from the internet. Wonder Man needs to come up with sharp humor to counter this issue.
Secondly, She-Hulk left audiences disappointed as the legal aspect of the show took a backstage except for some workplace interactions. Abdul-Mateen II’s show can do justice to its Hollywood aspect in one major way.
Wonder Man can become an actual Hollywood satire involving the MCU
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams/Wonder Man in Wonder Man | Credits: Marvel Studios
Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is directing and executive producing the series. Andrew Guest is serving as the head writer for the show. Both Cretton and Guest can make the series into a true Hollywood satire, with commentary on things including the industry’s obsession with superhero films.
A rumored leaked plot of the series was shared widely across social media (via @mainmiddleman/X). According to this source, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will play “a twisted version of himself—a meta take like we’ve never seen in the MCU.” It is further shared that the actor would eventually sneak inside the Marvel Studios and stumble upon K.E.V.I.N., the AI from She-Hulk.
The AI will trap the actor inside a role after he learns massive MCU secrets. The actor will then start “messing with the MCU’s reality—manipulating storylines, creating chaotic situations, and even giving himself superpowers to become the hero he’s always dreamed of playing.” It would be interesting to see whether Kevin Feige has actually greenlit this version of the project.
Wonder Man is reportedly arriving on Disney+ in December 2025.
