- One of Stan Lee’s oldest creations
- Villain turned superhero
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays the lead
A deep-cut from the MCU is set to get its own mini series on Disney+ this year. And it goes by the name of Wonder Man.
Wonder Man aka Steve Williams is one of Marvel’s oldest characters created by Stan Lee, first appearing in the Marvel comic Avengers #9 in 1964. He was initially a villain who frequently appeared in the pages of the Avengers comics and other Marvel titles alongside more well-known antagonists.
He played a significant role in the creation of Vision – though somewhat unknowingly. Williams falls into a coma after Baron Zemo provides him with superpowers in exchange for his loyalty to the Masters of Evil. During this time, Ultron copies the brain patterns of the late Williams’ brain to create Vision.
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In the 1970’s Williams would join the good side and become a founding member of the West Coast Avengers, but he was notorious for being more concerned about his appearance than fighting crime. This is what makes Wonder Man interesting.
Williams moves to Hollywood and with the help of fellow Avenger Hercules, he tries to carve out a career as a super-powered movie stuntman.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Wonder Man series so far.
When is Wonder Man released?
Though there’s no specific date yet, we do know that Wonder Man will be hitting Disney+ in December 2025.
It is expected to consist of eight episodes and is being released under the Marvel Spotlight banner. This essentially means the story is a standalone and will not impact the larger MCU narrative.
Who’s in the cast?
Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, known for his roles in Aquaman and Watchmen, is set to play Wonder Man. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen.
Ben Kingsley stars and reprises his role as the failed actor Trevor Slattery in the show. Kingsley first introduced the character in Iron Man 3 (2013), where the out-of-work actor was hired to play the role of the terrorist leader The Mandarin. Slattery reappears again in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), where it’s revealed that the real Mandarin imprisoned him for identity theft.
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The highly respected Ed Harris – who most recently starred in Top Gun: Maverick – plays the role of Simon Williams’s agent, Neal Saroyan, who is also someone with mind control powers.
Demetrius Grosse plays Eric Williams / Grim Reaper, who is Wonder Man’s younger brother, and Lauren Glazier, Josh Gad, Byron Bowers, and Manny McCord have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
What will be the plot in the Wonder Man series?
The series, created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, is expected to delve into Simon’s journey from a struggling actor to a superhero.
In the teaser clip shared by Marvel, budding actor Simon is seen auditioning for a role in a project called Wonder Man. This can be a bit confusing to comprehend, but will be very interesting to see how the transition is played out on screen.
Essentially, the origin story of an actor with super powers wishing to play a superhero and accidentally becoming one, needs to be told. Still with us?
Simon will likely break into Hollywood and become a star, with the help of Trevor Slattery, but they will undoubtedly face a lot of obstacles along the way.
