Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been officially announced as the lead for Wonder Man, the latest Marvel superhero series to land on Disney+. Abdul-Mateen, who has won an Emmy Award as Dr. Manhattan in HBO’s Watchmen (2019), will star as the titular hero in the new series, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will appear as Simon Williams, who – in the Wonder Man comics – is the son and heir of Williams Industries, a direct competitor of the more powerful Stark Industries. After being run out of business by Stark, Simon turns to known villain Baron Zemo, who gives Simon superpowers with one condition: that Simon infiltrates and then betrays the Avengers. Simon later joins the Avengers for real, according to Deadline, but no word has been released on how much of the comic book plot will be made into the Disney+ series.
Behind the Scenes of ‘Wonder Man’ for Disney+
Destin Daniel Cretton will direct Wonder Man, whose experience with Marvel includes directing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), as well as being slated to lead the future film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and an unnamed Shang-Chi sequel, according to Variety. Cretton will be teaming up with Hawkeye co-producer Andrew Guest, who will reportedly serve as the head writer for Wonder Man. Interestingly, Wonder Man will also mark the return of Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, failed actor-turned-good guy who last appeared in Shang-Chi.
Wonder Man on Disney+ will also mark Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s return to superhero films, having previously appeared as radioactive mad scientist Cal Abar, aka Dr. Manhattan, in HBO’s Watchmen (2019), created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, as well as appearing as David Kane aka Black Manta alongside Jason Mamoa in Aquaman (2018). Abdul-Mateen has confirmed that he will reprise his role as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is scheduled for release in 2025.   Â
Outside of superhero films, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has also appeared in The Matrix Resurrections (2021) and The Greatest Showman (2017), among other works. Future projects for the star reportedly include Scent of Burnt Flowers for FX, Emergency Contact with Dwayne Johnson, and I Helped Destroy People for Amazon Studios.
More information on the Disney+ series Wonder Man starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will likely become available as the film continues production.
