Wonder Man was announced as joining the Marvel television universe, and news about the series began to trickle in as the show took shape. It’s time to break down the plot, the cast, and everything else we know about Wonder Man.

Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, Wonder Man was introduced to Marvel Comics in 1964 via The Avengers #9. The character known as Simon Williams is the son of the industrialist Sanford Williams. He assumes control of his munitions outfit following his passing, seeing its successes limited when it comes to competition with Tony Stark’s Stark Industries. The younger Williams gains ion-based superpowers, including super strength, while working under the villainous Baron Zemo and establishing himself as an antagonist to The Avengers. However, he later decides to become part of that superhero team.

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The comics link him to Vision by revealing that the synthetic hero was created based on Simon Williams’ “brainwaves” and even became romantically involved with Scarlet Witch after Vision’s death.

Wonder Man: The Plot

     Marvel Comics

Wonder Man had previously appeared in the MCU as an Easter egg from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as James Gunn placed some posters in the background in which Nathan Fillion played the actor Simon Williams.

And, although there is no synopsis for the Wonder Man series, its plot is expected to, at least, keep Simon Williams’ story as an actor. It will also feature, following the character’s return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the return of Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery. On the other hand, according to Variety, the character who posed as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 will have a relevant role in the plot, and his appearance in the series would reinforce reports that Wonder Man would be a Hollywood satire.

It remains to be seen if the series will adapt the character’s original line as a Californian hero/actor or will focus on his relationship with Scarlet Witch and Vision, expanding the small universe of both characters that is gradually growing within the UCM with Wanda’s appearance in Doctor Strange 2 and the announced Agatha Harkness spin-off on Disney+.

So even though there’s no official synopsis yet, Wonder Man has plenty of possibilities to explore. It only remains to find out what Disney+ decides to dive into first.

Wonder Man: The Cast & Crew

     Universal Pictures/ Marvel Comics

According to Deadline, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has recently been cast in the lead role of the Disney+ series Wonder Man. The fans can be happy because Abdul-Mateen is known in the superhero sphere for his work on HBO’s Watchmen, having won his first Emmy in 2020 for his work in the show.

The actor first tied himself to DC with 2018’s Aquaman and will reprise his role as Black Manta in the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is slated for release on December 25, 2023. Abdul-Mateen also has appeared in films including Ambulance, The Matrix Resurrections, Candyman sequel, Oscar-nominated drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, Jordan Peele’s Us, and The Greatest Showman. Additional TV credits include Black Mirror, and The Get Down.

Apart from Ambulance and the other last projects of the actor, his upcoming projects for Abdul-Mateen are FX’s limited series Scent of Burnt Flowers based on Blitz Bazawule’s novel, the Dwayne Johnson action thriller Emergency Contact, which he’ll star in and executive produce. Abdul-Mateen will also produce the Prime Video film I Helped Destroy People, based on Janet Reitman’s 2021 New York Times article, alongside Michael B. Jordan.

Although no other stars have been announced to join the cast, there is news about the team responsible for Wonder Man behind the scenes. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has teamed up with Andrew Guest, a writer-producer on comedies such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community – both the show and the newly announced movie – to tackle a live-action series featuring the longtime Marvel character.

Guest will serve as head writer of the series, while Cretton will executive produce and possibly direct an episode or more. The two will also act as co-creators for the series.

Release Date

Wonder Man will join the catalog of the Marvel Disney+ series and is in the very early stages of development. Filming is scheduled to begin in 2023. Because of this, there is no set release date yet for the show.

However, if there are no unexpected delays in filming, it will start early next year, and it’s a good bet to say that it will end in the middle of 2023. That means that the most optimistic release date for Wonder Man is the first quarter of 2024. Time will tell if these calculations are correct or if fans will enjoy the show sooner than it seems.