How Wonder Man Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Feels About Marvel Canceling The Series
by Jeremy Mathai · /FilmIt's tough to imagine a more awkward turn of events than this. At a time when Marvel seems to have hit pause on shotgunning as many Disney+ shows at viewers as possible, "Wonder Man" popped out of nowhere earlier this year to become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest pleasant surprises. The grounded, low-stakes, and relatively standalone series has since proven a hit with critics, a fiercely loyal fanbase invested in the Los Angeles-based misadventures of Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his fellow thespian Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley), and even Emmy voters. Yet, none of that was enough to save the show from an abrupt cancellation after previously being given the green light for a second season.
In other words, a series all about how tough it is to make it in the entertainment business ended up proving that exact point, and now its star is finally speaking out about how it all went down. As disappointed as we may have been by "Wonder Man" biting the dust, nothing compares to the roller coaster ride that Abdul-Mateen II has been on. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor opened up about the experience and revealed he was informed why the heartbreaking decision was made ... though only in the vaguest of terms:
"I was told that it had something to do with the viewership numbers. I wasn't told what those numbers were, but ultimately, for whatever reason it was, I think they decided that it didn't make sense for business, and that's the decision that we live with and we keep on marching forward."
That's showbiz for you, folks. But fans were quick to pose a tricky question: Does this cancellation speak to an even more concerning trend? Abdul-Mateen II certainly thinks so.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II thinks 'the optics are obvious' between Disney/Marvel cancelling projects like Wonder Man and Blade
Despite what those in charge may say, not all business decisions are made equally. It's one thing to reportedly cancel "Wonder Man" as part of a broader strategy shift away from Disney+ streaming shows. But it's quite another to act as if these decisions are made in a vacuum, regardless of how it appears from the outside looking in. "Wonder Man" co-creator and showrunner (or "head writer," as Marvel likes to call them) Andrew Guest said as much in his initial response to the news, implying that there needs to be a conversation about "the kind of stories that we're prioritizing" — a choice that tends to disproportionately affect women, people of color, and other marginalized communities.
And that's essentially what Yahya Abdul-Mateen II posits in his passionate response to Vanity Fair. Between "Wonder Man" and the recent news about Mahershala Ali's "Blade" reboot falling apart, it's fair to wonder about Disney and Marvel's priorities. According to Abdul-Mateen II:
"I think the optics are obvious. If I'm a big business, if I'm Disney, if I'm Marvel, I don't want to be attached to these optics. So, it should be a priority to change that narrative and to do what it takes to responsibly change that narrative with quality stories, with quality resources. I felt that our show did have quality story, did have quality resources, did have quality actors and people, and did produce quality results that the viewers responded to positively, that the voters responded to positively."
The actor concluded, "So, ['Wonder Man'] does deserve some study and some real, hard information about why a show like this did not continue forward." For now, we're left to wonder why, too.