“Wonder Man” star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is speaking out about the surprise cancellation of the Marvel TV series, after it had been renewed for a second season on Disney+.
“Word just dropped that Wonder Man won’t be coming back for Season 2. (And if you don’t knowww, now ya knoww!” Abdul-Mateen wrote on Instagram, referencing Variety’s exclusive reporting, published earlier Thursday. “That’s life, right? Everything will shake out.”
Abdul-Mateen II starred in the comedy series as Simon Williams, an aspiring actor hiding his superpowers, opposite Ben Kingsley, who reprised his role as Trevor Slattery after previous MCU outings. “Wonder Man” was created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, with Cretton also directing the first two episodes. Guest served as showrunner. The Season 1 cast also included X Mayo, Demetrius Grosse, Zlatko Burić, Arian Moayed, Josh Gad and Olivia Thirlby.
“Wonder Man,” which began streaming in January, was received well by critics (a 91% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes). In her review for Variety, Alison Herman wrote, “Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley make their characters equally ridiculous and romantic, urged on by a motivation more intimate and individual than saving the world.” Then, in March, Disney announced the show had been renewed for Season 2; however, sources say a writers’ room was never opened. Earlier this month, Abdul-Mateen — already an Emmy-winning actor for “Watchmen” — earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.
Despite the change in fortunes, Abdul-Mateen put a positive spin on the news, thanking the audience who “watched, enjoyed and shared that they enjoyed the show” in some form or fashion. “The show worked. And that’s my favorite thing about it,” he wrote. “I could see it on the faces of the Youtube Reactors (because I watched along with y’all this time. Shoutout to y’all) and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day. So, thinking of you all today.”
Concluding his note, Abdul-Mateen wrote: “I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the Emmys.”
And there is hope that Marvel fans haven’t seen the last of Simon Williams or Trevor Slattery. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, while “Wonder Man” is not proceeding with Season 2, the characters featured in the series could still appear in other Marvel projects in the future.