‘Wonder Man’ was canceled after one season. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II says Marvel should examine why
The Emmy-nominated actor says “the optics are obvious” amid setbacks for several projects centered on Black Marvel characters.
Earlier this year, Marvel and Disney premiered “Wonder Man” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. And days after the series earned a primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series, the network announced plans to cancel the show. News that shocked audiences and Abdul Mateen alike.
“I understand that that’s the nature of this business —there’s highs and lows,” he told Vanity Fair. “It’s a lesson in life. It’s so close to what real life is. You have just this guy, Simon, who finally had his dreams come true, but we saw him overcome after all of his attempts of getting close and then not closing the deal. Many people have that experience in real life. The cancellation of the show was just another one of those examples.”
However, he does acknowledge a pattern in the kinds of stories networks like Marvel and Disney prioritize. Shortly before news broke of the cancellation of “Wonder Man,” Mahershala Ali announced he would no longer move forward with the highly anticipated “Blade” film after years of delays since its 2019 announcement.
“I think the optics are obvious,” he continued. “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. So our show does deserve some study and some real, hard information about why a show like this did not continue forward, because it had all of the ingredients that one would want in a show.”
Though Marvel reportedly told the actor that the show’s cancellation was linked to “viewership numbers,” the back-to-back cancellations point to a large pattern within the Marvel universe as it pertains to Black-led projects.
In addition to “Wonder Man” and “Blade,” there are a number of shows that have either been sidelined, canceled, or abandoned despite fan excitement, production announcements, etc.
Armor Wars
“Armor Wars,” a project that was supposed to center Don Cheadle’s character War Machine, has reportedly been stalled. Initially announced as an upcoming Disney+ series in 2020, the project was later reconceived as a feature film in 2022, and since then, fans have been left wondering what the future of the project, which was first announced in 2011, looks like.
The Okoye Spin-off
In 2021, a series built around Danai Gurira’s character Okoye, the Dora Milaje general who first appeared in “Black Panther,” was reportedly in development.
“I think fans of Okoye are going to be excited to see her come back, but I don’t think it’s going to be in a television show. I can’t say where and when, but I think there’s a lot to look forward to,” Marvel head Brad Winderbaum shared in 2025.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
The animated series “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” featuring a 13-year-old inventor named Lunella Lafayette, was canceled after 2 seasons.