Marvel’s Meta Disney+ Series Earned Its Star an Emmy Nomination

Actor-turned-superhero Simon Williams is officially getting awards buzz. On Wednesday, it was announced that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of the character in Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man series.

The show, which premiered on Disney+ to critical acclaim in January, earned Abdul-Mateen II a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Other nominees in the category include Steve Carell for HBO Max’s Rooster, Matthew Rhys for Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay, Jason Segel for Apple TV+’s Shrinking, and Martin Short for Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

This isn’t Abdul-Mateen II’s first time being in the Emmys conversation, much less for a project inspired by the world of comic books. He previously won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in HBO’s Watchmen sequel series.

This marks the ninth nomination for Marvel Studios at the Primetime Emmys, after WandaVision was heavily featured in the Limited Series categories for the 2021 ceremony. At the time, director Matt Shakman, several of the series’ writers, and stars Elizabeth Olsen, Kathryn Hahn, and Paul Bettany were all nominated for individual awards, but did not win any. The franchise has earned a total of seven awards at the Creative Arts portion of the Emmys, with WandaVision, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, What If…?, and Moon Knight all taking home awards in various categories.

It will be interesting to see how Wonder Man and Abdul-Mateen II ultimately fares in the category once the Emmys are held on Monday, September 14th. Widow’s Bay was the third-most-nominated show with a total of nineteen nominations, so it stands to reason that Rhys will be a major contender in the category. But regardless, the nomination is still a huge pleasant surprise for Marvel fans.

When Will Wonder Man Season 2 Premiere?

This Emmy nomination comes as Wonder Man was renewed for a second season this past March. Season 1 served as a sort of unconventional buddy comedy between Abdul-Mateen II’s Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, as the two aspiring actors became friends, navigated Simon’s hidden superpowers, and tried to score roles in the splashy Hollywood remake of Wonder Man.

Both Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley are confirmed to be returning for the new episodes, alongside showrunner Andrew Guest and executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton (who also directed multiple episodes of Season 1). It is unclear exactly what shape the plot of Season 2 will take, as Season 1 ended with Simon essentially exposing his superpowers to help break Trevor out of Damage Control’s prison for super-powered individuals. There’s also the lingering question of this December’s Avengers: Doomsday and next December’s Avengers: Secret Wars, and how both films’ impact on the literal framework of the MCU will affect Wonder Man‘s narrative. Although Season 1 of Wonder Man was pretty vague about when it takes place in the MCU’s timeline, the series’ small-scale Hollywood story might take a different shape in the shadow of a multiversal war.

(featured image: Disney+)

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