Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is taking over Hollywood in the best way and I love it. Currently starring on Broadway in Topdog/Underdog, Abdul-Mateen is no stranger to the comic book genre. He crashed into our homes as Dr. Manhattan in the HBO series Watchmen and went on to star in Aquaman and the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Now, Abdul-Mateen is adding another complex character to his roster and he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Wonder Man in the upcoming Disney+ series. According to Deadline, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton and Hawkeye co-producer Andrew Guest are both involved in the project, but Abdul-Mateen’s casting is the first big news we’ve gotten since its announcement.
But now, for me, as someone who loves Wanda Maximoff most of all, I’m about to live my best of lives. Because Wonder Man and Wanda Maximoff have a past together, and god, please, just let me see Elizabeth Olsen and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II onscreen together.
We don’t know much about the series, and this casting is the first info we’ve gotten, so how Abdul-Mateen will play into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe is still up in the air, but this is amazing news!
Who is Wonder Man?
Simon Williams is a complex character who was a villain-turned-hero who went from an enemy of the Avengers to their ally. So when you think of characters with complicated connections to the team, it makes sense that he has a thing with Wanda. Williams, though, is a “competitor” for Stark Industries in the comics, so seeing how that’d play into a post-Tony MCU is going to be fun.
As we explain in our breakdown of the character, Wonder Man gets his powers after Baron Zemo and Amora the Enchantress rescue him, and Williams is convinced to undergo “ionic ray” treatment. Frankly, the inclusion of Wonder Man is exciting, and having Yahya Adbul-Mateen II in the MCU is my own dream come true (I love his work so much), but I’m fascinated by the idea of where this show will play into the timeline and where Simon is in his “heroic” journey.
Until we know more, though, it’s time to read all the Wanda/Wonder Man context I can get my hands on!
(featured image: Marvel Entertainment/Universal Pictures)
