Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is the Choice for Marvel's Disney+ Series, 'Wonder Man'

 

by Darian Scalamoni

    Marvel is moving in the direction of forming multiple superhero factions across the MCU. Currently, the MCU is without a fully-fledged Avengers team but we're also seeing the formation of the Thunderbolts soon and it seems they may be setting the stage for the Young Avengers and West Coast Avengers as well. With Avengers: Secret Wars looming, it seems the heroes may need all the help they can get. It's possible that this is happening due to the larger multiversal threat ensuing with Jonathan Majors' villainous Kang the Conqueror. Another actor that has experience playing a villain for the DCU, is now headed to the hero side with his casting in an upcoming Disney+ series. 

    According to an earlier report from ScreenGeek, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been cast as Wonder Man in the upcoming series of the same name. Abdul-Mateen isn't the first to join the show, even though he is the titular character, as Sir Ben Kingsley was first cast last month reprising his role as Trevor Slattery. Slattery was last seen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Abdul-Mateen will star as Simon Williams, the son of a wealthy industrialist whose company is run out of business due to Stark Industries. Williams then turns to Baron Zemo, who gives him superpowers and instills in him to infiltrate and then turn on the Avengers. Williams doesn't listen to Zemo, however, and forms his own team, The West Coast Avengers within the comics. Little is known about the plot of this version of Wonder Man, though many can speculate that Simon Williams' experiences as a stuntman and actor within the comics should come into play, especially with Slattery's presence in the series that is due to take place in Los Angeles.

    This is far from the first comic book role for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as he has appeared in Aquaman, portraying the famous villain, Black Manta. He is set to return as the character in the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Abdul-Mateen also played Dr. Manhattan in the HBO limited series, Watchmen, inspired by the famous graphic novel written by Alan Moore. The actor just received some of the best reviews of his career for his starring role in the Broadway revival of Pulitzer-Prize winning play, Topdog/Underdog from Suzan Lori Parks.

    Wonder Man is being developed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is set to direct the next Avengers film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Cretton will serve as executive producer on the Disney+ series and may even direct a few episodes. The series will also be written by Andrew Guest.

    What do you guys think of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II being cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Simon Williams/Wonder Man? Do you think he'll lead The West Coast Avengers alongside other heroes such as War Machine and Hawkeye? Let me know what you think in the comments below!