Marvel TV Chief Fought For “Wonder Man”

Marvel Studios made a surprise decision regarding its “Wonder Man” TV series, initially renewing the show for a second season before reversing course and opting to cancel the series four months later.

The news caught many off guard – the show scored strong reviews, an Emmy nomination, and the axe fell on the eve of co-creator Destin Daniel Cretton’s success with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”.

Speculation was high that it was either due to low viewership or some decision among the higher ups at Marvel. Turns out it wasn’t the latter according to Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum who, appearing on the Main Character podcast, says he fought hard to keep the show alive:

“I fought for it. I fought for it. I don’t know what to say. It’s complicated. Sometimes you feel like you’re invincible and you can make whatever you want. Sometimes you don’t have leverage. It’s subject to market forces that I barely understand.

Creatively, it’s one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with. I love that cast. I love Destin. I love Andrew [Guest, showrunner]. I fought for the show. We all did. Everyone at Marvel wanted to see it happen. Maybe I’m an idiot, but I still have hope that by some miracle there’s a way to do something down the road.”

Winderbaum then highlighted how while “Daredevil: Born Again” was an example of a series revived partly through fan enthusiasm, the landscape has changed dramatically in recent years:

“Look at Daredevil. I mean, look at Charlie [Cox] and that. Their fans literally saved Daredevil at some point. I felt like I was part of #SaveDaredevil. It’s a huge movement. You know, it’s interesting. The internet, it’s not what it used to be when even a few years ago you could stage a campaign and get something made like that. Like, #SaveDaredevil is great, but we also need #WatchDaredevil.

The biggest leverage I have, and I say this all the time, is the actual viewership numbers. That’s what people are looking for. That’s where I get my power to be able to make something or not. And I just want people to watch the show. I think it’s great. I love that show, and I really want as many people to enjoy it as possible.”

This aligns with Abdul-Mateen II’s reveal in August that lack of viewership was the reason for the cancellation but didn’t share the actual numbers. Winderbaum says he hopes one day that the actor can return to the role: “I have hope. You know, everybody loves him. They love the character. We love Trevor. We love that team.”