"Not a Marketing Stunt": Wonder Man Creators Address Marvel Show's Unexpected Cancellation

(L-R): Simon Williams/Wonder Man (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) in Marvel Television’s WONDER MAN, exclusively on Disney+.

When news of Wonder Man‘s cancellation broke in late July, one couldn’t be blamed for wondering whether the announcement was merely a facetious commentary on the fickle nature of Hollywood.

After all, the Marvel television series on Disney+ was intended to serve as a meta exploration of the ever-changing entertainment industry, particularly where superhero-based projects are concerned. According to co-creator Andrew Guest, however, the unexpected termination after a single season was not a clever ploy to drum up publicity for the already-confirmed second season.

Co-creator Destin Daniel Cretton (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Simon Williams/Wonder Man) and Sir Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery) were apparently good to go when the series got placed on the chopping block.

Wonder ManCreators and Star React to Marvel Series Cancellation

“This is not a marketing stunt,” Guest, who also served as showrunner, said in a video posted to TikTok Aug. 2. “There is no movie in the works and Destin’s schedule—and no one’s schedule—was an issue. Yahya, Destin, Sir Ben and I all loved making this show. [We] all felt passionately about continuing to do it and were eager to. Contracts were signed, schedules were cleared, the writers’ room was supposed to start this month, the production was supposed to begin early next year.”

“There was a decision made internally between Disney and Marvel that this didn’t make sense for them, even though a few months ago it did,” he continued. “That’s essentially all I know. Numbers aren’t really shared with me. And even though the writers’ room hadn’t started, I had written the first episode of season two and we had an outline for where the season would go. Everyone felt really good about it. It was gonna be a really incredible season that hopefully surpassed season one.”

Cretton seemed to imply the decision was more Disney than Marvel, telling TheWrap, “If it were up to Kevin [Feige], we would be doing that show. And I’m just talking. I don’t fully understand the business of streaming, but if the business was right, we would be making that show because I know [Feige] loves that show as much as I do. It’s a bummer. I’m heartbroken about it. But I need to fully understand the why.”

Abdul-Mateen II, who landed an Emmy nod for his turn as Simon Williams, addressed the cancellation on his Instagram page.

“That’s life, right? Everything will shake out,” he wrote before thanking viewers for taking the time to watch. “The show worked. And that’s my favorite thing about it. I could see it on the faces of the Youtube Reactors (because I watched along with y’all this time. Shoutout to y’all) and I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day. So, thinking of you all today. I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching…”

Was the show simply the victim of poor timing?

Despite receiving a great deal of critical acclaim (season one holds a near-perfect score of 91 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes), the series may have arrived on the scene a little too late amidst a harsh decline in MCU popularity following Avengers: Endgame.

Wonder Manis now streaming on Disney+.