This December, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Wonder Man. In an exciting new sizzle reel released by Disney+, we finally got some glimpses of the highly anticipated upcoming series that also stars Sir Ben Kingsley returning as fan-favorite Trevor Slattery.
Emmy Award-winner Abdul-Mateen II, who feels destined to be part of the MCU, plays Simon Williams, a stuntman turned superhero. In the comics, Wonder Man has abilities similar to that other similarly named character in DC, like super strength, invulnerability and flight. The twist is that he’s actually an aspiring Hollywood star who wants to be famous more than heroic.
It’s almost a shock that Abdul-Mateen II hasn’t yet been in the MCU, and this is such a unique role for his talents. It will be great to see him give life to an aspiring Williams and watch him play off of the talented Kingsley. Kingsley first appeared as Slattery in Iron Man 3 as the fake Mandarin, and then made his hilarious return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Wonder Man is executive produced by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, with Cretton’s sister, Joy Cretton, also working on the show as a costume designer.
This is one of my most anticipated shows of the year and it’s exciting to get some great sneak peaks at the series so far in advance. Check out the full sizzle reel above as well as some screen shots of the Wonder Man scenes below.
Here’s hoping we get more details on this series at San Diego Comic-Con!
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
