The MCU is healing! After a poorly performing 2023 and a sparsely populated 2024, Marvel Studios has unveiled its full 2025 slate — and, man, does it contain wonders. Following the consolidation of the MCU’s movie slate, the complete line-up of TV shows coming to Disney Plus next year has likewise been revealed, bringing us our first look at a show you’d be forgiven for forgetting all about — Wonder Man.
The superhero comedy starring Watchmen‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been mostly flying under the radar to date, but this new teaser trailer for the series teases a truly unique spin on the MCU formula. The trailer reveals that Abdul-Mateen’s Simon Williams is an actor playing the superhero Wonder Man in a movie project rather than an actual superhero. Not to mention that he’ll be forming an odd couple team-up with good ol’ Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley).
The trailer, which debuted as an ad on Disney Plus, was accompanied by a first-look image unveiling Abdul-Mateen in his Wonder Man garb. While fans have been responding positively to the teaser, Simon’s superhero look is leaving much to be desired. With his bright red jacket and oversized shades, practically everyone is making the same joke.
I’m sorry, is this Wonder Man or Weeknd Man?
Yes, all people are seeing when they look at this pic is Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye.
Is he deliberately meant to look like The Weeknd? This can’t be an accident, right?
Is the show’s actual premise that Yahya Abdul-Mateen is playing Simon Williams playing The Weeknd playing Wonder Man?
Wait, is this there way of telling us this a secret second season of The Idol?
To be fair to Yahya’s Wonder Man look, you can see how this has been derived from the character’s classic design in the comics, where his color scheme is also black and red and he likewise wears a pair of red glasses (although they’re more like protective goggles rather than shades). Fans should bear in mind that this is unlikely to be Simon’s final Wonder Man get-up. No doubt there will be a much more modernized, MCU-ified version of the hero’s suit by the end of the 10-episode show.
Wonder Man is a character deeply entrenched in Marvel lore in the comics — Vision is essentially a robot clone of him in the source material and he’s a long-term member of the Avengers. Emmy-winner Abdul-Mateen could have a major future ahead of him in the MCU, then, but first he’s got to impress audiences in his own show. Having him cosplay as The Weeknd in our very first look at him was certainly… a choice on Marvel’s part, but there’s no need to count out Wonder Man just yet.
Also featuring Demetrius Grosse as Simon Williams’ brother/nemesis Grim Reaper, and with Shang-Chi‘s Destin Daniel Cretton as producer, Wonder Man has a long time left to raise the hype around it as it won’t be hitting Disney Plus until December 2025.
Published: Oct 30, 2024 11:56 am