At a time when we’re not entirely sure what’s happening with Wonder Woman over at DC, Marvel is taking the opportunity to introduce Wonder Man, with his own self-titled Disney Plus series that’s in the works. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Watchmen) has been hired as actor-turned-superhero Simon Williams for a while now, but it looks like we’re finally at the stage where some further official casting announcements are occurring.
Case in point, TV Line is reporting that Fear the Walking Dead alum Demetrius Grosse has boarded Wonder Man in an extremely important role. He’ll be playing Grim Reaper, the supervillain who both serves as the eponymous hero’s arch-foe and his brother., Eric Williams. Looks like Simon Williams would find some common ground with Thor if they ever happen to meet in the next couple of Avengers movies.
For those who’ve been paying attention to all the rumors, Grosse playing Grim Reaper in the show isn’t exactly a big shock (thanks to a Patreon leak from a few weeks’ back), but it’s still exciting. For one, it may mean we’ll find out additional casting details soon, like who the heck Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk is playing in the series. Not to mention Lauren Glazier as its female lead. What we can say for sure is that Sir Ben Kinglsey will be back once more as Trevor Slattery.
As for the Grim Reaper — which feels like the perfect part for someone from The Walking Dead franchise — Marvel Comics mythology tells us Eric Williams was Simon’s scornful brother twisted by Simon sucking up all his family’s love growing up, which led him to embark upon a life of crime. He becomes the Grim Reaper when he’s gifted a coma-inducing scythe by the Tinkerer (Spider-Man: Homecoming crossover incoming? Could be…).
With Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Andrew Guest serving as showrunner, and Shang-Chi‘s Destin Daniel Cretton as exec producer, expect Wonder Man to be another of Marvel’s comedy-skewering streaming series. Perhaps we’ll see it premiere on Disney Plus sometime in 2024.
