Yahya Adebul-Mateen II Cast as Wonder Man
Marvel has found its newest hero in the ocean’s depths. Deadline exclusively reports that Yahya Adebul-Mateen II has been cast as Wonder Man in an upcoming Disney+ series, presumably of the same name. Shang-Chi and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton will direct and executive produce the series, while Hawkeye consulting producer Andrew Guest will be the head writer. Yahya Adebul-Mateen II appeared in Aquaman as Black Manta, one of the hero’s enemies, and will reprise the role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2023. He also played Doctor Manhattan in the awful HBO series Watchmen, but it’d be unfair to hold something that even Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart couldn’t save against him. (He was also the new Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections – this guy has some bad luck.) There’s no word on when Wonder Man will come to Disney+.
Well, I guess it’s safe to assume Black Manta ain’t making it out of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The most obvious point about Yahya Adebul-Mateen II playing Wonder Man is the race-swapping, but it’s Marvel – or literally anything nowadays – so it’s hardly surprising. I’m not well-versed in Wonder Man as a character; I remember him in exactly one comic I’ve read, and while he was probably in some others, he didn’t make much of an impression. In other words, I’m not all that bothered with the casting, though I’ll certainly understand if his fans are. Even if I were well-versed in the character, though, I doubt Wonder Man the series would excite me because it’s a Disney+ Marvel show. They have lost every ounce of the benefit of the doubt they ever had at this point, if only for She-Hulk (but not only for She-Hulk). The creative team is the guy who directed the boring fights in Shang-Chi and a “consulting producer” on Hawkeye who wrote for a few sitcoms? That’s not exactly a confidence booster. Even if Wonder Man is intended to be a comedy, as the defense of She-Hulk claimed, the quality of Marvel humor lately bodes ill for the results. But after being in The Matrix Resurrections and HBO’s Watchmen, it’s hard not to wish Yahya Adebul-Mateen II a good break for a change.
What do you think of Yahya Adebul-Mateen II being cast as Wonder Man? Are you a fan of the character? Is She-Hulk lecturing the writing room on this show too? Let us know in the comments, and stick around Geeks + Gamers for more portents of doom disguised as Disney+ Marvel shows!
