Marvel Debuts First Look at ‘Wonder Man’

After years of delays, Marvel’s Wonder Man is finally ready to make its debut on Disney+.

In a recently unveiled promotional video for their service, Disney+ announced that the upcoming series introduces Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an established Marvel hero (who is also known as a longtime member of the Avengers in the comics), more commonly recognized as Wonder Man.

You can watch the Disney+ 2025 preview below:

Simon Williams, also known as Wonder Man, was brought to life by Stan Lee, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby. His debut was in The Avengers #9 back in 1964, initially portrayed as a villain. However, he was later revived and transformed into a hero, eventually joining the Avengers in the late 1970s. In the Marvel Comics universe, his brain patterns were utilized to create the Vision, implying that the Vision shares some characteristics with Wonder Man, and suggesting a complex history with the Scarlet Witch.

During the day, he’s both a renowned Hollywood actor and stuntman; by night, he transforms into a superhero. The “Wonder Man” television series was masterminded by Destin Daniel Cretton, director of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” along with Andrew Guest. Notably, Cretton also helmed several episodes of this series. Ben Kingsley reprises his extended Marvel role as Trevor Slattery, an actor who has been struggling, last seen in Cretton’s “Shang-Chi” movie. Additionally, Ed Harris and Demetrius Grosse portray Simon’s brother on the show; interestingly, this character is often depicted as his main adversary, the Grim Reaper, in the comics.

Marvel has released one other photo of the show, which features Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley together.

In the summer of 2022, plans for a “Wonder Man” TV series were initially announced, and filming started surprisingly early, in the spring of 2023. However, the Hollywood strikes that year significantly delayed the project’s progress. Once production resumed, unfortunate events transpired as a crew member passed away during filming in Los Angeles.

Wonder Man is set to debut in late 2025 on Disney+. The series will consist of eight episodes.

Sign up for Disney+ here.

The Best Superhero Movie of Each Year of the 1990s

1990: Darkman

The movie “Darkman,” often overlooked in discussions about the greatest superhero films ever made, may not receive its due recognition because its titular character is an original screen creation instead of a comic book adaptation. Additionally, the fact that its protagonist, portrayed by a young Liam Neeson, presents as a self-proclaimed “monster” with a grotesque visage might also play a role in this oversight. However, Sam Raimi’s foray into the genre was remarkably successful, skillfully combining elements of horror, action, and comedy to create an exceptionally appealing superhero concoction.

1991: The Rocketeer

In the hopes of a blockbuster success, Disney launched their comic-book adaptation “The Rocketeer,” created by Dave Stevens. Regrettably, the film underperformed at the box office, despite receiving positive feedback from critics. If “The Rocketeer” had been more successful, it would have been simple to expand on the exploits of stunt pilot turned superhero Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell). However, the movie’s modest earnings halted any plans for a franchise. Although Disney recently reintroduced the character as an animated series for kids, featuring a female version of the Rocketeer who is revealed to be Cliff’s great-granddaughter, this adaptation too met an untimely end; the show was terminated after only one season. It seems that “The Rocketeer” consistently encounters misfortune in any format it appears.

1992: Batman Returns

As a passionate cinephile, I find myself drawn to revisit Tim Burton’s Batman Returns – a movie that, much like Christopher Nolan’s final Batman installment, exudes an unusual, quirky charm. The film took Burton’s original Batman and amplified it, introducing more villains, deeper darkness, grander gothic architecture, and heightened poignant melodrama. In this iteration, Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, Danny DeVito’s Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman were portrayed as three intertwined souls, each scarred by fate and yearning for personal tranquility and acceptance.

This film has earned a reputation for being peculiar, but within the context of blockbuster cinema, it remains exceptionally captivating. Its allure stems from Keaton’s underappreciated performance and Pfeiffer’s acclaimed portrayal as one of the most intricate female characters in any superhero film. It is a shame that this enigmatic Catwoman did not receive her own solo movie, while Halle Berry’s did – a tragic turn of events in Hollywood history.

1993: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Before “The LEGO Batman Movie,” the animated film “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” convincingly demonstrated that animation is an ideal format for Batman. Created by the team behind the acclaimed “Batman: The Animated Series,””Mask of the Phantasm” encapsulated all the elements that made the show exceptional – stunning visuals, smooth animation, renowned voice actors – into a nearly flawless 75-minute production. Unlike many Batman films that are overblown and tiring, “MotP” is sleek and compact, much like a well-crafted 22-page comic book. The tragic love story between Bruce Wayne (portrayed by Kevin Conroy, arguably the greatest Batman ever, in audio form) and Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) is as compelling as the romance between Bruce and Selina Kyle in “Batman Returns“, and the film’s central mystery carries a real impact (unless you spoil it by examining the movie’s action figures). Over 30 years old now, the film has aged gracefully, partly because the streamlined artwork of “TAS” – a blend of Art Deco architecture and cutting-edge technology – was intentionally timeless, even in 1993.

1994: The Mask

In recent times, it’s hard to go more than a couple of months without a major superhero film hitting theaters. Contrastingly, during the ’90s, superheroes were often considered low-budget B-movie material, and many adaptations focused on peculiar indie characters such as The Mask, a Dark Horse comic featuring a magical mask that grants anyone wearing it superhuman abilities at the expense of their mental stability. (Even the character Stanley Ipkiss from the comics didn’t make it past the initial Mask series!) The film softened the comic’s grim atmosphere and emphasized its whimsical protagonist, brilliantly portrayed by Jim Carrey in a breakout role. Carrey’s facial expressions were so vivid, even under green makeup, that The Mask’s special effects seemed almost unnecessary.

1995: Tank Girl

Despite the initial success of the first Batman in sparking a trend of superhero and comic-book adaptations in the early 1990s, several of these productions started to underperform at the box office by the late 1990s, putting the entire genre at risk of collapse. One such flop was Tank Girl, based on a popular British comic series by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett. In this movie, Lori Petty portrayed the title character who battled an evil corporation in a post-apocalyptic Australia. The film was met with rejection by audiences in 1995, but over time it has cultivated a dedicated fanbase. Now, Tank Girl is rightfully admired for its unique visual style, dark humor, and a feminist narrative that was arguably ahead of its era.

1996: The Phantom

When The Phantom appears online (not very frequently), it’s often to poke fun at Billy Zane’s purple costume, which accurately portrays the original Lee Falk comics, or its catchphrase “Slam evil!”. I don’t mind a superhero slamming some evil, but others might find it amusing. The movie has impressive practical stunts and a charming performance by Billy Zane as The Phantom, along with a young and strikingly beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones portraying an immoral pirate. I’m not particularly fond of the climactic and puzzling laser battle between Zane and Treat Williams, and the movie seems to be a condensed version of a more intricate story (or perhaps multiple stories by Falk). However, The Phantom has a horse and a wolf as his companions, and in one scene they communicate through barks and growls. That’s hard to top, Batman.

1997: Hercules

In the 1990s, particularly in the mid-’90s, there weren’t many great superhero movies to choose from. If you were expecting me to suggest ‘Batman & Robin’, I must say that wasn’t my choice. Instead, let’s discuss ‘Hercules’. This movie can be labeled as a Disney musical, an animated film, or a contemporary adaptation of the Greek legend, but at its core, it is a superhero story. Co-director John Musker himself referred to it as their “superhero movie”, a genre they were passionate about because of their love for comic books. It embodies most elements of a classic superhero narrative: Action, adventure, companions, humor, and James Woods portraying the ruler of the underworld.

1998: The Mask of Zorro

In this superhero movie prototype that sparked a trend, the story was shaped like a sequel to an unmade film, known as a legacyquel. Anthony Hopkins portrayed the initial Zorro, who passed on his mask and swordsmanship to Antonio Banderas. Director Martin Campbell, later famous for directing “Casino Royale,” delivered thrilling action scenes, while Hopkins added witty humor. The film also showcased Catherine Zeta-Jones in a memorable debut as the daughter of the original Zorro. This blockbuster, often overlooked but evergreen in the ’90s, is one of its most undervalued hits.

1999: The Matrix

Similar to Hercules, The Matrix isn’t derived from a comic book, and while it may not strictly fit into the category of a superhero film, it certainly encompasses other genres such as science fiction and martial arts action. However, the final scene of the movie makes it evident that the Wachowskis envisioned this film as the beginning of Neo’s (Keanu Reeves) superhero story. Much like Superman, Neo has a hidden identity; the main difference is that while Superman removes his glasses to save the world, Neo dons his sunglasses instead. The idea remains the same: Neo’s glasses symbolize his secret identity in much the same way Superman’s glasses do.

2025-07-08 17:55