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Credit: Disney+The Marvel Cinematic Universe is failing in a very public way, with the world’s eyes able to track crashing box office grosses and Rotten Tomatoes scores. If the MCU is going to survive, Kevin Feige admits it needs change or will fall in on itself.
The once-mighty MCU is backed into a corner. While the superhero franchise could once reliably produce billion-dollar box office blockbusters and turn well-liked comedy actors into beloved action stars, Marvel Studios has struggled to find a forward direct after the titanic conclusion of the Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame (2019).
While there have been a few bright lights, like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and the animated Disney+ series What If…?, there have been far more (and worse) flops, like The Marvels (2023) and Secret Invasion.
To be fair, Marvel Studios is not alone in its failure. Lucasfilm has been producing more and more Disney+ duds, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) lost the company the equivalent of a skyscraper made out of solid gold. Walt Disney Animation disappointed pretty much everyone with its centennial anniversary film Wish (2023) and Pixar…well, Pixar Animation Studios is actually doing pretty well for itself.
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Regardless, Marvel really needs something new, and studio chief Kevin Feige thinks that the upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man will be it. Feige recently appeared on the Official Marvel Studios Podcast and gave a few very enigmatic teases about the new show, but more than anything else, he was there to confirm that he understood the MCU needs to mix it up.
Speaking on the Wonder Man series, Feige said, “We have a show coming up that we’ve talked very little about, called Wonder Man. I won’t talk much about it today either, except to say it’s extremely different than anything we’ve done before.”
Obviously, Kevin Feige is going to want to ramp up interest in the Wonder Man series as much as possible, but the more interesting bit is his following comments. He continued, saying that he enjoyed “taking characters and storylines to new places” and that the MCU will fail if it does not “continue to try and try new storylines, and take the characters to new places.
Sometimes they’ll hit, sometimes they won’t, but if you stop trying, it’s when you atrophy and the whole thing will fall in on itself. I think it’s continuing to tell new and unique stories in new and unique ways.”
Wonder Man was created by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) director Destin Daniel Cretton and Hawkeye producer Andrew Guest, who will also serve as head writer. The series has reportedly completed filming (per Deadline) and is expected to be highlighted at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, but precious little else has been confirmed.
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Here’s what is known: Wonder Man will star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, a stuntman and actor who gains superpowers. Ben Kingsley will reprise his Iron Man 3 (2013) and Shang-Chi role as Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse will portray Williams’ brother Eric, and his agent will be portrayed by Ed Harris. Josh Gad and Lauren Glazier have been cast in undisclosed roles.
In Marvel Comics, Wonder Man/Simon Williams has a typically confusing and weird history. First introduced as a reluctant Avengers adversary in 1964, he eventually became an ally and then a full-blown superhero with deep connections to both the Scarlet Witch and Vision.
It is unknown how much of this the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II version of the character will retain or whether we will be seeing more of a commentary on Los Angeles show business, but, y’know, superpowers.
What do you think of the upcoming Wonder Man show? Can anything save the MCU?