Wonder Man: Avengers 5’s Destin Daniel Cretton Will Reportedly Direct Part of Disney+ Series

Wonder Man is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though a series has yet to officially be announced by Marvel Studios, the Hollywood trades have reported a Wonder Man writers’ room led by Brooklyn Nine-Nine alumnus Andrew Guest is currently developing a show for Disney+. Furthermore, THR reported Monday Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of Candyman and Watchmen fame will likely be the actor behind the show’s eponymous character.

Nestled away in the report is the idea of Destin Daniel Cretton directing one or more episodes. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings helmer has an overall deal with Disney and was recently named as the director of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. When Wonder Man was first reported, it was suggested Cretton would just receive producing credits on the show. Now, it looks like he’ll be more involved in the show than previously thought.

What is Wonder Man about?

Within the Marvel Comics source material, Wonder Man—real name Simon Williams—has been a longtime member of the Avengers and character adjacent to the Scarlet Witch and Vision, even dating the former at one point. The character has ionic-based powers, making him a formidable opponent when he isn’t filming his latest feature film. He is, after all, one of the most preeminent actors in the Marvel Canon.

Hasn’t Wonder Man already appeared in the MCU though?

At one point, James Gunn had technically cast Nathan Fillion as the character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Williams ended up appearing in just one scene as an Easter egg on a movie poster; that scene was eventually removed from the film entirely.\

“I really do love the character of Simon Williams/Wonder Man in the comics – a sometimes douchey actor/superhero – and could see Nathan clearly in that role (not because he’s a douchebag but because he’s great at playing one),” Gunn shared on his Facebook page at the time. “But, of course, in a movie set 99.9% in space I didn’t really have a place for him. So in a small flash to earth I decided to put a theater playing a ‘Simon Williams Film Festival,’ with six Simon Williams movie posters outside. Obviously, from the posters, he’s had a run of B movies. Most of them in themselves are Easter eggs of some sort or another. Unfortunately, the small section of the scene where they appeared slowed down the movie and I had to cut the Easter eggs from the film (along with storefronts named after comic book luminaries Starlin, Mantlos, Annett and others),” he continued. “Equally a bummer was that a lot of people took photos of these posters on the day so suddenly every fan site was reporting that Nathan was playing Wonder Man in he movie. He was even the third-billed actor on IMDB!”

Wonder Man has yet to set a release date. What other characters would you like to see in the Disney+ show? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!