As we’re on the cusp of entering Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a new series has been announced in Wonder Man with Candyman actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on board in the lead role, but some Marvel fans believe Nathan Fillion was snubbed.
Casting in Marvel and DC’s camps will never please the entire fandom, with some looking for comic-book accuracy and others looking for originality in the role within a live-action setting.
The comic book character Wonder Man first appeared in The Avengers # 9 published in October 1964 and starred Simon Williams, who later became a test subject of Baron Zemo’s when he underwent “ionic ray” treatment that gave him superhuman strength to take on the Avengers.
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Wonder Man Casting
Reported on October 31 by Variety, it was announced that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II had been cast in the upcoming Wonder Man series from Marvel.
The series is confirmed to premiere on Disney Plus where Abdul-Mateen will take on the role of Simon Williams.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director, Destin Daniel Cretton, is developing the series with head writer Andrew Guest as part of the professional’s deal with Marvel Studios and Onyx Collective.
This will be Adbul-Mateen’s third comic-book role after portraying Black Manta in 2018’s Aquaman and Dr. Manhattan in the 2019 HBO series Watchmen.
Marvel Fans Mourn Nathan Fillion’s Wonder Man Snub
Despite Abdul-Mateen’s acting chops and charisma, some Marvel fans are still unhappy that the role of Wonder Man didn’t go to Nathan Fillion.
The Castle and Firefly star had previously filmed a cameo for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Simon Williams, but it was unfortunately cut from the final edit.
Stans of the actor are apparently fed up with Fillion’s series of snubs from major roles and many thought the actor was guaranteed to have this Marvel gig in the bag.
Nathan Fillion’s Uncharted Snub
Aside from his Wonder Man snub, Fillion has also been a long-running fan cast for a live-action Nathan Drake – the protagonist of the Uncharted video game series.
Before Tom Holland got the role as a younger version of the treasure hunter, Filiion possessed the looks, charm, and humor of the explorer, according to fans, and even played Drake in an unofficial short film.
Declining to answer how he felt about not getting the role, GamingBible reported Fillion’s thoughts on the Uncharted movie taking so long to be developed:
“My only regret is that we had to wait so very, very long for someone to do something so we could actually see some Uncharted stuff. Other than that, I think all my boxes have been checked. I’m pretty excited to see what they do with that. I love movies and those guys have never let us down; Tom Holland, come on, Mark Wahlberg. We’re gonna have a great time.”
Despite losing out on the Wonder Man role, there’s a chance Fillion may be asked to play an older version of Nathan Drake in the future, should the Uncharted movie franchise continue.
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
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