Exclusive: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks ‘Fun’ New Marvel Show, ‘Wonder Man’

Marvel is kicking off 2026 strong with a new series, “Wonder Man,” and it’s starring a familiar face that we haven’t seen in a while: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The Emmy-winning actor has been keeping a relatively low profile for the last couple of years, but now he’s back in a big way as one of the newest faces to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

If you’ll remember, the actor recently finished an impressive run on Broadway, starring alongside Corey Hawkins in “Topdog/Underdog” in 2023. Prior to that he had notable roles in “Candyman” and the acclaimed HBO series “Watchmen.” But if you’re a comic book fan, then you may remember him in his role as a formidable foe in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” where he played Black Manta.

Now we know what you may be thinking: Going from a villain in the DC Comic world to a superhero-ish in the MCU…? That’s quite a switch up.

But let Abdul-Mateen II tell it, it was a challenge he was more than willing to accept. Speaking to him on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere for the series recently, he told The Root that going from one gargantuan universe to another didn’t spark any apprehension or reservations as he was crystal clear on exactly how he needed to bring his character Simon Williams, a.k.a. Wonder Man, to life.

“I had no reservations about this, I talked to the creatives Kevin [Feige, producer], Destin [Daniel Cretton, show co-creator/director] and Andrew [Guest, co-creator] and I told them what I wanted to do,” Abdul-Mateen II explained. “I wanted to play a three-dimensional character, I wanted to play a guy that could have a drink of water, who woke up on a Tuesday with a couple problems to solve. So I got that and more, it’s really an honor to be over here…I had a lot of fun playing Simon Williams.”

But who exactly is Simon Williams, you might ask?

He’s a second-generation Haitian American who has dreams of becoming Hollywood’s next leading man and is struggling to get his acting career off the ground. After a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery (played by Sir Ben Kingsley), an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Williams becomes one step closer to his goal when he learns that a legendary director is about to remake the superhero film, “Wonder Man.” Over the course of eight-episodes, audiences will watch these two actors at the total opposite ends of their careers pursue life-changing roles all while navigating the ins, outs and craziness of the entertainment industry.

It’s a show that’s poised to be unlike any other that Marvel has done. And as such, it needed an actor who could bring a certain level of charisma, seriousness, levity, and gravity to the screen. And for show co-creator and director Destin Daniel Cretton—who previously directed other MCU projects like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the upcoming “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”—there was no better choice than Abdul-Mateen II.

“Yahya was perfect for this role,” he told The Root while explaining that the actor’s Broadway performance on “Topdog/Underdog” was the moment it became clear he was supposed to be in “Wonder-Man.”

“That was really the moment that I saw his huge range. Not just in drama which is so clear, but also in comedy and his ability on that stage—even though it’s a pretty heavy drama—he had the crowd just rolling and laughing at him,” Cretton explained. “I was just so in love with the weird, quirky instincts that he had in that play.”

Abdul-Mateen II’s co-lead Kingsley also spoke highly of the actor explaining how his acting style was impressive and complimentary to his own as they were both dedicated to making each other look good onscreen and bringing the most authentic portrayal to the forefront.

“Yahya and I looked after each other’s performances because we paid attention to each other,” Kinglsey told The Root.

Another important part of the story that show creators had to pay attention to was the representation of Haitian culture. Having Abdul-Mateen II be a second generation creative, that meant that there were some cultural nuances that needed to be accurately displayed in order to bring even more truth to the storytelling. For that, Marvel had to tap “Insecure” and “Send Help” star Jean Elie—who is a first-gen Haitain American actor himself—as a cultural consultant to ensure Abdul-Mateen II and the rest of the cast could embody and portray things the right way.

“My role was to be a bridge between Marvel storytelling and the Haitian lived experience. I worked with the writers, actors, and production team to make sure Haitian culture wasn’t just referenced but embedded in the series from dialect to family dynamics,” Elie told The Root, adding that this was going to be the first time viewers will see a Haitian family represented in the MCU.

He explained that the experiencing in helping to mold Abdul-Mateen’s portrayal and provide much-needed insight to the Marvel team was “dope,” especially considering the fact that he was brought on early on in the process “to shape character, family, and language.”

“That kind of collaboration shift from representation as optics to representation as authorship,” he noted.

And it’s this sort of intentionality, the manner of which this series is told and the story-line that goes from something simple on the surface to more complex as the show goes on—that makes “Wonder Man” a breath of fresh air in the MCU bucket. And hopefully, it’s something that will keep audiences locked in from start to finish.

“From the beginning, everybody involved wanted to make something different and that’s what we did and I feel incredibly proud of the show,” Cretton added.

All eight episodes of “Wonder Man” are available to stream starting at 9p.m. ET on Disney+.