Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have demanded that Nathan Fillion portray the title role in the recently announced Wonder Man Disney+ series.
Following the announcement that Marvel Studios would be developing a series centered on Simon Williams/Wonder Man, the character began to trend on Twitter as fans rallied for Fillion to portray the hero. While some fans think Fillion deserves another shot at the role, others think that either the Firefly actor "or someone with that energy" would also do well in the role.
Fillion previously appeared as Williams in a deleted scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and voiced the hero in Hulu's M.O.D.O.K. animated series. Whether or not he will reprise the role for the Disney+ series is unknown and unconfirmed, as Marvel Studios has not officially commented on the project.
It was recently revealed that Disney+ was developing a television series based on Wonder Man. The series will be produced by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings co-writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton, with Andrew Guest (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hawkeye) as an executive producer and head writer. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck, Wonder Man made his Marvel Comics debut in The Avengers #9 in 1964. His powers include flight and various "ionic" energy-based abilities. Initially recruited by Baron Zemo as a supervillain, Wonder Man would go on to become a superhero and join the Avengers, with his brain patterns even used as a blueprint for Vision later.
Fillion appeared as Simon Williams in some fictional movie posters in the background of a deleted scene for 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, written and directed by James Gunn. In 2021, the actor would go on to portray another super-powered individual in Warner Bros. and DC Films The Suicide Squad for the DC Extended Universe, also written and directed by Gunn. In The Suicide Squad, Fillion briefly portrayed TDK (aka. The Detachable Kid), one of the members of Task Force X that unfortunately perished in the first few minutes of the movie.
It was announced in December 2021 that Cretton would return not only to direct a sequel to 2021's Shang-Chi but to develop an unnamed Marvel Studios series for Disney+ as well. At the time, https://www.cbr.com/marvel-disney-plus-shang-chi-director-show-details-surface/details surrounding the Disney+ series were scarce, but sources claimed the project to be a comedy.
"Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in a statement about Cretton's new series. "We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney Plus, so we're thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can't wait to get started."
Wonder Man does not yet have a release date, but will be available on Disney+.
Source: Twitter
