'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Director Defends Kevin Feige After 'Wonder Man' Cancellation

The cancellation of Wonder Man, a Marvel Spotlight series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, continues to make waves and spark frustration. Now it was Destin Daniel Cretton, director of the hit Spider-Man: Brand New Day, who weighed in on the matter. Coincidentally, the announcement that production had ended came in the same week the hero’s new movie premiered, breaking box office records.

In an interview, Cretton, who is the series’ co-creator and executive producer, defended Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and said he was not responsible for the decision.

Cretton expressed his passion for the series and his desire to see the story continue. "I love that show to death. If it were up to me, we would be making that show," he said. The director went further and said that, in his view, Marvel’s president also supported keeping the project alive: "If it were up to Kevin [Feige], we’d be doing that show. [...] I know he loves that show as much as I do," he said.

According to the filmmaker, the cancellation is tied to the current state of the streaming market, not a creative decision by Marvel Studios. "I don’t fully understand the business of streaming, but if the business was wirhgt, we would be making that show" he explained. Cretton also lamented the end of production: "It’s a bummer. I’m heartbroken about it. But I need to fully understand the why."

Everything you need to know about Wonder Man

Introduced in comics in 1964, Wonder Man (called Magnum in Brazil) is Simon Williams, who has super strength and once worked as Baron Zemo’s henchman, but later earned the Avengers’ trust and eventually became a founding member of the West Coast Avengers.

In the comics, Wonder Man has also worked as an actor and stuntman in Hollywood — and this is the version the new series seems to portray, with Simon as an actor looking for opportunities while hiding superpowers he is still unable to control.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) plays the production’s main character, which also features Ben Kingsley in the cast, returning as the infamous Trevor Slattery, a character he played in Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Destin Daniel Cretton, of Shang-Chi, is the executive producer and directs some of the episodes of Wonder Man. The script is by Andrew Guest, of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community.

All episodes of Wonder Man are available on Disney+.