It’s looking like Wonder Man has just entered production. The upcoming Disney Plus show will see the MCU debut of Watchmen and Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the titular hero, which will be helmed by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton.
The filmmaker quietly teased that something is underway in an Instagram post showing him with a color correction card – and Cretton’s schedule means this can really only be one thing:
Wonder Man himself made his Marvel debut back in way back in 1964, beginning his career as a villain empowered with ionic energy who fought the Avengers. It didn’t take him long to turn to the light, and he eventually ended up as a member of the very superhero team he once fought against.
In the comics, his powers arise from chemical and radiation treatments administered by Baron Zemo, which give him enhanced durability, strength, speed, and reflexes. He later received a further upgrade allowing him to transform into a being of pure ionic energy, allowing him to fly.
In the comics, he’s also a successful businessman and a movie star, becoming one of the more well-known public-facing heroes. We don’t know how much of that will make it over to the MCU, though the confirmed return of Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery may indicate we’ll see the performance side of him on screen.
If the filming really has begun, here’s hoping we see Mateen in costume on set soon enough. No word on a release date yet, but if it’s filming now, expect it at the earliest in late 2024, with 2025 probably a safer bet.