The upcoming Marvel projects slate just got a little smaller, as it was announced that Wonder Man won't be returning for Season 2 as expected, and has been formally canceled. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley's comedy series, available with a Disney+ subscription, will stick with just its current batch of episodes, as the streamer previously announced a renewal and then backtracked.
Within the news of the cancellation, as reported by Variety, it's stated the writers' room for Season 2 allegedly never officially opened despite the announcement that Wonder Man would return for more episodes back in March. It's certainly a bummer to not see more of Simon Williams on an episodic basis, but even as someone who loved the series, I'm more than OK with this happening.
Wonder Man Season 2 Wouldn't Have Been Like Season 1
Wonder Man received no shortage of praise from critics and audiences alike, thanks in large part to how it portrayed Hollywood and the meta nature of a superhero show existing within the MCU. Of course, Season 1 ended with Simon and Trevor Slattery on the run from the Department of Damage Control, effectively making them fugitives.
With that premise, I can imagine Season 2 of Wonder Man would've been much different than the first. Sure, Simon and Trevor's fun dynamic would still be there, but with the television deal effectively dead, we'd lose a lot of the Hollywood cameos and other elements to the plot that made the series so fun. It's possible Season 2's writers' room never got off the ground simply because creatives realized recapturing that magic would be nigh-impossible, so why not end it on a high note?
Simon And Trevor's Future Adventures Can Definitely Continue In The MCU
The report about Wonder Man's cancellation did reveal that Simon and Trevor could return in the MCU, which feels like a better way to bring them back. Assuming Season 2 was going to be tonally different from Season 1, any updates on Trevor or Simon might be better handled as subplots in another Marvel movie or television series.
After all, these episodes thrived on being brief and snappy. In my mind, it tracks that it would be perfect for Simon and Trevor to get the Hulk treatment, serving as supporting characters to other Marvel heroes in future adventures. That's certainly better than nothing, which, to be clear, is still on the table as there is no guarantee Marvel is using these characters in Avengers: Doomsday or other projects.
Why Did Disney+ Renew Wonder Man In The First Place?
Even if Season 2 wasn't needed, the circumstances around this are strange. Wonder Man's Season 2 renewal came two months after the series was released on Disney+. One would gather the decision was made with knowledge of its viewership, availability of its stars, and an idea of how to proceed, but that's just speculation.
Obviously, something changed, but I can't imagine what. I'd be curious to learn more about the cancellation, and what this could mean for future MCU shows that are made on Disney+.
The good news is that we'll always have Season 1 of Wonder Man, which is available to stream over on Disney+. It joins the ranks of other one-and-done Marvel television shows, all of which are over there on the platform as well.
