Wonder Man's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II recently confirmed why he decided to leave the world of DC and join the ranks of Marvel Studios' MCU, and it all boiled down to one simple concept. Abdul-Mateen II is one of the few actors who can say they have played major roles in both the DCEU and the MCU. For reference, the actor portrayed Black Manta in both Aquaman films and recently got his feet wet in the MCU by playing Simon Williams, the titular character of Wonder Man.
In multiple interviews while promoting Wonder Man, star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was asked about being a part of both the DCEU and the MCU. His answer stayed consistent across every sitdown, and his reason for joining the juggernaut known as Marvel seemingly boiled down to how his on-screen character would be portrayed.
For example, during his appearance at the Marvel Television and Marvel Animation panel at New York Comic-Con (as shared by Brandon Davis via YouTube), the Wonder Man and Aquaman actor talked about the first time he ever talked with anyone about joining the MCU.
Specifically, Abdul-Mateen II revealed that he sat down with Wonder Man co-creator and director Destin Daniel Cretton and told him "a few years ago" that he wanted "to eat a hamburger" and "play a dude who can ear a hamburger:"
"Oh, well, my first introduction was a conversation with Destin [Daniel Cretton], who is amazing. I wanted to work with Destin since I saw 'Short Term 12' and I saw a lot of his work. We sat down. We had a conversation a few years ago and I said, 'Look,' I said, 'I want to eat a hamburger.' That's what I said. I said, 'I want to play a dude who can eat a hamburger.'"
The actor then expanded on that, saying that "[he] had been very serious" during his DCEU tenure, and "wanted to do something different where [his character] could live, and grieve, and smile," which is what eventually led him to portray Simon Williams "on the Marvel side:"
"Because I had been very serious and over in the DC world, which was great, but I wanted to do something different where I could live, and grieve, and smile, and be nervous, and be happy and Destin... that's what made it happen. So, I'm excited to be over here on the Marvel side."
In a separate interview, this one with Electric Playground Network (shared via YouTube), Abdul-Mateen II doubled down on what he said at Comic-Con, particularly referencing the time he thought that he would like to play a character who could take a bite of food or drink a bit of water.
The actor then revealed that asking for that drink of water or that hamburger on-screen was his way of "asking for some real humanity and some humanness," which is exactly what Wonder Man brought to the table:
"So, when I came over here or when I when I was approached with the opportunity, I really did. I said, 'Hey, man. I want to make sure that he can have a sip of water.' And that was my way of asking for some real humanity and some humanness in this character. And that set it apart for me..."
The Marvel and DC star once again talked about the humanity of Simon Williams and how different it was to be in Wonder Man as opposed to Aquaman in a sit-down with Take a Look: Celebrity Interviews & Movie Reviews (shared via YouTube).
During that interview, the actor touched on how Simon Williams has powers in Wonder Man, but also how those powers affect his life and how he was able to humanize a superhero. For example, he mentioned that he enjoyed being able to play a superhero without having to "play it in a supernatural way," while also being "able to identify something human and to lean into it that way."
Abdul-Mateen II also talked about how he "got the best of both worlds with" Wonder Man since he was able to be in something "on the scale of a Marvel project" and still make it feel "grounded:"
"I was able to treat his enhanced-ness as something that was like a big shameful secret. And that's human, you know? I didn't have to play it in a supernatural way. I was able to identify something human and to lean into it that way. So, it was really a treat. I really got the best of both worlds with this thing, because I got to do something on the scale of a Marvel project, but I also got to do it differently. I also got to do it in a way that felt grounded."
Is Wonder Man the Start of a New Era For the MCU?
Wonder Man is unlike anything the MCU has ever released before. As Yahya Abdul-Mateen II mentioned, the Disney+ show pulls back a lot of its focus on the superhero aspect of the story and instead highlights the character arc of Simon Williams.
It is also important to note that Wonder Man is the first Disney+ show set in the MCU to not be a sequel or a prequel to another movie or TV series. Yes, the show features Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery, but it does not center around the fallout from a previous title or set up an upcoming project.
Wonder Man truly does spotlight its central character in a more human way than any other MCU title has done before. It sacrifices scope, fantasy, and putting heroes on pedestals to get down in the trenches and provide a personal drama.
Wonder Man has already seen great success in terms of fan reception, so it is entirely possible that the show could lead to Marvel Studios and Marvel Television creating more projects that have the tone and feel of Wonder Man.
In fact, the show's existence and success could be the exact point in time where a new era began in the MCU without anyone even being aware of it.
