Marvel Studios' Wonder Man outright confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and it's actually a brilliant move. The upcoming Disney+ series will explore the MCU's version of Hollywood, making it the show's central setting as it focuses on Simon Williams' journey to become the lead actor in the fictional big-budget Wonder Man reboot. The marketing for the MCU's Wonder Man series has already received high praise as it doubles down on Hollywood-theme commentary. And now, Marvel took it up a notch by confirming that a legendary actor is around somewhere in the MCU.
At the 0:14 mark of the new 30-second promo for Wonder Man, the footage showed X Mayo's MCU character telling Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) that "they are already talking to Leo" during the casting process for director Von Kovak's fictional Wonder Man reboot.
This line of dialogue confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio exists in the MCU, meaning that there is a chance that he could appear in the future as himself.
Watch the promo below:
The MCU is no stranger to highlighting major celebrities and public figures appearing as themselves in Marvel projects, such as Elon Musk in Iron Man 2, Method Man in Luke Cage, and Megan Thee Stallion in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
In fact, this reference to Leonardo DiCaprio isn't the only meta callback to the real Hollywood. Marvel Studios previously confirmed that Josh Gad will be featured in Wonder Man in some capacity, noting that the actor will play "an extremely famous version of himself," and some of his scenes will be "[showcasing] his singing abilities."
Wonder Man will premiere all eight episodes on Disney+ on January 27, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. PT.
Why Wonder Man’s Reference to Leonardo DiCaprio Is Brilliant
While the Leonardo DiCaprio reference in Wonder Man is exciting, this meta-reference could pose a problem if Marvel Studios ever decides to cast the Oscar-winning actor for a major role in their blossoming shared universe, considering that some fans may point out that the actor has already been referenced in a previous project. Still, the reference is quite brilliant due to the actor's real-life choices.
In September 2022, Dune star Timothee Chalamet revealed (via Variety) that Leonardo DiCaprio gave him an advice to not join any superhero movies, further cementing the idea that he is an actor who is picky about choosing which roles to accept.
Wonder Man's revelation that the casting call for the fictional in-universe reboot is already looking at DiCaprio as the director's dream A-lister for the titular hero makes a ton of sense. However, an image from the Wonder Man finale spoiled that Simon Williams will eventually get the role, further implying the MCU's version of DiCaprio still doesn't want to star in superhero movies.
