The MCU's next Disney+ show, Wonder Man, confirmed Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm two episodes, making franchise history. Despite the lack of a solo sequel or live-action return from the character, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi is regarded by many as one of the best recent additions to the MCU. In large part, this came down to a masterwork from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, which earned him an overall deal with Disney and Marvel Studios. While that deal plotted for him to direct a Shang-Chi sequel and new Disney+ projects, he later shifted to helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before leaving that movie and, eventually, boarding Spider-Man: Brand New Day as director.
Disney confirmed that Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm the first two episodes of Disney+'s Wonder Man, the superhero Hollywood satire comedy series that he co-created with Andrew Guest.
Following Wonder Man's delay to drop the full season on Disney+ on January 27, 2026, Cretton will become the first director to helm episodes of an MCU streaming series and a big-screen movie in the same year with Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While Destin Daniel Cretton is the first Marvel Studios director to helm a movie and Disney+ series releasing in the same year, there are other MCU filmmakers who have crossed the bridge between the big and small screen...
For one, prior to becoming DC Studios' CEO, James Gunn shot The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney+ on the Vol. 3 set, releasing it in November 2022 as a heartfelt festive prequel to May 2023's trilogy-capping blockbuster.
Having helmed all nine episodes of the MCU's beloved reality-bending sitcom WandaVision, director Matt Shakman was entrusted with Marvel Studios' most important gig in years, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The filmmaker is reportedly turning his attention to the sequel after the first received strong reactions from fans and critics, even though the box office left much to be desired.
While Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is yet to direct an MCU project for Disney+, he has executive-produced two spin-off shows in Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda after landing a rare production deal with Disney+.
Marvel Studios Is Doubling Down on Destin Daniel Cretton (And For Good Reason)
It's unclear what the future holds for Destin Daniel Cretton in the MCU beyond Wonder Man and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Much of that is bound to hinge on how fans respond to those projects next year, but Shang-Chi 2 is reportedly still moving forward with Cretton and is likely to be his next project.
Beyond that, Cretton is already replacing the MCU's Spider-Man mainstay director for Brand New Day in a major shake-up for the franchise, and it's easy to see him staying on for the trilogy if schedules permit and the movie is successful.
Early reactions also praised Wonder Man as "the best Marvel show," meaning a second season could happen if the viewership is strong enough. That said, if Marvel Studios is eager to keep Cretton on the big screen after Brand New Day, he could step back to only executive produce and not direct further episodes.
The fact alone that Marvel Studios was once willing to give Cretton the keys to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty demonstrates its massive faith in the director, which could earn him a shot at any number of big blockbusters to come.
But that's not to say Cretton is exclusively tied to the MCU going forward, as Variety confirmed he was locked in to direct a live-action Naruto adaptation in February 2024, but updates have been few and far between since.
