Marvel Studios quietly made a major creative change to Wonder Man, removing a legendary actor's role before the series hit Disney+. The show recently released all eight episodes to strong praise, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starring as Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery. However, alongside making Josh Gad disappear in Episode 4, the studio scrapped plans for an iconic performer to appear in the series.
75-year-old actor Ed Harris was long rumored to be joining Wonder Man as Neal Saroyan, the Hollywood agent who represents Simon Williams in Marvel Comics.
Early rumors from 2023 suggested Harris would have a key role, but production delays caused by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, which shut down filming in May and resumed by January 2024, may have altered those plans.
Harris was set to bring the Marvel Comics character Neal Saroyan to life, portraying the savvy agent who guides Simon through Hollywood's landscape. For fans of Harris, the vision was clear as a veteran, hard-edge agent to get annoyed by Simon's art-first approach.
Although reported as part of the cast as recently as September 2025, the role was seemingly replaced in the final series by Janelle Jackson, Simon's new agent, played by X Mayo.
Despite some frustration with Simon in the series, Janelle ultimately gets him his big break to audition for Von Kovak's (Zlatko Burić, recently seen in Superman) Wonder Man remake.
There's also a chance that narratively, Janelle and Neal were co-workers, with Harris' character maybe running the Hanover Agency.
Ironically, a similar style of cut seemed to have happened with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, when another well-known actor, John Malkovich, was cut from the film.
Harris would have, without a doubt, added a layer of Hollywood mysticism to the series, which already had plenty with Kingsley's return and taking place in Tinseltown.
Luckily, there's still some hope, as there's no reason Harris couldn't be back for a potential Season 2, which showrunner Andrew Guest already has several ideas for.
Ed Harris' Role in the MCU
Although Harris is now unlikely to join the MCU, the character he was meant to play could have an interesting future.
In Marvel Comics, Neal Saroyan was far more than a Hollywood fixer; he was an opportunist who pushed Simon into danger and publicity stunts for personal gain.
Over time, his character revealed a darker side, including secret criminal ties and hidden mind control powers, making him an unpredictable presence. Even after Wonder Man's death and resurrection, Neal continued to exploit opportunities for profit and influence.
For MCU fans, a fully realized Neal Saroyan (played by Harris) could be a really exciting addition to the Wonder Man story, especially now with Simon using his powers to break out Trevor from the DODC.
