Fresh Air
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Marvel cancelled 'Wonder Man.' Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has a theory about why
Posted
September 1, 2026
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993
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September 1, 2026
993
28
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2.92%
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46:25Now PlayingTwo weeks after actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was nominated for an Emmy for his leading performance in the Marvel series Wonder Man, Disney announced the comedy would not return for a second season. Abdul-Mateen says he's still not sure what happened — but he sees a pattern in Marvel canceling Black-led projects.
"When you look at the history of those projects and when you put them all together, there's no way around it," he says. "It does not look good. It does not look like good business. And it looks like it's certainly not favorable to its Black creatives."
Abdul-Mateen spoke with Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley about how he stumbled into acting, padding his early resumé, and working through his stutter.
Fresh Air staff
Hosts: Terry Gross, Tonya Mosley
Exec. Producer: Sam Briger
Engineers: Audrey Bentham, Adam Staniszewski
Producers: Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Nyakundi, Anna Bauman, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler
Digital Producer: Molly Seavy-Nesper
Director: Roberta Shorrock
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