Wonder Man gets a very meta promo as "Simon Williams" appears at the Fantastic Four premiere

Yahya Abdul Mateen II in Wonder Man (2025)
(Image credit: Marvel)

Wonder Man is the latest superhero who's coming to the MCU via his own Disney Plus streaming series - but as it turns out, in the MCU itself, Wonder Man is actually a reboot of a classic superhero movie that exists inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A new clip from the premiere of The Fantastic Four: First Steps features actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in character as Simon Williams, who, it's revealed, is taking over the role of Wonder Man from a classic movie character which "Simon Williams" says was the first movie he saw in theaters, making the role of Wonder Man his dream part.

The clip also features a mention of Ben Kingsley's character Trevor Slattery, who also appears in Wonder Man thanks to his experience as an actor portraying the Mandarin in Iron Man 3.

Check it out:

As for the original Wonder Man film of the MCU, it's actually a known quantity, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 featuring a deleted scene that includes an Easter egg showing a Wonder Man movie poster with actor Nathan Fillion playing the title role.

It seems like this Easter egg will form the basis of Wonder Man's presence in the MCU, which ties back to the character's comic book roots as a superhero-turned-actor, as opposed to the MCU's actor-turned-superhero.

Wonder Man will premiere in December on Disney Plus, consisting of eight episodes. It's all part of Marvel Phase 6. In the meantime, be sure to check out our full breakdown of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows coming soon. And check out our guide on how to watch all the Marvel movies in order.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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