Yahya Abdul-Mateen Calls Out Marvel Over ‘Wonder Man,’ ‘Blade’

Source: Marvel / Walt Disney StudiosYahya Abdul-Mateen II has some questions about Marvel’s recent decisions. He thinks the media giant’s recent moves are all business driven. As spotted on Deadline, the Emmy-winning actor addressed the abrupt cancellation of Wonder Man and the demise of Mahershala Ali’s long-delayed Blade reboot during a new interview with Vanity Fair.When asked about the larger conversation surrounding two prominent Black-led Marvel projects failing to move forward, Abdul-Mateen didn’t mince words. “I think the optics are obvious,” he said. Abdul-Mateen stopped short of directly accusing Disney or Marvel of deliberately sidelining Black-led projects, but argued that a company as large as Disney should recognize how the situation looks and prioritize changing that perception through “quality stories, with quality resources.”The conversation comes just weeks after Disney pulled the plug on Wonder Man, despite previously announcing that the Disney+ series would return for a second season. Abdul-Mateen starred as Simon Williams, an aspiring Hollywood actor who secretly possesses superpowers, alongside Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery. The show earned positive reviews f...