Marvel Renews A Disney Plus Series It Almost Canceled For Season 2

As superhero fans eagerly await the hotly anticipated release of "Avengers: Doomsday," which hits theaters this December, Marvel has announced some pretty wonderful news regarding the small screen expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After nearly cancelling the Disney+ series "Wonder Man" in the midst of Marvel and Disney's shift in their entire approach to making television, the smash-hit series has been renewed for season 2 (per Variety). Unlike some of the other MCU shows on Disney+ that often felt like homework for MCU lore rather than entertainment, "Wonder Man" makes for a grounded and mature character study that doubles as a peek behind the curtain of the MCU, as filtered through the lens of the MCU itself.

The first season followed aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is struggling to take his career beyond nameless, day-player supporting roles. He crosses paths with Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the famed actor who was once hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings, dubbed "the Mandarin," but whose biggest roles may be well behind him. When the duo learn that the legendary director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić) is remaking the superhero film "Wonder Man," the two join forces to pursue the lead roles, while Simon must hide the fact he has superpowers — as the "Doorman Clause" explicitly prohibits supes from performing in Hollywood.

The news of the renewal comes roughly two months after the eight-episode season first debuted on Disney+. "Wonder Man" was created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, and the announcement states that Guest will return as showrunner and executive producer, while Cretton will return as director and executive producer for season 2. Both Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley are also expected to return.

Spoilers ahead for "Wonder Man" season 1.

"Wonder Man" was an audience favorite and a critical hit, currently boasting a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's because it delivered what many Marvel fans have been craving for years — an answer to the biggest problem in modern superhero stories — and provided an original journey that doesn't feel like the exact same story with a different superhero swapped in. For most of the show's first season, Simon Williams doesn't know that Trevor Slattery is spying on him on behalf of the Department of Damage Control. Slattery is racked with guilt for betraying Simon, and resumes his role as The Mandarin to pretend he's the one who bombed the film studio making "Wonder Man," and lands himself in prison to prevent Simon from being found out.

When we last saw the duo, Simon had used his talent as an actor, his wealth and influence as the star of "Wonder Man," and his powers to break Trevor out of prison and fly off together. It can be assumed that we'll be seeing what became of Simon and Trevor after these final moments, and what we can assume will be a very unhappy Department of Damage Control looking to punish them both for making them look foolish. The first season of "Wonder Man" was shot exclusively around Los Angeles, which is fantastic news for the Stay in L.A. campaign, the grassroots coalition of filmmakers, showrunners, crew members, actors, industry partners, and small businesses looking to keep film, television, and commercial production — and the thousands of jobs and local businesses it supports — in Los Angeles.

The renewal is good for Marvel and great for audiences desperate for quality TV. I guess we are allowed to have nice things after all!