5 Actors We'd Love To See Play Wonder Man In The MCU Series
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing to expand in unexpected ways post-"Avengers: Endgame," but few could have predicted one of the next heroes to get a Disney+ adaptation would be Simon Williams aka Wonder Man. The series was announced earlier this summer with "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and the upcoming "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" director Destin Daniel Cretton attached to executive produce with Andrew Guest ("Community," "Hawkeye," and "30 Rock") serving as the head writer. The series is still in the early stages of production, but it was recently announced that Ben Kingsley would be reprising his role as Trevor Slattery, thereby connecting "Wonder Man" to the story of "Shang-Chi."
As it stands, only Kingsley's casting on the show has been confirmed so far, which leaves the titular character a mystery. Wonder Man is a lesser-known Marvel character created in 1964 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first introduced as a villain but then later becoming a founding member of the West Coast Avengers. He's yet another son of a billionaire industrialist, as well as a celebrity actor and stuntman. He's a cocky himbo with more money than imaginable, and unearned confidence ripe for comedic greatness.
MCU series have been unafraid to tackle comedy as of late, and with Guest as the head writer, it's safe to assume that "Wonder Man" will be no different. With that in mind, here are 5 actors we'd love to see play the character in the upcoming series.
Cheyenne Jackson
Admittedly, my first instinct was to cast Matt Bomer, but since he's already playing Larry Trainor in the DC series "Doom Patrol," it's a better idea to cast his doppelgänger, Cheyenne Jackson.
Jackson got his start in musical theater so he's already a proven physical actor, but the role that proves he'd be a killer Wonder Man is surprisingly another Disney property, the television film "Descendents 3" where he played the live-action version of Hades from Disney's "Hercules." Cheyenne Jackson absolutely kills it in the role, which shares a lot of spiritual energy with a character like Wonder Man due to the sarcasm, classic good looks, and dynamic emotional range.
Jackson will soon be seen in the highly-anticipated "Borderlands" film as weapons manufacturer Jakobs, and thanks to his guest spots on "American Horror Story" and "30 Rock," he's got a perfect grasp on the anti-hero comedy required of a character like Simon Williams.
Isaiah Mustafa
Wonder Man/Simon Williams is often nicknamed "Mr. Muscles," so who better to play him than one of the most famously muscular men currently working today, Isaiah Mustafa?
Mustafa played adult Mike Hanlon in "It: Chapter Two" and Luke Garroway on Freeform's fantasy series "Shadowhunters," but he's also known as "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" from the 2010s Old Spice commercials. The former football player is dripping with charisma and looks like a hunk and a half, and yet Hollywood still hasn't figured out what to do with him. The answer? Make him a Marvel superhero.
Mustafa deserves the chance to show the world what he's really made of and it's a crime he's not been scooped up already to play characters that make him a household name outside of being the Old Spice guy. Before Netflix announced their "Luke Cage" series, Mustafa appeared in a faux-trailer as the character and said that he had been chatting it up with Marvel. If he's been on their radar for this long, it's high time they do something with him, because he can pull it off. Mustafa has had guest appearances on action-packed shows like "Charlie's Angels" and "Nikita," but has had plenty of chances to show off his comedic chops in shows like "Kroll Show" and even voicing characters on "Robot Chicken." Dude's got the goods, and it's about time a major studio recognized his talent.
Ethan Page
For as long as I've been working in this industry, I've been screaming from the rooftops that studios are missing out on a major area of casting opportunities by neglecting to cast professional wrestlers in their superhero projects. Wrestlers spend every week throwing their bodies through hell and having to win over crowds of thousands of people live, on-air, and do it with ease. For Wonder Man/Simon Williams, the absolute best choice is AEW star, Ethan Page.
I've been privileged to watch "All Ego" Ethan Page transform over the years, and the 6'2" "body guy" is primed and ready to join the MCU. Page is one of the best talkers in the wrestling business, and his current AEW character is a cocky heel that would fit perfectly with Simon Williams' attitude. With Page already jacked as hell and with decades of physical acting experience as a pro wrestler, he'd even be able to pull off most of his own stunts. To top it all off, Ethan Page is a well-documented comic book dork, even hosting a YouTube series where he and his other wrestling pals hunt for vintage toys, video games, and other forms of memorabilia. Casting Page would be a perfect meta-decision, and I guarantee he'd dedicate himself to the role more than anyone else in Hollywood.
Zac Efron
Before anyone craps their pants over the possibility of the star of the "High School Musical" series joining the MCU, consider this an evergreen reminder that Zac Efron is a phenomenal actor who has been completely underutilized in his post-tween icon era, and someone who has been vying for the chance to appear in the MCU for a very long time.
If anyone could pull off a role like Wonder Man/Simon Williams, it's Zac Efron. He's got the classic Hollywood good looks, he's proven to be an effortlessly charming himbo in roles like "Neighbors," he's still got the "Baywatch" body a superhero series craves, his experience in musicals and the survivor thriller "Gold" show he's more than capable of pulling off the physicality an MCU series requires, and his transformative turn as Ted Bundy in "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile" should have hushed any naysayers about his ability to be more than just a child star. Frankly, it's odd that Efron hasn't been tapped by either the MCU or the DCEU to become a major player, because he's the total superhero package.
Nathan Fillion
If there's any poetic justice in the world, however, Wonder Man/Simon Williams will be played by Nathan Fillion. James Gunn had originally intended for Fillion to appear in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" as the character, but unfortunately, the scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Recently, Fillion lent his voice to the character in the "M.O.D.O.K." animated series, so allowing him to rightfully play the role in live-action only seems fair.
Fillion truly embodies everything about the character and has proven with performances like Captain Hammer in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on "Firefly" (and its film continuation "Serenity"), and Richard Castle on "Castle" that he was born to play the role. Here's hoping the timeline hasn't passed him by and he'll finally get the chance to bring the character to life after all these years.