Bad Optics: Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ Race-Swap Debate Just Got Louder

Disney+ canceled Wonder Man after one season, even though Marvel renewed the series for a second season in March. The reversal came after the show earned a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II received an Emmy nomination for his lead performance. What changed, and why has Disney refused to show the numbers? Probably because despite being the “second most watched Disney+ Marvel series” the numbers were still terrible. Abdul-Mateen is now asking that question in public. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said he was told the decision involved viewership. He was not shown the data behind that explanation. “I was told that it had something to do with the viewership numbers,” Abdul-Mateen said. “I wasn’t told what those numbers were, but ultimately, for whatever reason it was, I think they decided that it didn’t make sense for business.” That answer may satisfy a corporate memo, but it does not satisfy people who watched the show or worked on it. And what does Abdul-Mateen have to lose by asking it? Disney never released official viewership figures. Nielsen placed Wonder Man at No. 8 on its streaming originals chart during the week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 1, ...