TV

Bob Odenkirk Quashes Wonder Man Casting Rumors, Says He’s Ready for the MCU

Bob Odenkirk Quashes Wonder Man Casting Rumors, Says He’s Ready for the MCU
Image credit: Legion-Media

Bob Odenkirk shuts down Wonder Man casting rumors — but leaves the door open for a future MCU role.

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So, 'Wonder Man' did something almost nobody expected—it dropped on Disney+ as part of Marvel's Phase Six, and somehow managed to win over basically every critic. I'm not exaggerating here. Marvel diehards and haters alike actually agreed: this was one of the studio's best TV swings. And here's the kicker—it was so well-received that Marvel gave it a second season, even though they were apparently pretty iffy about the project at first. Lesson learned, I guess: sometimes the weird ones work.

The Cast: Returning Faces, Hollywood Satire, and a Little Rumor Mill

Season 2 is sticking with its MVPs—Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is back as Simon Williams, and Ben Kingsley's still around as Trevor Slattery. If you didn't watch season 1, the gist is this: these two are thrown into the deep end of a totally bonkers Hollywood scene, trying (and often failing) to navigate the industry's nonsense. It's almost a sendup of the business from the inside.

Last year, the show rolled out a parade of celebrity cameos, all of them taking meta potshots at themselves and the business. A couple of highlights:

  • Josh Gad showed up, only to get stuck inside 'Doorman' (don't ask, but yes, it's as weird as it sounds).
  • Joe Pantoliano popped up as Slattery's longtime acting nemesis (honestly, that rivalry was one of S1's best bits).

There's every reason to expect more guest stars elbowing their way onto the show this time around—Hollywood loves nothing more than poking fun at itself, especially when someone else is writing the jokes. Who's on the next round of guest lists? Marvel's keeping that under wraps for now.

The Odenkirk Situation: Almost, But Not Quite

Now, if you were following online rumors, you probably heard chatter last season that Bob Odenkirk was in the running for a big part—specifically, Simon Williams's manager, a character named Neal Saroyan. That would've been very on-brand casting, but here's the twist: Ed Harris actually landed that role instead, and he stuck with it for all of season 1. So Odenkirk fans, you missed out (for now). That said, Odenkirk has apparently hinted he's not against somehow popping up in this universe, so I'd keep my eyes peeled.

What Happens Now?

Marvel hasn't coughed up much about what the next season's plot will look like, or who might be guest-starring alongside the regulars. What we do know: Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley will be back, more Hollywood satire is incoming, and there's a decent chance for more bizarre meta moments—hopefully without trapping any more actors inside doors this time around.

'Wonder Man' is a rare case where Marvel took a chance, fumbled the ball on how much they even believed in it, and wound up scoring anyway. Go figure.

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