The Bold Pitch Kevin Feige Used to Land Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for Wonder Man

Let's be honest: not every actor jumps at the chance to join the Marvel industrial complex anymore, especially if they've already punched their DC Comics card. Case in point—Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who you probably recognize as Black Manta from Aquaman, recently explained just how close he came to passing on the Marvel Studios' Wonder Man series. And honestly, his approach to picking superhero gigs makes a lot of sense.

One Marvel Dollar to Spend

Abdul-Mateen told the story on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and his reasoning is refreshingly practical. When his agents brought him the pitch for Wonder Man, he was intrigued—Destin Daniel Cretton (fresh off Shang-Chi) was running the show, which didn't hurt. But before anything moved forward, Abdul-Mateen insisted on speaking directly with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

Why? Here's the way Yahya phrased it:

"This sounds like a great opportunity. But I only get one Marvel dollar to spend... and I want to make sure that I spend it well."

Basically, with Hollywood's superhero treadmill, actors only get so many shots at the big franchises before audiences (and maybe execs) get sick of seeing them in spandex. In Abdul-Mateen's mind, this was a big gamble; he was even prepared to wait on a Marvel role that felt perfect instead of just putting on another cape for the paycheck.

What Finally Sold Him

Marvel's people tried to tell him that Feige was busy, but Abdul-Mateen played hardball. He wasn't moving forward until he heard directly from the boss. Eventually, they got Feige on the line, who reassured him with a simple line that made all the difference:

"[Feige] let me know that it'll be a dollar well spent."

After that, something unexpected happened. Abdul-Mateen decided to pitch Feige on his comedic chops, thinking nobody really saw him as the funny guy. To his surprise, Feige was already convinced—it turns out someone at Marvel had actually noticed his sense of humor before he even started selling himself.

"I said, 'People don't know that I'm funny.' He says, 'Yes...' It was just fantastic. It was very important for me to make it count."

How It Worked Out

Turns out it wasn't much of a gamble after all. Wonder Man scored enough interest (and, presumably, streams) that Marvel is already working on a second season. So, for all the actors out there keeping their "Marvel card" in their back pocket, maybe take note: sometimes, it's worth holding out for a call with Feige.

• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Wonder Man for Marvel
• He debated taking the role until a personal chat with Kevin Feige
• Feige convinced him it was the right choice with one reassuring line
• Abdul-Mateen was relieved that Marvel actually sees his comedic side
• Wonder Man season 1 is out now, and a season 2 is already on the way