Marvel told Zach Braff he was on its Wonder Man season 2 list. A week later it cancelled the show
Zach Braff says he came within a whisker of joining the MCU as a director — and he’s sharing new details.
Here's one you probably didn't see coming: Zach Braff, of all people, nearly got himself a gig in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No, not as a wisecracking sidekick in a green suit—he was actually up for directing Wonder Man, the surprise Marvel TV project that seemed to vanish as suddenly as it arrived.
Braff got into the Marvel orbit thanks to some gentle (well, probably not that gentle) nagging from his old Scrubs mate, Donald Faison. Faison, enormous Marvel fan that he is, had apparently been encouraging Braff to get stuck into superhero business for ages. When Marvel started taking meetings for Wonder Man's second season, Braff finally got round the table.
Speaking to Yahoo Canada, Braff explained, "Donald and I both have a shared love of the show Wonder Man. And he's always wanted me to work with Marvel. So I had a meeting with them, and I was like, 'I love your show. Pls put me on the list for consideration to direct season 2.' And they said, 'We love your work. Yes, consider yourself on the list.' And Donald and I were high-fiving, and then about a week later they said, 'You know that show that's very popular and just got Emmy nominations? We've canceled it.'"
Imagine being handed the keys to the Marvel kingdom—at least for an episode or two—only for the whole thing to evaporate a week later. It's a tough break, even for someone with an Emmy on the shelf and a hit podcast to boot.
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The Wonder Man Saga
Wonder Man made its Disney+ debut earlier this year, with Destin Daniel Cretton, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, and Stella Meghie all taking a crack at the director's chair for the first—and now only—season. It landed with loads of critical love but, for reasons Marvel's not keen to spell out, not many people actually watched. Despite all that, and decent buzz from the awards crowd, Marvel initially gave it a season two greenlight.
Wonder Man series star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys.
But then, in a bizarre twist, Marvel pulled the plug on the whole show in July—right after those Emmy nominations came in. Fans were less than thrilled, Abdul-Mateen included. For Marvel, quietly binning a talked-about series after renewals and awards nods is a bit odd, but apparently it's par for the course these days.
- Wonder Man debuted earlier in 2026 to strong reviews but struggled to find viewers.
- The show was picked up for a second season before being abruptly cancelled in July.
- Directors included Destin Daniel Cretton, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, Stella Meghie.
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starred and received an Emmy nomination for his trouble.
- The first season is still available to stream on Disney+.
- Braff very nearly joined for season two, if only it had survived.