Destin Daniel Cretton Says Marvel Cared About 'Wonder Man'
Exclusive: Destin Daniel Cretton Says Marvel Absolutely Cared About ‘Wonder Man’
- Cretton refutes the narrative that Marvel lacked faith in the Wonder Man series, citing the studio's full support.
- Cretton relates to the self-doubt and anxieties experienced by the lead character, Simon Williams, a struggling actor.
- The series provides a redemption arc for Trevor Slattery, a controversial character from previous Marvel films.
Wonder Man is one of Marvel Studios’ most ambitious projects to date and is currently one of the highest-rated series. Destin Daniel Cretton spoke with CassiusLife about the hit show following its release.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has officially joined the MCU as Simon Williams, a mutant who has ambitions of making it big in Hollywood, and his eyes are on his dream role, playing Wonder Man, but he has a powerful secret that could derail those dreams.
Simon runs into Trevor Slattery in what he thinks is a chance encounter, and the two wind up forming a bond as they work towards landing roles in the upcoming Wonder Man film, delivering us 8 episodes of pure greatness and the duo of Simon and Trevor, whom we didn’t know needed.
Did Marvel Really Have No Faith In Wonder Man?
Before and after Wonder Man’s release, there was this narrative being pushed that Marvel Studios had no faith in the series.
Fans pointed to an alleged “lack of promotion,” but if you followed Marvel’s social accounts, you would see that the series received a very creative promotional push, with Mateen even appearing at the Fantastic Four: First Steps premiere in July, in character as Simon Williams.
Then, releasing all episodes of the series at once further fueled speculation that Marvel did not believe in the series.
We asked Cretton about that, and he basically shut all of that talk down.
“If Marvel didn’t care about this show, it wouldn’t be out in the world at all,” Cretton said.
“And it definitely would not be out in the world in the form that it is. I think it’s … I am very happy to see that people are loving the show for the same reasons we do, because it’s different. It’s a bit of a big swing for Marvel to take. And I can’t say it was a struggle to make, ” he continued. “Everybody from Kevin on down really loved the tone of the show and loved that it was different, and loved pushing limits. And everybody here loves movies, and that’s what the show is really about. So yeah, the internet likes to make up stories and narratives. But I love the passion behind it because people just love the show and want more people to see it. So I’m all for that.”
Cretton Shares How He Connects With Simon Williams
After Wonder Man finally dropped on Disney+, many viewers, particularly actors, shared how they could relate to Simon’s journey to make it in Hollywood. Others related to Simon’s tendency to overthink, which, in most cases, didn’t help matters.
Cretton revealed during our interview that he sees himself in Simon, while understanding why so many others can relate tø the character.
“I mean, I see so much of myself in Simon Williams. I think most people who are in any kind of creative field sees that, can relate very clearly to the self-doubt, to Simon when he’s on his little anxious rants,” Cretton begins. “I feel like the words coming out of his mouth are the thoughts in my head. And Andrew Guest, our showrunner, feels the same way. I do think that’s why so many people are connecting with Simon because he wears his heart on his sleeve. Everything that’s in his head just comes out his mouth. And he is an over thinker because he really cares. He really cares about what he’s doing about getting it right. And that that’s how I feel every time I’m making a movie or a show.”
Trevor Flattery’s Redemption
When we first met Sir Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3, he was pretending to be The Mandarin, one of the most iconic villains in Marvel Comics lore, and that didn’t sit well with fans.
Cretton brought him back in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, while also introducing us to the real Mandarin, using Trevor as a what he describes as a “narrative fix,” that’s where the redemption arc for Trevor begins.
“Well, Trevor Slattery was, I mean, his trajectory through the MCU, I think, is a fascinating journey,” Cretton said.
“When we were putting him into Shang-Chi, it was really to help solve a narrative problem that we were faced with. Which was we were introducing the world to the real Mandarin, played by the great Tony Leung. And what a better way to contrast and redefine Trevor than to see how did the real Mandarin, Tony Leung, respond to what Trevor was doing, and defacing his name?” Cretton revealed to CassiusLife.
“And really getting to know Trevor Slattery in the context of that movie, introduced me to Sir Ben, and Sir Ben Kingsley’s heart, and his passion for this character. And how much hidden backstory he had created for this character that we never found and were never exposed to in these movies. So a lot of that was what initially made me excited to learn more about him. And to throw him back into his old haunts in Los Angeles, and force him to deal with the stuff he was running from.”
Cretton Reveals Why Wonder Man’s Finale Wasn’t A CGI Spectacle
Every Marvel Studios film and television series has become known for having one big CGI spectacle to close things out, and it’s usually hit or miss.
With Wonder Man, Cretton and showrunner Andrew Guest took a different approach, opting for a simple yet rewarding conclusion that perfectly encapsulated both Simon and Trevor.
“I think there is a beautiful simplicity that was an idea that Andrew and I talked about very early on in the process. Of having two characters who, for most of their lives, have been fairly self-centered. They’ve lived most of their life making choices around the orbit of one. And seeing them, over the course of this show, learn how to be a friend. And so the finale of this show is watching two narcissists make the first time in their life potentially make a real sacrifice for somebody else. And I find it very simple and beautiful and moving,” Cretton explained.
You can watch all 8 episodes of Wonder Man right now, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
