Disney shelved two major Marvel projects this year: the Wonder Man Disney Plus series and the Blade film. Both centered on Black actors—Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mahershala Ali respectively. These back-to-back cancellations sparked immediate backlash, with critics pointing to a glaring common factor: Marvel Studios' visible struggle with diverse casting. For Disney, the cancellations represent a significant strategic setback in its streaming content plans.
Abdul-Mateen pointed to viewership numbers, not creative quality. According to Polygon, he told Vanity Fair it reflected obvious optics problems. 'If I'm a big business, if I'm Disney, if I'm Marvel, I don't want to be attached to these optics,' he said. 'So it should be a priority to change that narrative and to do what it takes to responsibly change that narrative with quality stories, with quality resources.' He emphasized that Wonder Man met all criteria for success: quality storytelling, quality production resources, and a talented cast.
Mahershala Ali, set to star in Blade, was more direct. 'They had me under contract, they have billions of dollars,' he said in July, 'so if they wanted to do the movie, we would've done the movie.'
Racial diversity criticism extends beyond the two cancellations. Polygon noted broader concerns about Marvel's direction with Black-led projects. Anthony Mackie's new Captain America role has been undercut by Chris Evans' surprise return as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday. Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau, has been sidelined in the MCU's marketing following the events of The Marvels, despite her character playing a significant role in that 2023 film.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige acknowledged the damage in July, saying he felt 'like a gigantic loser and failure' that Blade never moved forward with Ali.
Wonder Man showrunner Andrew Guest expressed surprise at the cancellation. Contracts had been signed and production schedules cleared before Disney and Marvel decided to abandon the project. According to Guest, the series was scheduled to begin production in early 2025.