Wonder Man showrunner says the Marvel show "could have been a tax write-off," but producers fought to save it

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Wonder Man showrunner says the Marvel show "could have been a tax write-off," but producers fought to save it News By George Marston published 27 January 2026

Wonder Man survived unlikely odds to make it all the way to release

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The MCU's new streaming series Wonder Man is a hit among critics, but there was a chance that it was almost canceled as a "tax write" off while early in production. Wonder Man director Destin Daniel Cretton opened up about the show's unlikely path to success while navigating 2023's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that temporarily shut down the US film industry.

"We were halfway through ours," Cretton says at a live event (via Laughing Place), explaining the timing of the strikes. "You know, it could have been a tax write-off for Disney, but I know for a fact that the people who were producing this show, like Brian and all of our amazing team there, were fighting their asses off to make sure that we came back and finished this weird, melancholy show. That, you know, was a big, big swing for them."

Wonder Man is indeed a fantastic show, anchored by the chemistry between Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley). A major part of its charm is that it's not the average Marvel show, focusing mostly on character drama rather than superheroics.

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"Truthfully, if you are going in to watch this show expecting a superhero show that is typically like something you've seen before, I think you will not like the show, if that's all you want," Cretton previously told GamesRadar +. "But I also think you'll probably, if you watch it all the way through, surprisingly, fall in love with these characters and find that this show, even though it's not a typical superhero show, to me, uses the genre in a way that is so much more exciting and interesting than just watching two people fight."

Wonder Man is streaming on Disney Plus. For more, check out our Wonder Man review and stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are currently in the works.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Marvel Studios CATEGORIES Disney Plus Streaming Services George MarstonSocial Links Navigation

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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