Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will join an exclusive club of actors to play more than one comic book role. Both times, he’s played characters that the novice comic book fan may not be aware of. Thankfully, this worked in his favor in both Aquaman movies (as Black Manta) and will benefit him again in Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man as Simon Williams because he's working with a blank canvas. Not just because some people won't be aware of who he is. It's mostly because Wonder Man isn't someone with so much history that changes small things won't make a difference.
Simon Williams is one of the most powers are close to the same level as Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel). Sadly, he never seemed to take being a superhero as seriously as he should. He wanted to be an actor. Unfortunately, it never seemed like he was going to hit the big time. If I had to guess, everything from his power levels to apprehension to be a hero will be a key part of the newestMarvel Cinematic Universe series on Disney Plus: Wonder Man. Below is how you can watch the series premiere to find out if I’m right.
Wonder Man release date and exact time on Prime Video
Wonder Man will premiere on the Disney Plus streaming platform in the US on Wednesday, January 27, at 6:00 p.m. PT, 9:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 a.m. MT, and 8:00 p.m. CT. Rather than making this a weekly, episodic release, Marvel Studios has opted to release all eight episodes will be released at once - just as they did with previous Marvel Spotlight series Echo.
On that note, here are all of the release times around the world on Disney Plus for Wonder Man, including areas such as the UK, Australia, India, and more:
- Hawaii: 3:00 p.m. HST on Tuesday, January 27
- Alaska: 5:00 p.m. AKDT on Tuesday, January 27
- West Coast of the US: 6:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, January 27
- Mountain Time: 7:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday, January 27
- Midwest of the US: 8:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, January 27
- East Coast of the US: 9:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 27
- Brazil: 10:00 p.m. BRT on Tuesday, January 27
- UK: 2:00 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, January 28
- France: 3:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, January 28
- Germany: 3:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, January 28
- India (Disney+ Hotstar): 6:30 a.m. IST on Wednesday, January 28
- Italy: 3:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, January 28
- Spain: 3:00 a.m. CET on Wednesday, January 28
- South Korea: 10:00 a.m. KST on Wednesday, January 28
- Japan: 10:00 a.m. JST on Wednesday, January 28
- Sydney, Australia: 12:00 p.m. AEDT on Wednesday, January 28
The Marvel Spotlight release schedule explained
Wonder Man has a very unique release schedule that is reserved for a specific type of MCU show. We're talking about the Marvel Spotlight brand, as the show replicates 2024's Echo in releasing all of its episodes at once. Yes, they will all be available at the same time, meaning that Simon Williams' adventures will serve as a mini movie, all ready to be consumed at the same time.
While animated shows Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies were also released as binge-watches, Marvel Television tends to save the binge-releases for the Marvel Spotlight banner.
There are indeed eight episodes of Wonder Man in total:
- Episode 1: Matinee
- Episode 2: Self-Tape
- Episode 3: Pacoima
- Episode 4: Doorman
- Episode 5: Found Footage
- Episode 6: Call Back
- Episode 7: Kathy Friedman
- Episode 8: Yucca Valley

What to expect from Wonder Man
In the MCU, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will play Simon Williams. As the tagline goes “He’s an actor with a secret.” That secret (as you can see in the preview above) is that he has superpowers. So far, all that’s seen is that he has super strength and his eyes glow. In the comic books, he has more abilities, and they may come into play at some point in the series.
In terms of villains, potentially look for Simon’s brother, Eric Williams (played by Demetrius Grosse), to become a dangerous villain named Grim Reaper (and be someone that fans detest!). Reaper is petty, irrational, and evil. He's also a character with a connection to the dead. If Simon's parents are dead, Eric would absolutely bring them back to life to torment Simon during their fight.
Grim Reaper also has a history of fighting Vision. It wouldn’t be shocking if Eric Williams’ appearance as a villain becomes a connection to Marvel Studios' upcoming Disney Plus project, VisionQuest. The origin of Vision is different in the comics (Vision was created with the brain patterns of the then-deceased Simon Williams), it won't be shocking if there's still a connection to VisionQuest, or maybe hint at the return of Ultron.
Lastly, there’s a chance that the Von Kovak in Wonder Man could turn out to be the cosmic villain, Michael Korvac. He could be the one who gives Eric Williams his powers as the Grim Reaper. That isn’t how it happens in Marvel Comics, but there’s a chance since this isn't the source material. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out.
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