Wonder Man star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has spoken out about the Disney+ series' abrupt cancellation, saying he was told it came down to viewership numbers that "didn't make sense for business", though he was given no specifics on actual figures or targets. The explanation has done little to quell criticism, since it doesn't account for Disney and Marvel renewing the show in March, only to reverse that decision in July, and the timing has drawn scrutiny for coinciding with frustration over the shelving of Mahershala Ali's Blade film.

Abdul-Mateen said "the optics are obvious" and called for "real, hard information" about why the show, which he felt had quality storytelling, performances and audience response, was axed despite having "all of the ingredients" for success. The cancellation has fuelled wider criticism online about Marvel's treatment of projects featuring Black leads, citing examples such as the long-delayed Armor Wars, Ironheart's held-back release, the poorly received Secret Invasion, and Anthony Mackie's troubled Captain America outing. It remains unclear how many more live-action Disney+ Marvel shows are planned, with only VisionQuest and Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 currently confirmed.