Canceled "Wonder Man" Was Disney+'s Second Most Popular Series in 2026

The decision to cancel the show after an official renewal for a second season still raises questions among the audience.

The series "Wonder Man" ranked second among Disney+'s original releases in terms of total viewing time in the US during the first half of 2026. According to data from the analytical agency Luminate, viewers spent 1.9 billion minutes watching the show. Only the second season of "Daredevil: Born Again" surpassed it with 2.3 billion minutes.

"Wonder Man" outperformed releases such as the second season of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," the first season of the revamped "Daredevil: Born Again," and the animated project "Star Wars: Darth Maul: Lord of Darkness." Each of these, however, received a green light for continuation.

Therefore, Disney+'s decision to cancel "Wonder Man" raised many questions among fans, especially considering that showrunner Andrew Guest had already begun developing the second season.

Apparently, the explanation lies in audience retention metrics and budget efficiency. According to Luminate analysts, "Wonder Man" lost 48% of its viewers from premiere to finale: only 52% of those who started watching made it to the final episode. Meanwhile, new Disney+ series typically expect renewal with retention no lower than 53%.

Furthermore, the production budget for the eight episodes is estimated at $56-80 million. For Marvel Studios, this is a modest sum, but the cost-to-total-minutes-watched ratio turned out to be worse than that of the third season of "The Mandalorian."