This is a spoiler-free advance review of the first episode of Wonder Man, which debuts on Disney+ on January 27.
Marvel’s latest live-action Disney+ series, Wonder Man, shares an awful lot in common with 2024’s Echo. Like that show, it’s a smaller, character-driven series that carries the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. It’s being unceremoniously dumped on the platform all at once, just as Echo was two years ago. And most importantly, it’s a project that Marvel probably should have shown more faith in. The first episode isn’t going to magically cure the larger MCU of its current woes, but on its own merits, it’s an entertaining detour through Marvel’s version of Hollywood.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II crosses over from the DCEU (and the Watchmen universe as well) to the MCU for this miniseries, playing the role of struggling actor Simon Williams. Don’t expect a 1:1 translation of the source material in this case. Simon isn’t juggling twin responsibilities as an actor and an Avenger, nor is he hobnobbing with heroes like his BFF Beast or becoming entangled in a love triangle with Vision and Scarlet Witch.
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Marvel has gone in a much more grounded and meta direction with this series. The first episode introduces Simon as a hungry but not particularly successful thespian who might be best described as “aggressively overprepared” for his auditions. Simon sees his potential big break when a Hollywood studio decides to remake the ‘70s cult classic Wonder Man. In the process, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with another down-on-his-luck Hollywood actor in Ben Kingsley’s Trevor “I Played the Mandarin Once” Slattery.
Whether you can run with this very different spin on Wonder Man will determine how well the series resonates. This show isn’t necessarily about introducing the next great MCU leading man. Considering how many characters the Multiverse Saga has introduced and failed to properly develop, that would be a frustrating approach, frankly. This is simply a lighthearted character drama that happens to take place in the MCU. Were it not for the presence of Kingsley’s Trevor, there would be almost nothing to tie Wonder Man to the larger universe in its first episode.
But that’s just fine, mostly because Abdul-Mateen delivers such a bang-up performance. His Simon is immensely likable in spite of his flaws. Abdul-Mateen brings a real energy to the role, as well as a gravitas that manages to gel nicely with the overall light and floaty tone of the series. He’s overzealous and a bit self-absorbed, sure, but we also get a great sense of Simon as a film buff with a true passion for his work. He’s a true believer in a town full of cynics.
Kingsley remains his manic, nebbish, entertaining self in his fourth go-round as Trevor Slattery. Who in 2013 could have predicted the arc this character would take in the MCU? Trevor makes for a fun mentor/foil to Simon, and the first episode gives just enough of a hint of Trevor’s larger story that I’m fully invested in the series for his sake, too.
It’s also fun spending some time in the MCU version of Los Angeles. As you’d expect, there’s a heaping helping of self-aware humor to the scenes of Simon auditioning and butting heads with his exasperated agent (X Mayo). There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than making films and shows about Hollywood. But for now, at least, the navel-gazing and meta commentary are amusing rather than aggravating. It doesn’t hurt that director Destin Daniel Cretton brings such a fun sense of energy to Episode 1, particularly in the scenes where Simon is frantically driving to an audition and grappling with a hallway crammed full of rival actors.
All told, this is a very solid start to the new series. But does the initial premise carry enough weight to justify an eight-episode show? Not necessarily, which is why it’s just as well that this episode throws a late-game curveball that casts everything in a different light. By the end, we get a slightly better idea of where Wonder Man is actually headed and what Simon’s place in a world full of superhumans truly is. If the promise of a more character-driven MCU show isn’t enough on its own, that tease might just seal the deal.