‘Wonder Man’ review | New Marvel series is commentary on Hollywood
“Wonder Man” is an engagingly stressful look at the modern actor’s struggle in Hollywood, plus the added factors of living in the Marvel universe.
“Wonder Man” is the second Marvel show (after “Echo” in 2022) to release under the “Marvel Spotlight” title, which Marvel has stated will deliver more grounded and character-driven stories that aren’t as essential to having seen the rest of the projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While “Wonder Man” is absolutely a part of the overarching MCU, I would agree that if someone hadn’t seen other Marvel movies or shows, this show is disconnected enough to understand and enjoy on its own.
In the new series, Simon Williams (Yahya Adbul-Mateen II) is a struggling actor who takes his profession very seriously, maybe too seriously for some, as his methods seem to lose him gigs. Upon a chance encounter with seasoned actor/former terrorist Trevor Slattery (previously seen as The Mandarin in “Iron Man 3” and “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) (Sir Ben Kingsley), Simon finds out there are auditions for a big-budget remake of his favorite film as a kid, the one that got him into the profession originally, “Wonder Man.” The series navigates the auditioning process and the unlikely friendship between the two actors.
Halfway through the series, the episode “Doorman” is a break from our main story for a little bit of backstory on a new character and story that relates to a new, in-universe law: Hollywood actors may not have superpowers.
As one might imagine, yes, Simon Williams is a super-powered individual, and must keep this a secret or risk losing out on the most important role of his career, and getting arrested by the Department of Damage Control (as previously seen in “Ms. Marvel” and “Spider-Man No Way Home”).
The show has a lot of commentary on what it can mean to different people to be an actor, the artistry and absurdity of the profession, and of the modern film industry in general.
Not only does “friendship and betrayal” seem to be the main theme of the series, but also of the script for the in-universe “Wonder Man” film that they are producing. It’s both stressful and fun to see play out, and does a great job of keeping the audience wanting more with lots of questions waiting to be answered from episode to episode.
I would put “Wonder Man” in the upper-middle of my Marvel series rankings, I doubt as many scenes will stick in my mind overall as they do from “WandaVision,” “Loki,” or “Agatha All Along,” but definitely leagues above “Secret Invasion” or “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
Marvel’s “Wonder Man” releases all eight episodes on Disney+ starting January 27, 2026.
In our review copy, there were no end-credit scenes, and we were not made aware of any alterations/ omissions, so there may not be any.
We’ll have to wait and see if/when Wonder Man”” may return in the future …
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