The MCU slate for 2026 begins. Witness the bromance of Simon and Trevor as they make a name for themselves in Hollywood with Wonder Man!
Marvel Television will be kicking off the MCU content this year with Wonder Man. The 8-episode show is a character-focused story, with each episode showing different layers of the characters.
The show utilizes its Hollywood setting well and shows different metaphors along the way. By the end of the show, maybe you will understand why this is one of the more unique entries in the franchise.
Wonder Man is part of Phase six of the MCU and the seventeenth series overall. The show is created by Destin Daniel Cretton, who is director of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Additionally, Andrew Guest serves as the show runner and co-creator with Cretton. The series stands out of the rest of the MCU as the overall plot and setting is small-scale from the rest. With this, it brings a certain charm and mixes it up a bit considering how far the MCU has come.
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Wonder Man Plot and Storyline
The main plot of the series is Simon Williams an actor. He is struggling to make a name for himself, in an already saturated business called Hollywood. We see he is very passionate about his work. Although, that passion gets in his way of securing more roles.
He then meets Trevor Slattery. A veteran actor known not for his tenure in the business. But, for his crime portraying the global terrorist “The Mandarin.”After their encounter, Simon sets his eyes on what he says as “a role made for me.”Famous director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero classic, Wonder Man.
The highlight of the series is the relationship between Simon and Trevor. We see the mentor-apprentice banter and the opposites attract vibe here. With Simon being this serious and uptight that bounces off with Trevor’s outgoing and carefree attitude well.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley make the viewers easily care for their characters well with their magnetic chemistry. Moreover, which makes the inevitable conflict hurt more.
A theme for this show is secrets and the struggle of hiding them. We learn that Simon has powers, it triggers whenever he is feeling stress. And that is where the Department of Damage Control (DODC) comes in.
The DODC assigns Trevor to spy on Simon to gather enough information and evidence to apprehend him. Their respective secrets is a shadow looming over them. With each wholesome and bright encounter they have, we are reminded that secrets have a great cost.
An interesting thing we appreciate is the irony of Simon’s approach to his roles. He dedicates himself to be as authentic as possible to his roles. But, when the cameras are off, his struggle of hiding as a super-powered being is on full display.
Is the show good? Yes! What makes it stand out for us is how character-driven and dialogue heavy it is. We know those concepts can be slow or boring. But, in this case, those concepts help the show more. Considerably, the pace is actually fast. Which makes it binge-worthy. It pushes the viewer to invest with the two leads.
Final thoughts
Overall, Wonder Man is a unique entry to the MCU. A low-stakes, highly-investing story about two people and their passion for what they love. If there is one thing that can hold this show back is, as of now, it is not a “high requirement” content to look out for.
Casual viewers may find this confusing. Moreover, it makes them question how can this contribute to the greater MCU? Well, in the future it might because the ending leaves the door for more stories to tell.
Lastly, we hope Josh Gad is okay. Wherever he is right now. (*wink* *wink*)
All episodes of Marvel Television’s Wonder Man is available to stream on Disney+!
Source: Marvel
