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Wonder Man is one of Marvel Studios’ most low-key and peculiar television experiments to date. Created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, the Disney+ miniseries follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an up-and-coming actor in Los Angeles whose biggest dream is not to save the world, but to book the lead role in a remake of his favorite childhood movie, Wonder Man. It’s a concept that immediately separates the show from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and yet, by the end of its run, it also feels emblematic of Marvel’s current creative malaise.
The opening episode sets the tone well. Simon lands a small role on American Horror Story, but loses the part after overanalyzing his character to the point that production is delayed. It’s a painfully relatable moment for anyone who has spent time in the entertainment industry, and the show smartly leans into that specificity. Dejected, Simon attends a screening of Midnight Cowboy, where he runs into Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the once-infamous actor behind the fake Mandarin persona in Iron Man 3. Trevor reveals that he’s auditioning for the Wonder Man remake — a revelation that sends Simon into a spiral, as Wonder Man is a film he watched with his father growing up. The role represents not just career success, but emotional closure and validation.
The central hook of the series is genuinely interesting: Simon is secretly superpowered, but enhanced individuals are banned from acting due to skyrocketing insurance costs. His goal, therefore, is to land the role of a lifetime without anyone discovering what he can do. It’s a clever inversion of the traditional superhero premise. Simon has no interest in vigilantism, crime-fighting, or public heroics. He simply wants to act. In a genre oversaturated with masked crusaders and multiversal stakes, Wonder Man earns points for attempting something smaller, quieter, and more human.
That relatability is clearly intentional. The series is designed to resonate with struggling actors — the constant self-tapes, the anxiety of distractions during auditions, the feeling that one missed opportunity could change everything. In that sense, Wonder Man often feels more like an industry satire or a backstage comedy-drama than a superhero show. It’s also notably light on action, which will either feel refreshing or disappointing depending on your expectations.
One of the undeniable highlights is Ben Kingsley’s return as Trevor Slattery. While Iron Man 3 was initially divisive, particularly due to its Mandarin twist, time has been kind to the film (I watch it every Christmas), and Kingsley’s performance has only grown in stature. Marvel clearly knows it struck gold with the character, bringing him back in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and now positioning him as the emotional counterweight to Simon. Trevor is once again chasing relevance, still clinging to his love of acting while carrying the baggage of his past mistakes. The dynamic between Kingsley and Abdul-Mateen is the heart of the show, and their evolving friendship gives Wonder Man its most effective moments.
There is some added tension courtesy of the Department of Damage Control, which pressures Trevor to spy on Simon without Simon’s knowledge. While this subplot adds a layer of intrigue, it never quite escalates into anything particularly gripping. That’s emblematic of the show as a whole: the ideas are solid, but rarely pushed far enough.
Tonally, Wonder Man aims for a low-stakes, ground-level superhero comedy, though it never commits fully to being laugh-out-loud funny. It isn’t trying as aggressively to be comedic as She-Hulk, and that restraint ultimately works in its favor. While the humor doesn’t always land, the show avoids the tonal whiplash and overindulgence that plagued some of Marvel’s recent TV efforts. There are flashes of screwball comedy and moments of genuine absurdity, but overall, the series elicits more mild smiles than big laughs.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II carries the show with ease. He brings warmth, insecurity, and quiet desperation to Simon Williams, making him an instantly sympathetic protagonist. You believe in his dream, even when the show itself struggles to elevate that dream into something dramatically compelling. Supporting characters, particularly Simon’s skeptical older brother, hint at deeper emotional conflict, but those threads are never explored with enough depth to truly resonate. The drama is present, but always feels slightly undercooked.
That sense of incompleteness defines Wonder Man. It’s not bad — far from it — but it’s also not exceptional. Everything is “fine.” The writing is competent. The performances are solid. The themes are clear. And yet, there’s always the feeling that the show is missing that one defining element that would justify its existence.
Compared to Marvel Television’s earlier highs like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Wonder Man feels slight. It also suffers from arriving at a time when Marvel’s output no longer feels essential. Once, every MCU project was framed as a must-see chapter in a larger narrative. Now, as the franchise slowly builds toward Avengers: Doomsday — with teases of Steve Rogers, Thor, the X-Men, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four — Wonder Man feels almost completely disconnected. It has no meaningful ties to the looming threat of Doctor Doom, and no impact on the broader MCU story. The main hook isn’t, “Will Simon Williams become the superhero he was meant to be?” It’s “Will Simon Williams become the Hollywood star he’s dreamed of?”
As a result, the series comes across as disposable streaming content designed to pass the time rather than move the franchise forward. Diehard Marvel fans will watch it out of obligation. Casual viewers can easily skip it without missing anything important. Ultimately, Wonder Man is a show that actors might deeply relate to, but one that general audiences will likely forget. In a crowded landscape of superhero content and prestige television, “decent” simply isn’t enough anymore, but it’s undeniably easy to watch, and occasionally charming.
SCORE: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received screeners for our Wonder Man review.
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Jonathan Sim
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