TV Review - Wonder Man

I finished up Wonderman maybe a week or two ago (watched it all in one day with my son) and decided to give myself some time before I reviewed it. Marvel is a weird one for me now. Might be weird for a lot of people. Without a doubt, the MCU did something special but their time at the top is over. Has been over pretty much since Endgame. With more and more properties they dropped tanking (i.e. Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Echo, Secret Wars, and so many more), it just hasn't been that fun of a ride anymore. Still, I tried. I forced it. A lot. I told myself these movies were still good. Still worth watching. I think it was after Secret Wars when I finally gave up. So now, I have to give myself some time to fully process anything Marvel.

With all that being said, let's get into it. And, as always, spoilers ahead!

No. of Episodes: 8

No. of Seasons: 1

1st Episode Date: January 27, 2026

Program Creators: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Guest

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, X Mayo, Zlatko Burić, Ben Kingsley, Arian Moayed, Joe Pantoliano, Byron Bowers, Josh Gad

Wonderman was....different. Not exactly in a bad way. I've been enjoying the diversions from the standard MCU formula. The last example of this would have been Thunderbolts (which, in my opinion, is the best MCU movie in the past decade hands down). Wonderman is another property that swings far and away from what a normal MCU installment typically does. It's atmosphere is more somber than most other Marvel movies/tv shows. I liked that. It felt serious and addressed themes of failure, struggle, and depression. I don't need to finish something Marvel thinking that was a riveting tale of action and suspense every single time. This show definitely lacked in the action department but I didn't hate that. It was kind of refreshing to watch the superhero of the show not do anything all that heroic. Simon (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) went most of the show actively hiding his powers because he knew if anyone found out, he wouldn't get any work as an actor thanks to the Doorman Clause. Struggling to find work, he manages to get an audition for the reboot of an old movie he loved as a kid, Wonderman. None other than Trevor Slattery himself (played by Ben Kingsley) helps Simon throughout the show but, unknown to Simon, Trevor is working with the Department of Damage Control to get confirmation of his powers.

The addition of Trevor helped to signify this as an MCU addition. But although Trevor plays a huge role in the series, it isn't a cameo that's jammed down our throats (like practically every cameo seen in She Hulk). It's woven in much better than in recent years which is also nice. I've always like the character and it was cool to see him get a role that actually makes sense. He also becomes a richer, more well developed character too. You see this when he decides to help Simon conceal his powers (after he causes an explosion with them) by reprising his role as the Mandarin. The build up to that moment and the tension written into those scenes left me feeling heartbroken for the guy. He worked hard to shed himself of the person he'd been when he took on that role, so it definitely hurt to see him pick it back up, even if it was for a noble cause.

Overall, I enjoyed this show. The acting was top tier, especially from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley. The entire series from start to finish is 100% character driven instead of plot driven. Again a nice departure from what we've seen in the past from an MCU property. It focuses more on the people rather than the abilities but still adds them in just enough to drive the plot forward without bashing us over the head with them. The only issue I really found with Wonderman was that it got boring here and there. Some of the episodes just didn't quite hit 100% with me. In the end though, after it was all said and done, it had a better beginning, middle, and end than any other MCU show I've seen (except for season 2 of Loki). It had a lot more cohesion too and didn't get absolutely ridiculous toward the end. I felt satisfied with what the writers and creator did. All in all, a solid approach and a much needed break from that MCU formula.

Rating: 3 out of 5