Marvel's Wonder Man Series Premiere Review

This is simply a spoiler-free beforehand reappraisal of the archetypal occurrence of Wonder Man, which debuts connected Disney+ connected January 27.

Marvel’s latest live-action Disney+ series, Wonder Man, shares an atrocious batch successful communal with 2024’s Echo. Like that show, it’s a smaller, character-driven bid that carries the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. It’s being unceremoniously dumped connected the level each astatine once, conscionable arsenic Echo was 2 years ago. And astir importantly, it’s a task that Marvel astir apt should person shown much religion in. The archetypal occurrence isn’t going to magically cure the larger MCU of its existent woes, but connected its ain merits, it’s an entertaining detour done Marvel’s mentation of Hollywood.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II crosses implicit from the DCEU (and the Watchmen beingness arsenic well) to the MCU for this miniseries, playing the relation of struggling histrion Simon Williams. Don’t expect a 1:1 translation of the root worldly successful this case. Simon isn’t juggling duplicate responsibilities arsenic an histrion and an Avenger, nor is helium hobnobbing with heroes similar his BFF Beast oregon becoming entangled successful a emotion triangle with Vision and Scarlet Witch.

Marvel has gone successful a overmuch much grounded and meta absorption with this series. The archetypal occurrence introduces Simon arsenic a bare but not peculiarly palmy thespian who mightiness beryllium champion described arsenic “aggressively overprepared” for his auditions. Simon sees his imaginable large interruption erstwhile a Hollywood workplace decides to remake the ‘70s cult classical Wonder Man. In the process, helium strikes up an improbable relationship with different down-on-his-luck Hollywood histrion successful Ben Kingsley’s Trevor “I Played the Mandarin Once” Slattery.

Whether you tin tally with this precise antithetic rotation connected Wonder Man volition find however good the bid resonates. This amusement isn’t needfully astir introducing the adjacent large MCU starring man. Considering however galore characters the Multiverse Saga has introduced and failed to decently develop, that would beryllium a frustrating approach, frankly. This is simply a lighthearted quality play that happens to instrumentality spot successful the MCU. Were it not for the beingness of Kingsley’s Trevor, determination would beryllium astir thing to necktie Wonder Man to the larger beingness successful its archetypal episode.

But that’s conscionable fine, mostly due to the fact that Abdul-Mateen delivers specified a bang-up performance. His Simon is immensely likable successful spite of his flaws. Abdul-Mateen brings a existent vigor to the role, arsenic good arsenic a gravitas that manages to gel nicely with the wide airy and floaty code of the series. He’s overzealous and a spot self-absorbed, sure, but we besides get a large consciousness of Simon arsenic a movie buff with a existent passionateness for his work. He’s a existent believer successful a municipality afloat of cynics.

Kingsley remains his manic, nebbish, entertaining aforesaid successful his 4th go-round arsenic Trevor Slattery. Who successful 2013 could person predicted the arc this quality would instrumentality successful the MCU? Trevor makes for a amusive mentor/foil to Simon, and the archetypal occurrence gives conscionable capable of a hint of Trevor’s larger communicative that I’m afloat invested successful the bid for his sake, too.

It’s besides amusive spending immoderate clip successful the MCU mentation of Los Angeles. As you’d expect, there’s a heaping helping of self-aware wit to the scenes of Simon auditioning and butting heads with his exasperated cause (X Mayo). There’s thing Hollywood loves much than making films and shows astir Hollywood. But for now, astatine least, the navel-gazing and meta commentary are amusing alternatively than aggravating. It doesn’t wounded that manager Destin Daniel Cretton brings specified a amusive consciousness of vigor to Episode 1, peculiarly successful the scenes wherever Simon is frantically driving to an audition and grappling with a hallway crammed afloat of rival actors.

All told, this is simply a precise coagulated commencement to the caller series. But does the archetypal premise transportation capable value to warrant an eight-episode show? Not necessarily, which is wherefore it’s conscionable arsenic good that this occurrence throws a late-game curveball that casts everything successful a antithetic light. By the end, we get a somewhat amended thought of wherever Wonder Man is really headed and what Simon’s spot successful a satellite afloat of superhumans genuinely is. If the committedness of a much character-driven MCU amusement isn’t capable connected its own, that tease mightiness conscionable seal the deal.