There has been a lot of fatigue around the superhero genre in film and television. However, Marvel Studios’ Wonder-Man, takes the fatigue out of the genre as the series shows a different side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Created as a mini-series for Disney+ and based off of the Marvel superhero of the same name, Wonder-Man follows actors Simon Williams, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Trevor Slattery, with Ben Kingsley reprising his role from past MCU projects, who attempt to audition and eventually be casted for the remake of “Wonder Man”.
Mateen does such a phenomenal job playing the character as not only being an actor auditioning for Wonder-Man, but also secretly having powers, the handling of which was unique in a grounded and realistic take. Kingsley always brings such a comedic performance to Slattery, but more so, we see Slattery acting more serious in this series as the Department Of Damage Control led by P. Clearly, with
Arian Moayed, reprising his role from past MCU projects, used Trevor as a secret agent to watch Simon and his powers as the DODC consider Williams a threat. With the conflict of Simon being considered a threat, Hollywood also implements the “Doorman Clause”, as any individual with superpowers cannot work in Hollywood.
The show takes a very grounded and realistic take on the world with super powers, and while other projects in the MCU have, this one feels more like having powers in a real world setting, which a lot of recent projects like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Captain America: Brave New World” see how superheroes and superpowers function in the real world.
While the realistic approach of the genre is always fantastic, the best part of Wonder-Man was the acting, especially with the chemistry between Mateen and Kingsley, which is very much of the older generation teaching the new generation tied in their close bond that makes the reveal in the second to last episode more shocking and heartbreaking, leading into Simon using is powers to destroy a soundstage just makes the moment more powerful.
One aspect of the show that a lot of people took away was its connection to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the show does take place in the universe, it was under the release of the “Marvel Spotlight” banner, which focused on more grounded and character-driven stories, which fits perfectly with Wonder-Man as this shows an actor struggling in Hollywood due to his superpowers.
If you’re looking for a superhero show that takes a more realistic and grounded take in the world of Marvel, either as a comic book fan or casual viewer, Wonder-Man is a fantastic satisfaction until Marvel gets rolling with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Avengers: Doomsday” later in the year, as well as the release of “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2 with some stellar acting, stunning visuals, and a well-needed grounded take on the character.