Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a down-on-his-luck actor, hopping from one project to another, trying to make ends meet, if he’s not busy sabotaging his career by overthinking his commonly minuscule roles. After losing his minor role as a murder victim in American Horror Story for being difficult to work with, he hits a new low.
Enter Trevor Slattery, played by the incomparable Ben Kingsley. We last saw Trevor in Shang Chi, where he was a prisoner of the Ten Rings for impersonating their leader, the Mandarin.
Now he has somehow made it back to America and Hollywood to restart his acting career. He also surprisingly becomes a more than capable acting mentor to Simon as the two navigate the crazy, convoluted world of auditions for a shot at the new Wonder Man movie.
When the news broke that Marvel Studios would have a Wonder Man show, the fandom was cautiously optimistic. While not an A-Lister, the character has a following and has been a consistent member of the Avengers in many of its comic book rosters, and even helped found the West Coast iteration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. So of course, there was some concern when word came that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take would be very
different from the version most people were familiar with.
And while it is true that it does diverge very much from the source material, the change
undeniably works within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Disney+ show is positioned under Marvel Spotlight, Marvel’s label for shows that do not necessarily feed into the larger MCU narrative. And this works well for the show, keeping it grounded and accessible, so potential viewers can jump in and enjoy it without having to do any homework or watch over a decade's worth of movies and shows.
Far from what most people might have been expecting, Wonder Man is not a superhero show, nor is it pretending to be. The superpower aspect, while not trivial, takes a back seat for most of the first season, and this decision is a breath of fresh air. Wonder Man makes for a fun, low-pressure watch, with high emotion but low stakes. There’s no evil force to be pushed back, no galaxy that needs saving, just two people trying to live as normal a life as they can in a world of superheroes.
Simon and Trevor play off each other wonderfully (there’s no other word for it, forgive the pun) and it is a delight to watch them bounce off each other, whether it be for rehearsal for an audition or simply just hanging out and waxing philosophical.
Abdul-Mateen gives an honest performance as Simon, an actor trying to make something of himself but very confused about how to do it. The role of Simon may seem simple on the surface, but he is able to sink his teeth into it and come across as really sincere.
At times while watching, I thought the show's title should have been "Simon and Trevor," because the two are really co-leads in the series. Wonder Man may be referring to Simon, but to say Ben Kingsley’s Slattery is merely a supporting character would do them both a disservice. Trevor goes through just as much of a character arc as Simon does, and both of them go through the show wanting something and struggling for it, and the show’s lack of epic super-powered set pieces is easily forgivable, as the main attraction is really the authentic friendship that develops between the two leads.
There is plenty of commentary sprinkled in the dialogue about the business of Hollywood, the agents, the auditions, and the art of acting itself. It is a window into their lives, an invitation to peek behind the curtain.
Wonder Man is a treat of a show, a palette cleanser in the best way. If you think you’re suffering from superhero fatigue, Wonder Man is the answer to what ails you. It is a fun, character-driven shot in the arm.
Enjoy Wonder Man now, all episodes streaming on Disney Plus.