by Nick Ferro, Editor
For the Non-Spoiler Review click here.
Wonder Man is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and I couldn’t keep all my thoughts into a neat and tidy spoiler free review so I am breaking with tradition to bring you a more accurate account of why I think this show is one of the best the MCU has to offer.
**Full Spoilers ahead**
Wonder Man opens in a flashback to when Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his dad are sitting in a theater watching the 70s B movie, “Wonder Man.” Simon is entranced by this movie, and it is very clear from his face that this is the moment when he falls in love cinema. Flashforward to today where Simon’s passion borderlines on obsession in a way that doesn’t quite jive with those around him. After being fired for having too many notes and trying to delve too deeply into the background of a bit-part, we learn that Simon is a very lonely, guarded, and isolated individual. His girlfriend leaves him, he has a strained relationship with his family, especially his brother, and he doesn’t have any friends. His only escape is the movies, so he heads to the theaters to escape and while there he meets renowned actor and former “terrorist,” Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley).
After what seems to be a chance meeting between the two, we learn that Trevor, upon arriving back in the states, was immediately arrested by the Department of Damage Control (DODC). Led by agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) whom we saw last in Ms. Marvel and Spider-man: No Way Home. A deal is struck with Trevor to bring the DODC information that can lead to the arrest of Simon Williams. Otherwise he will go back to prison to serve out the remaining of your sentence, which was interrupted thanks to the real Mandarin kidnapping him.
This leads to Trevor allowing his “chance” run-in with Simon to blossom into a mentor/mentee relationship. Trevor quickly sees the passion and the talent in Simon’s acting, but it isn’t until a visit to Joe Pantoliano’s house does Trevor start to realize that working for the DODC might not be the best idea. When Joey Pants starts to belittle Trevor’s love of the craft and makes a sweeping declaration that while acting is a great job, it’s just a job. Simon is unable to sit by silently, as he sees the hurt in Trevor’s eyes. Simon, to his own detriment, tells off Pantoliano in defense of Trevor and they both leave, but it is at this moment that a bond starts to form between these two.
We learn a little more about Trevor as the series goes on and it turns out he and Simon have a ton in common. He, like Simon, is a loner. Like Simon, who lost his father as a child, Trevor lost his mother at a very young age. Both of them used acting as a way to honor their respective deceased parents. And just as Simon is using Trevor’s connections to the industry and advice to further his own career, Trevor is using his plight with the DODC to spy on Simon. The reason for being at Joey Pants’ house is because they needed a place to record a self-tape for Simon in order to help secure a callback for Wonder Man. In a fit of frustration Simon’s powers left a fairly large crater in the wall of his apartment and he was hesitant to let an outsider see. After a day of getting to know each other Simon is able to let down his guard some and when Trevor discovers the crater there is a brief moment of hesitation. Simon is clearly more than he seems and Trevor might be in over his head. But this moment serves as a counterpoint to Simon’s defense of Trevor earlier. They both have borne witness to a personal part of the other and have not passed judgement, which is the first step to any true friendship.
After meeting Simon’s family, Trevor is given definitive proof that Simon has superpowers, when Simon’s temper gets the best of him and he destroys the kitchen bar top his brother made. Rather than turning over the evidence that would definitely release him from his indentured servitude, Trevor destroys the evidence to protect Simon. Because ultimately, Trevor and Simon have developed a bond. A friendship that is, for the first time in either of their lives, mutually beneficial. It is a friendship that they both need. Simon can’t get out of his own way when it comes to acting and decision making. He is living in constant fear of his powers being discovered and refuses to open up to anyone including his now ex-girlfriend. His brother is resentful of his choices and when he loses his temper he is unable to control his powers. Trevor is able to cut through all the noise and help Simon focus, relax, and gain a control over both his acting and powers in a way that no one had ever been able to in the past. And for Trevor, Simon is someone who is willing to have his back, whether it be putting Joe Pantoliano in his place for being a pretentious dick or simply being a scene partner to help secure a role in the movie. These two have an undeniable chemistry both as characters as well as actors in a scene. What starts as a con-job on both sides evolves into something more.
It is at this point that we learn more about Simon’s anxiety surrounding his powers. There was a man a few years back, DeMarr “Doorman” Davis (Byron Bowers) who, due to an industry accident, set a precedent that super powered individuals are not allowed to work on Hollywood productions. This episode is a standalone that, quite frankly, I wish Marvel would do more often. I have been saying for years now that the idea of special presentations in the vain of Werewolf By Night and the Guardians Holiday Special is exactly what they need to be focusing on, as a way to shine a spotlight on either lesser known characters, or as introductions to ones we might see later. Episode four of Wonder Man, titled “Doorman” is exactly that. It is a flashback episode to showcase a lesser-known character, that still informs on what Simon is faced with during his own journey. The episode is black and white and is filmed like a Twilight Zone episode. In recent years other tv shows have done similar things, where they leave the main story to give the audience a more artistic “intermission” episode. One of the more famous being Mythic Quest’s fifth episode “A Dark Quiet Death.”
DeMarr is simply a doorman at a club in LA. He aspires to do nothing more than live good and be good. Until one day he comes into contact with some strange goo dripping out of a Roxxon dumpster which gives him the power to make his body a portal to elsewhere. He am become a Door-Man. When a fire breaks out at the club, trapping everyone inside, he ends up saving everyone including actor Josh Gad. Gad, a regular patron of the club, offers DeMarr a job as a thank you and that leads to him starring alongside Gad in a heist movie where he gets to use his powers practically. This snowballs in DeMarr’s fifteen minutes of fame and the episode turns into a depressing look at how fame and notoriety come as a double-edged sword. One day, during the filming of the sequel, DeMarr experiences a problem with his powers and when Josh Gad jumps through Doorman, he never reappears on the other side and is lost, seemingly forever. Whether Josh Gad will return in Avengers: Doomsday or we will have to wait for a “Great Lakes Avengers” project who’s to say. But what we do know is that this little morality play full of great performances and comedy is a standout without overshadowing the season as a whole.
Knowing that Doorman’s fate could be his own, Simon, afraid for what having used his powers in front of Trevor might lead to, starts to spiral. Trevor assures Simon that his secret is safe which leads to a deepening of their bond as well as Trevor’s guilt. After both are cast in Wonder Man these two are feeling on top of the world and as with all storytelling there comes a moment when our heroes are brought back down to earth and that comes in the form of an interview for the New York Times. The interviewer brings to light that Trevor was arrested and asks if he cut a deal with the government. Simon is able to put together the pieces and the truth comes out. In an effort to make things right, Trevor dons his persona of the Mandarin once more and takes responsibility for Simon’s literal explosion of anger that destroys the Wonder Man set. Trevor is arrested and Simon is left to complete the movie without his friend and mentor. Thankfully Joey Pants was available! Despite having achieved his dream and the movie being a success, Simon is left empty inside without Trevor. His best friend. And although I wish the finale of the season was given more room to breathe and we were given more story to watch, his rescue of Trevor from the DODC supermax prison is an adequate conclusion of this story of friendship that has me excited to see where their adventures take us.
At its core Wonder Man is a story about friendship. It is a story about struggling to achieve your dreams but how finding someone special who you can truly be yourself around is ultimately more important. It also happens to be set in a world of superheroes with a lead character that happens to have powers. What I love about this show is that like all good stories it is about the characters first with the superhero element not being the focus. Yes, we do get to see Simon use his powers and we do get to see him come into his own as an individual who decides that he needs to use those powers responsibly. But there are no world ending stakes, there is not a big bad villain that needs to be defeated. There is no same vs same fight at the end. To repurpose a quote fellow Siftpop writer, May Honey, used while describing Superman to me, Wonder Man is not a show about a man with POWERS, it is a show about a MAN with powers. And that makes all the difference.
Rating: Loved It
Wonder Man is currently streaming on Disney+.
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