by Nick Ferro, Editor
The Disney+ wing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is back with another entry and like its last several projects, you probably haven’t heard of it or seen advertisements. However, unlike the MCU’s last several streaming projects this one is definitely worth your time.
Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley, is the story of Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen II), a down on his luck actor who loves both the industry and the craft of acting to such a level that despite his genuine love, he’s seen by many as a pain in the ass. The series does a phenomenal job of introducing you to his quirkiness right up front as he tries to over develop his walk on role for his American Horror Story job, right up until the director has him fired. In an attempt to clear his mind, Simon heads to the movies to see a screening of Midnight Cowboy and has a “chance” run-in with acclaimed actor and former “terrorist” Trevor Slattery (Kingsley). After the movie, Simon sparks up a conversation with Trevor, and we learn that after his ordeal with the real Mandarin, leading up to and during the events of Shang-Chi, he has resumed acting. Trevor takes his leave, but not before telling Simon he is off to an audition for the new Wonder Man reboot. This sparks a fire within Simon as Wonder Man is his dream role, ever since his dad introduced it to him as a child.
Say what you will about Marvel’s attempt at long-form (streaming) story telling in the MCU, but the shows I enjoy the most are the ones that are structured to be actual television shows. The entries that stretch a two-hour movie into six long over bloated episodes are just not for me (with the exception of Loki season one). They all have their particular charms, but I find it hard to invest that much time when attempting to do a re-watch. The MCU was pretty much made on its rewatch-ability. In fact, like most movie nerds with a Letterboxd account, I am frequently updating my ranked list of the MCU and I have found that many of the streaming shows have dropped for me simply because I don’t have the time or care to revisit them. Moon Knight was a great show, but because they couldn’t find an hour to cut from its 245 minutes to make a more concise 180-minute movie, I haven’t bothered to re-watch in years. There are tons of people who consider these shows “Homework” and for some entries, I would have to begrudgingly agree. However, I think Wonder Man being structured with a beginning, middle, and end, like a proper tv show should, is a huge strength, as it is way more watchable plus its “sitcomy” nature lends to its ease of entry. It also lacks any real connection to the greater MCU which many might find refreshing, also has it ranking very high on my list of great MCU entries.
On top of its structure, this show is very funny! It is full of Hollywood “inside baseball” for those who enjoy following the behind the scenes the industry. It’s very fun to me that shows like this, The Studio, and Hacks are becoming more common and yet manage to poke fun at the industry in their own unique ways. One from the studio perspective, one from a creative’s perspective, and now one from the actor’s perspective. The comedy of the industry, however, never overshadows the main drive of the show and that is the friendship between our two leads.
Adbul-Mateen II and Kingsley have incredible chemistry together as the young up and comer looking for that big break and the old guard recognizing young talent and wanting to pass the torch. And yet on top of their growing friendship there is the MCU element of the show in that Trevor, a decade ago, was arrested and jailed for being the international terrorist known as the Mandarin. In reality of course he was simply an actor hired to be the face of a terrorist organization, however, that story is less widely known so wherever these two go they are constantly faced with questions of Trevor’s past. This also adds an incredible element of comedy to the proceedings because this character that Kingsley has crafted is brilliant in more ways than one.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is to this day, my favorite post Endgame movie and a big reason behind that is Destin Daniel Cretton. His direction and leadership in that project allowed for not only some of the best choreographed fight scenes, but also character work that connected us to Shaun, his father (the true Mandarin), Katy, and even Trevor Slattery. He has a knack for character work and if you don’t believe me, check out his movie Short Term 12. All of these strengths are on full display in Wonder Man, despite not having a ton of fight heavy action, when it does appear, its filmed beautifully and kinetic. And where Wonder Man lacks in action, it makes up for in character. Co-creating and running the show is Andrew Guest whose credits include Hawkeye and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, so, it is no surprise that this show is as funny, well-paced, and full of surprise heart as it is.
There is an overarching theme of friendship and relationships in this show which ultimately is why I ended up enjoying it so much. To watch as someone who believes himself to be better off alone and has no one he can truly be himself with, find a kindred spirit, is beautiful to me. And this show does it twice. Simon and Trevor are both loners and outcasts. Simon lost his father as a boy and had a tumultuous relationship with his older brother. Trevor lost his mother as a boy and traveled through life struggling with addiction to cope with his loneliness which lead to the sudden but inevitable betrayal of one Joe Pantoliano. Together they manage to fill the hole in each other’s lives that were in desperate need of filling. And they both got to a true place of friendship despite the purpose of their comingling starting from a place of selfishness.
Up until now I have been vague on the details of the show and that is because I will be releasing a separate spoiler review which you can find here . Primarily because I don’t want to tip toe around the “Doorman” episode. Wonder Man is an incredibly fun and funny entry into the MCU which brings to life a brand-new character to love; As well as giving you a reason to love some old ones too. Simon aka Wonder Man is someone I can’t wait to see more from and his friendship with Trevor is, for me, on the level of Steve and Bucky in terms of the happiness I get when I see them together. The way that Cretton gives us an outstanding story that also has plenty of “Superhero shenanigans” solidifies for me that he should be the next big leader in this genre of storytelling. I can only hope that Marvel recognizes this fact and allows him to shape the next Phase of the MCU. Wonder Man is a big recommend for me!
Rating: Loved It
Wonder Man is currently streaming on Disney+.
You can read more from Nick Ferro, and follow him on Letterboxd