Marvel’s new original project, “Wonder Man,” was released on Disney+ on Jan. 27, becoming an instant hit and a much-needed win for the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Marvel first teased “Wonder Man” at Comic-Con in June of 2023, and it was highly anticipated ever since. This laid-back and chill piece of cinema is what made this series great and changed the way Marvel will produce future films. “Wonder Man” released all eight episodes at once and is the third show to do so, following series like “Iron Heart” and “Echo,” which also released all their episodes on the same date. With 100 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Wonder Man is 90% fresh and is currently the fourth-highest-rated live-action MCU Disney+ series, which is well-deserved.
The story follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an up-and-coming actor in Hollywood, who struggles to connect with the character that is right for him. He connects with character Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) early on in the show, who played the Mandarin in “Iron Man” and was briefly featured in “Shang-Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings.” This duo is up there for best in Marvel, and their connection is unlike anything we have seen in the MCU before. The number of cameos in “Wonder Man” is hilarious, and every single one gets better and better throughout the show. “Rogers the musical” is shown around Hollywood, and the voice of Olaf, Josh Gad, plays a big part in episode four. Actors Joe Pantoliano and Mario Lopez make very brief appearances, which is fun to see. Mentioned movies in this film feature “The Matrix,” “Zombies,” “Baby’s Day Out” and “Midnight Cowboy.”
“Wonder Man” is a distinctly different project from what Marvel has produced in previous years, taking a step back from superhero business to focus on a drama-led story. If you ever wanted a show from the perspective of a regular guy living inside the events of the MCU, this show is exactly for you. Realistically, this is one of the very few Marvel projects you could watch without watching anything else. This is very rare for the MCU because there’s little to no action, only one returning side character, and while it connects to the MCU and while I highly recommend watching everything else, it’s not needed at all. The cinematography in this show looks like a Hollywood drama and reminds me a lot of the show “This Is Us,” which visually looked pretty similar. Some of the songs in this film were really well placed, and almost every episode started and ended with a song, which added to the overall vibe of the show.
I think the best thing this show does is give Marvel fans something new and hopeful for future projects like “Spider-Man Brand New Day” and “Avengers Doomsday.” “Wonder Man” feels fresh, which is something Marvel has lacked since “Avengers: Endgame,” and it is because nothing has connected with fans and left them disappointed. While “Wonder Man” doesn’t really connect to other projects, this is the only show at any point I felt like it didn’t need to, even in the last episode. Marvel fans like me should really appreciate this project for how well-grounded and fun it was, while setting up supernatural superheroes for future projects, like the X-Men.
The weakest part of “Wonder Man” was that it was a very low-key journey with no big cliffhangers, no big action scenes and no main villain. I think the villain in “Wonder Man” is easily the worst Marvel has ever had because he felt so shallow. He was a very boring, straight-up character with little emotion, who didn’t really have much going on behind the scenes and was just doing his job. A lot of the drama in the film comes from a connection between Simon and his powers, and trying to control them, and keep them secret in Hollywood. The run time for “Wonder Man” is eight episodes, all around 30 minutes long, which was kind of disappointing considering how good the show was and that the last MCU project we got was “Fantastic Four First Steps,” which came out in July 2025 and is almost 180 days apart. Most shows on Disney+ are 45-60 minutes per episode, typically consisting of six to eight episodes.
“Wonder Man” is definitely a top-five MCU show and is the most distinct project we have ever worked on, making it feel new and fresh. While it had its lows, the highs make this show special, making it a recommended show to a majority of people.
“Wonder Man:” ★★★★☆
