Love or loathe the current state of the MCU, one can’t deny that it has been defined by one thing: the spectacle. It’s always been an element of the franchise, just as it has been with any blockbuster series, but more than most Marvel relies on major action set pieces, shocking reveals, and audience speculation about how things play into their “grand plan”.
Wonder Man is not that. The series, which focuses on Simon Williams’ (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) quest to be cast in the upcoming reboot of the same name within the MCU. It’s similar to Barry or, for those who know ball, Hacks, in being a show that explores the highs, lows, triumphs and tribulations inherent to working in Hollywood.
Sitting at the core of Wonder Man is the relationship between the two leads: Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley). While they are both truly unique and three-dimensional characters, they’re also reflective of very common types of people one meets in show business. Anyone who’s worked in or around the industry knows a Trevor Slattery, and they certainly know a Simon Williams.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II brings a truly career-defining performance in Wonder Man. Most likely know the star from his blockbuster roles: Black Manta in Aquaman, Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections, and…well…you should watch Watchmen if you haven’t already. But the role of Simon Williams allows him to bring a much fuller performance than any of the above, allowing him to dive into the true nuances of a character in a way he hasn’t had the chance to do since The Trial of the Chicago 7 back in 2020.
Simon Williams as a character is wholly different from his comic counterpart, an aspect that’s key to the show’s biggest successes (and biggest failure). But just to focus on the character, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II manages to layer so much into Wonder Man. It’s a character defined by his insecurities, whose every action is defined by how he thinks others perceive him and how he hopes to be perceived.
It’s no shock that Ben Kingsley also gives a stunning performance. The Oscar-winning actor has more than proven his ability to do dramatic roles. However, Wonder Man is the project that truly cements Trevor Slattery as one of the best characters in the MCU. It’s hard to understate how deep Kingsley sinks into the role, performing the charming faux Mandarin smoother than any other actor could dream.
In a refreshing change of pace for the MCU, Wonder Man is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a series that focuses on the relationship of Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery as they try to land their roles in the Wonder Man reboot. There are no eleventh hour twists about the Multiverse or Celestials popping out of the ground, and it’d be folly to wait for the show to eventually turn into a CGI-fueled laser fest.
Yet that also presents my biggest issue with Wonder Man. If the series were made 20, even 10 years ago, it should have created an original hero for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to play so he can leave his mark on the Marvel universe. And there is a fear that the fact that he is playing Simon Williams, an adaptation truly in name only, will detract from how much he brought to the role.
It’s also unique in the MCU of being a series that’s not only good, but is begging to be continued beyond this first season. It feels as though Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley brought back a massive gold nugget from a river. There’s more gold to be panned, but Marvel’s hesitance to greenlight a second season of any Disney Plus show will likely leave Wonder Man on the backburner far longer than it deserves.
One of the main conflicts in Wonder Man revolves around the “Doorman Policy,” which states that no super power individual can work on a major motion picture project. The first place this may draw people’s minds is The Hollywood Blacklist, which was a period during the 1940s-1950s where studios wouldn’t hire actors with suspected communist ties or sympathies.
However, having super powers (often) isn’t akin to political affiliation. It’s something innate that can’t be changed, like sexuality or gender identity. The turmoil that Simon Williams grapples with throughout Wonder Man bares a striking resemblance to what queer actors had to explicitly deal with under the Hays Code, and implicitly still deal with today.
Regardless of if one views the show through that lens, the way that Wonder Man handles the themes of insecurity, secrecy, and intimacy is nothing short of a master class. The relationship between Trevor Slattery and Simon Williams is one of the best in the MCU, and it’s certain that fans will be begging for more of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley by the time the credits roll.
SCORE: 9.5/10
