With less than a month before it comes to Disney+, Marvel Television has released a full trailer for Wonder Man, the upcoming superhero action/comedy starring Emmy and Tony Award winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3). In the series, Mateen plays Simon Williams, an actor who learns he has super powers just as he has been cast in the role of Wonder Man — a film directed by acclaimed director Von Kovak (played by Superman‘s Zlatko Burić).
Williams will find himself in a buddy comedy relationship with Trevor Slattery, the actor who pretended to be The Mandarin in Iron Man 3. The trailer reveals the gradual onset of Simon’s powers, and the fact that they won’t stay secret for long, with a guest appearance by Damage Control:
The project is addressing the concept of “superhero fatigue” head on, with Marvel hoping they can take some of the teeth out of the criticism if they get out ahead of it.
The meta-commentary behind the show hasn’t been subtle. Back in July, Mateen did an interview on the red carpet of Fantastic Four: First Steps in character as Simon Williams, talking about his excitement to bring Wonder Man to life.
“You know, I grew up a really big fan of Wonder Man, a really big fan of comics. It was actually the first movie that I saw in theaters with my father, when I was very young,” Mateen-as-Williams said. “And, you know, I left the theater that day wanting to be a super hero. So, this is amazing, and this is a beautiful full circle feeling for me.”
Daniel Destin Cretton, the filmmaker behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is showrunning Wonder Man for Marvel Studios and Disney+. Marvel is keeping Cretton busy, as the filmmaker is also responsible for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
There’s no word yet as to whether Simon Williams will have a role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which is also ramping up its promotional campaign with some teasers attached to prints of Avatar: Fire and Ash in movie theaters. The initial casting announcement for Doomsday was pretty impressive, but left off some significant cast members, including Chris Evans, whose return has since been confirmed in a teaser. Don’t be too surprised if Wonder Man ends with a tag that says “Simon Williams will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”
Wonder Man is coming to Disney+ on January 27.
