Showbiz satires are hard. Showbiz satires that bear a strong resemblance to Apple TV’s The Studio are even tougher. Pity Marvel’s Wonder Man then…
Created by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings) and Andrew Guest (30 Rock; Brooklyn Nine-Nine), the latest Marvel TV show boasts an amusing premise: struggling method actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) will do anything to get cast in a high profile reimagining of his favourite childhood superhero property, Wonder Man.
It’s very inside baseball, with most of the episodes dedicated to comedic bits about self-taping for auditions, the struggle to distinguish yourself from a litany of identical candidates, Simon’s own personal insecurities and his family issues, including an unsupportive older brother, Eric (Demetrius Grosse) and an overly coddling mother, Martha (Shola Adewusi).
But this is also a pseudo-quasi superhero show, so there’s a drawn-out subplot involving P. Cleary (Arian Moayed) from the Department of Damage Control (DODC) sniffing around Simon because he suspects that he’s more than a misunderstood thespian. In an effort to find out, Cleary entraps/blackmails Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) AKA The Mandarin, the actor who was posing as The Mandarin in Iron Man III, to tag along with Simon for a wild series of Hollywood escapades. Cue self-aware observations about showbiz.
The issue with the series is that there’s not enough superhero content to satisfy the spandex crowd, and the Hollywood satire feels woefully familiar and obvious. Satire is challenging at the best of times, but Hollywood’s attempts to poke fun at itself is rarely appealing to a broad audience, and this series has the misfortune of following in the wake of The Studio, a show that was punchier, funnier, and more timely.
As a result, Wonder Man sometimes feels like a bit of a slog, even in its shorter episodes. The exception is the fourth entry, “Doorman” which parks Simon’s story to tell the contained, cautionary tale of bouncer-turned-superhero DeMarr Davis (Byron Bowers). It’s a single story, filled with celebrity cameos from Josh Gad and Mario Lopez, about an average man’s meteoric rise to celebrity, his crushing professional fall, and the ramifications that follow, which continue to reverberate in Simon’s present-day timeline.
“Doorman”, directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Zeke Nicholson, works in large part because it is a standalone tale: the story is punchy, funny, and – removed from the shackles of propping up a seven episode arc – it is free to do its own thing. The result is by far the best episode of the season…while also showing the limitations of drawing out Simon’s own narrative.
It’s a shame because Abdul-Mateen II is a fantastic actor and he’s doing everything he can to make Simon work. The problem is the character: Simon is grating, lacks self-awareness, and isn’t particularly compelling. He honestly just seems like a struggling actor; to the point that when Eric encourages his brother to give up the struggle and just get a stable job, it’s hard to disagree.
Not helping matters is the fact that Kingsley is clearly having an absolute blast as Trevor. He steals every single scene he’s in with a performance that is alternately hilarious and filled with pathos and heart. Slattery is a great friend and mentor to Simon and their interactions – be it at Martha’s birthday party or calling in a favour from his professional nemesis, Joe Pantoliano (playing himself) – are all great. But it’s Kingsley who elevates the material, and Trevor’s larger than life presence is a constant reminder of how understated (and kinda bland) Simon is.
Ultimately Wonder Man is *fine*. There’s a decent amount of comedy, though it fails to distinguish itself from other Hollywood satires. The action is ok, but it is in such short supply that it’s barely a draw. And while the troupe of actors, including X Mayo as Simon’s exasperated agent, are solid, only Kingsley pops.
The biggest criticism is that Wonder Man feels inconsequential; it exists but doesn’t feel essential. At the end of the day, if audiences are hurting for a Marvel property, this is unlikely to scratch their itch, and if the name of the game is self-aware satire, audiences would be better served with a rewatch of The Studio.
Chalk this up as a missed opportunity. 2.5/5
Wonder Man is available in its entirety on Disney+ on Jan 27, 2027
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