Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Simon Williams / Wonder Man), Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery), X Mayo (Janelle Jackson), Zlatko Buric (Von Kovak), Arian Moayed (Agent P. Cleary), Shola Adewusi (Martha Williams), Demetrius Grosse (Eric Williams), Bechir Sylvain (Sanford Williams), Olivia Thirlby (Vivian), Lauren Weedman (Kathy Friedman), and Byron Bowers (DeMarr Davis / Doorman), with Josh Gad and Joe Pantoliano as Themselves.
WONDER MAN
A Kevin Feige Production
Produced by Marvel Television for Disney+
Showrunner: Andrew Guest
Also produced by Bonnie Munoz, Tara Duncan, and Asher Goldstein with Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Andrew Guest and Destin Daniel Cretton.
Number of Episodes: 8
Initial Streaming: January 27, 2026
Rating: TV-PG
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Fun Wonder Man Facts
On December 6, 2021, Marvel Studios signed a production deal with Destin Daniel Cretton and his production company Family Owned to develop television projects for the Disney+ Streaming Service. Cretton had previously directed 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for Marvel Studios.
Wonder Man was officially announced on June 16, 2002, with Andrew Guest attached to write and Destin Daniel Cretton attached as an Executive Producer with Guest and Cretton co-creating the show.
On August 30, 2022, Ben Kingsley was confirmed to be returning to the MCU as Trevor Slattery in Wonder Man. Kingsley previously appeared as the character in 2013’s Iron Man 3, 2014’s Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King, and 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Two months later on Halloween, the casting of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams / Wonder Man was confirmed.
Physical Production on Wonder Man commenced on April 3, 2023. Production was suspended in May due to the Writers Guild of America strike. An Actor’s strike soon followed. The strikes led to the suspension of numerous productions and allowed Marvel Studios to reevaluate its creative process and corporate structure following the recent return of Bob Iger to the role of Disney CEO in late-2022. In 2023, Marvel Studios had its most challenging year ever. 5 live-action projects were released over the course of the year: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Three, Secret Invasion, Loki: Season Two, and The Marvels. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was a critical failure that emerged as Marvel Studios’ worst-reviewed film of all-time; a fact that was made worse by the legal troubles that befell actor Jonathan Majors, who was supposed to be the Big Bad of the MCU Multiverse Saga. Disney / Marvel soon thereafter cut ties with Majors and began the creative process of transitioning to Doctor Doom from Kang the Conqueror. In the Summer, Secret Invasion was largely panned by fans and critics alike for its lackluster effects (in places), its disappointing finale (the final episode boasts a mere 7% on Rotten Tomatoes), and its controversial creative choices. From there, The Marvels emerged as the least-grossing film in MCU History and a certified Box Office bomb (a mere $206 million worldwide). Guardians Volume Three was good, but it was released with the knowledge that it would be James Gunn’s final MCU film, as he’d moved on from Marvel to run Warner Brother’s DC Universe. Loki was good too, but it was released with all of the drama pertaining to Jonathan Majors, who starred in the series as Victor Timely and also as He Who Remains. Marvel Studios had certainly seen better days. So, Bob Iger announced the end of the “Quantity over Quality” era at Marvel Studios and a Marvel Television division was rebooted under Winderbaum while Kevin Feige returned to a more hands-on approach and a renewed focus on the films after being spread far too thin for far too long. Wonder Man resumed production on January 12, 2024, and fell under the Marvel Television / Marvel Spotlight banners after originally being developed as a Marvel Studios production. Production wrapped in the Spring of 2024.
On July 17, 2025, Arian Moayed was confirmed to be appearing in Wonder Man as Department of Damage Control Agent P. Cleary. That character previously appeared in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home and 2022’s Ms. Marvel. The Department of Damage Control was first mentioned in 2008’s Iron Man as a division of S.H.I.E.L.D. and officially debuted in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, founded by Tony Stark as a joint venture between Stark Industries and the Federal Government to handle the job of clean-up following the Battle of New York (seen in 2012’s The Avengers).
The Wonder Man character (Simon Williams) was created for Marvel Comics in 1964 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck, debuting in The Avengers # 9. Debuting as a villain, the character appeared to be killed off in his first comic book appearance, but it was later revealed (in The Avengers # 58) that Wonder Man’s mind had been saved to a computer (a concept adapted to film through the Arnim Zola character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Following his “death”, Simon’s brother Eric declared war on The Avengers, becoming the villainous Grim Reaper. In the meantime, ULTRON stole Simon’s recorded brain patterns and used them as a template to create The VISION. Wonder Man would go on to be revived by the likes of Kang the Conqueror, The Black Talon, and The Living Laser and rejoined The Avengers in The Avengers # 160, bonding with notorious X-Man Hank McCoy / Beast. From there, Wonder Man joined The West Coast Avengers alongside Clint Barton, Mockingbird, Tigra, James Rhodes, and The VISION. Wonder Man would go on to be a member of The Mighty Avengers and The Uncanny Avengers. He also worked in Hollywood as an actor and stuntman and was romantically linked at one time to Wanda Maximoff / The Scarlet Witch.
In the Wonder Man television series, Simon Williams is portrayed as an actor starring in a remake of a 1980’s motion picture titled Wonder Man. Williams boasts superpowers but must keep this a secret due to Hollywood’s ban on superheroes taking part in films and shows. The reason for this explained in the fourth episode of Wonder Man through the Doorman character; the root of Hollywood’s “Doorman Clause.” Doorman was created by John Byrne and debuted in 1989’s West Coast Avengers # 46. Doorman is a renowned member of The Great Lakes Avengers in the Marvel comics.
Upon the MCU Timeline, Wonder Man takes place in the MCU year of 2026 and should be viewed after Thor: Love and Thunder and before Captain America: Brave New World.
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
My Wonder Man Review
Matinee – Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Written by Andrew Guest
Simon Williams is introduced as an overambitious and struggling actor, who finds himself fired from his role in the television series American Horror Story. He is dumped by his girlfriend Vivian the same day. From there, Simon meets notorious actor Trevor Slattery in what seems like a chance meeting at a local theater, with Slattery manipulating Williams into auditioning for a remake of a 1980’s Superhero film titled Wonder Man that is being created by acclaimed Director Von Kovak. Simon auditions for the role and even receives a few tips from Slattery, after which, it is revealed that Slattery has covertly entered Simon’s life on behalf of the Department of Damage Control, who had deemed Williams unstable and dangerous due to their belief that he has superpowers.
With no idea of really what to expect going in, I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth flow of the first episode of this series and how well it established its two central characters: Simon and Trevor. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is very likeable as Simon, and Ben Kingsley has flawlessly slipped right back into the Slattery role, with early indications making this feel like it is going to be his best performance yet! I also really liked Simon’s introduction as a young boy watching the Wonder Man movie at the theater with his dad. The child actor did a fantastic job in establishing Simon’s love for that movie in particular, and Simon’s enthusiasm for film makes him a very relatable character for someone like me, who loves movies (particularly the MCU series of them)!
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Self-Tape – Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Written by Andrew Guest
Trevor Slattery is shown being blackmailed by the Department of Damage Control who convince him to get involved in their vendetta against Simon Williams, or else be returned to prison, as he never carried out his Mandarin sentence due to being abducted by The Ten Rings. A frustrated Simon (whose superpowers we see manifest themselves strongly at his apartment) has been instructed to create a self-tape audition video for the casting director of Wonder Man, who was impressed with his initial audition.
He ends up working with Trevor to create the audition, and this episode revolves around their exploits, which include a visit to actor Joe Pantoliano, who is a former colleague of Trevor’s that Trevor begrudges. Trevor is generally moved by the way Simon stands up for him against Pantoliano, yet he has been uncomfortably tasked with hacking into Simon’s computer on the behalf of the DODC.
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Pacoima – Directed by James Ponsoldt. Written by Paul Welsh and Madeline Walter
Trevor Slattery is tasked by the DODC to infiltrate the childhood home of Simon Williams in search of proof that Simon has superpowers, hoping to build a case that revolves around a mysterious incident when Simon was a child that saw him survive a massive explosion unscathed. Trevor therefore accompanies Simon to a birthday party that is being thrown for Simon’s mother. We meet her (and she is a jewel) as well as Simon’s overbearing brother Eric, along with other members of Simon’s family. The lightheartedness of Trevor trying to fit in with Simon’s family is soon overridden by another physical manifestation of Simon’s destructive powers, which are brought on during an emotional outburst after having grown tired of Eric’s incessant insults.
After leaving, Simon confides in Trevor that Slattery is the first person to see his powers in the flesh outside of his family and suggests that he should perhaps give up on acting and try to make something better of his life. Trevor encourages Simon as best he can but finds himself moved by Simon’s sincerity as well as his passion for a craft that Trevor has unabashedly devoted his entire life to. Trevor therefore decides to covertly destroy the recording device that he’d been fitted with by the DODC, annihilating the evidence that he has just obtained that could incriminate this individual that not only adores Trevor as a mentor and a hero, but who Trevor is beginning to care for as a friend; something that both are in short supply of. In the midst of this rather moving scene, the duo learn that they have been issued call backs for Wonder Man!
This show continues to be a smooth, well-paced, entertaining series with the highlight being Simon and Trevor. As long as they are on-screen together, this series is working and I am thoroughly enjoying their unique chemistry. The Department of Damage Control does add a slight amount of suspense to the series, but all of the drama and humor are being delivered by Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Three episodes in, I find myself pleasantly surprised by how good this series is!
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Doorman – Directed by James Ponsoldt. Written by Zeke Nicholson
Then came Doorman … I was thoroughly enjoying Wonder Man prior to this episode, which boasted Marvel Studios branding and was presented in black-and-white. As viewers, we had already heard about the “Doorman Clause”, which strictly prohibits superpowered people from participating in Hollywood productions. This episode shows us why this is. Centered around Wilcox Club Doorman DeMarr Davis, we see the happy and carefree Davis receive superpowers after coming into contact with a mysterious goo tied to the Roxxon Corporation. Davis is transported to a door-filled dimension and wakes up with the ability to transport objects through himself; his body serving as a gateway from one place to the other. He becomes the “Doorman.” After returning to work at the Club, Davis saves the lives of several clubgoers upon the breakout of a fire. With the patrons locked in the burning club, Davis uses his body as a portal to get everyone to safety, including Josh Gad, who you may know as the voice of Olaf in Disney’s Frozen films. This prompts Gad to hire Davis as his bodyguard, and Davis accepts, and is soon cast in Gad’s heist film Cash Grab, in which Davis’ powers are used in the film as a plot device, without the need of special effects and whatnot. Cash Grab is a hit and Doorman’s fame grows and he establishes a solid Hollywood career until overexposure and public critics dent his fame and drive him to alcoholism. Ultimately, Gad contacts a struggling Davis to take part in a sequel to Cash Grab, but during filming and in a scene featuring Doorman’s powers, Josh Gad is inadvertently consumed and presumably regurgitated by Davis. Enter a horrified public and the Department of Damage Control. Davis is taken into DODC custody and the “Doorman Clause” is instated, raising the stakes for Simon Williams as he attempts to establish himself in Hollywood as a person with covert superpowers.
After watching the 1st three episodes, my general assessment was that as long as Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are the screen together, this show works. So, what follows? A full episode without Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on-screen together. Ridiculous! I didn’t outright hate Doorman, but it did come across as a tonal shift with a lot of goofy elements … not funny … goofy. I like funny. I don’t like goofy. Ultimately, this felt like a waste of an episode, and it reminded me of things that I personally didn’t like in MCU projects such as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Captain America: Brave New World; it was just a little goofy and a little off-putting.
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Found Footage – Directed by Tiffany Johnson. Written by Anayat Fakhraie
Trevor Slettery ignores calls from the DODC and takes Simon out to celebrate, where Trevor’s past comes back to bite him when a gang of drug dealers confront him and whisk he and Simon away to a back alley. Simon of course, uses his powers to resolve the situation, but the incident is filmed by a boy on a bike with a GoPro. Simon and Trevor give chase when the boy flees and they eventually discover that they are being blackmailed, as the boy wants them to recoup his stolen motorcycle in exchange for the footage. If they refuse to help him, the boy insists that he will upload the footage online, which will of course, expose Simon.
Simon and Trevor agree, and the incident goes south after the aforementioned drug dealers happen upon the scene, followed by the police. Simon and Trevor make an escape after the footage is successfully destroyed and they prepare to venture to Director Kovak’s home for the next phase of their auditions.
This was a very meh episode for me. Again, there was a lot of goofy here and a lot of bumbling that the creators of the show tried to spin as comedic chaos, but it didn’t really work for me. After such a wonderful emotional climax in the third episode, that sort of thing was completely cast aside for both of the episodes that followed and that was a downer.
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Call Back – Directed by Tiffany Johnson. Written by Roja Gashtili, Julia Lerman, and Andrew Guest
This episode revolved around Simon and Trevor’s Call back for Wonder Man at the home of Von Kovak with other potential actors. Slattery impresses with his improvised performance, while Simon struggles, resorting to reenacting a scene from Julia Roberts’ Pretty Woman film as opposed to relying upon his own instincts. This disappoints the Director, but Simon bounces back by sharing a scene with Trevor that is so good, it lands both of them the respective roles they were seeking: Simon is to be Wonder Man and Trevor is to Barnabee! From there, the DODC abducts Slattery, who requests more time to collect evidence after revealing that he witnessed Simon’s powers.
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery completely salvaged this otherwise (dare I say) goofy episode. Kingsley really shined, especially during a moving scene of encouragement with Simon outside.
Meanwhile, even with two episodes remaining, I have to go ahead and express how annoying the Department of Damage Control is in this series for me, and quite frankly, they have never been all that great in the MCU, particularly since Spider-Man: No Way Home. Agent Cleary wasn’t particularly annoying in Spider-Man: No Way Home or Ms. Marvel, but Arian Moayad has really camped it up in this series, and so far, he comes across as extremely annoying and I hate to say it again, but goofy! The DODC in Wonder Man feel like a combination of the Tracksuit Mafia in Hawkeye and the Clandestines in Ms. Marvel in terms of feeling lame and goofy. I just don’t know why the Marvel Studios team feels the need for these kinds of characters in what are supposed to be important roles; maybe the DODC will be redeemed in the final two episodes, but my hopes aren’t high. My feelings for now are that this series peaked in episode three. A strong and satisfying finish could redeem it though … here’s hoping!
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Kathy Friedman – Directed by Stella Meghie. Written by Kira Talise and Andrew Guest
As Wonder Man begins filming, New York Times journalist Kathy Friedman begins writing a profile on Simon and Trevor. This concerns Simon, who views Kathy as a character assassin, and he fears that she could expose his secrets. Trevor assures him that all will be fine, but Simon becomes increasingly worried when Kathy interviews his mother, his ex-girlfriend Vivian, and his brother Eric.
Despite his fears however, no one has anything but glowing things to say about Simon, much to his surprise, and he soon realizes that Friedman is of no threat to him. The same does not hold true for Trevor however, as Friedman has dug deep into his past and has all sorts of questions as to why he is back in Hollywood living his life following his Mandarin antics. It is actually Trevor, who storms out on Kathy, and the emotion of the entire situation prompts Trevor to come clean about his involvement with DODC and how he was injected into Simon’s life as a spy for the organization. A hurt and angry Simon storms off to a soundstage where his powers manifest in the form of a massive explosion.
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Yucca Valley – Directed by Stella Meghie. Written by Andrew Guest
After fleeing the scene, Simon returns to his apartment under the assumption that it is only a matter of time before he is arrested. Simon contacts his mother and Trevor contacts Simon with an apology while insisting that he has a solution to Simon’s predicament. From there, Trevor reassumes his Mandarin persona and publicly takes credit for the explosion as part of a personal vendetta against the Hollywood culture in the United States. Agent Cleary knows what Trevor is up to, but he takes him into custody anyway, in an effort to fill out the DODC’s rather expensive prison in Yucca Valley, that just so happens to be low on prisoners.
Meanwhile, with Trevor’s sincere endorsement, Simon resumes filming on Wonder Man. The part of Barnaby falls to Joe Pantoliano. Wonder Man becomes a critically acclaimed hit, and Simon Williams is at long last a famous movie star! His family – including his brother Eric – could not be happier for him!
From there, Simon begins to shadow a DODC guard under the guise of researching a part for a movie. Simon quickly grows close to the man’s family and the man himself, inspiring him to financially reward the man for his kindness. He then successfully infiltrates the DODC and rescues Trevor. In the meantime, Agent Cleary has discovered that Simon’s powers manifest themselves through ionic energy.
So, for me, the final two episodes of Wonder Man really were a return to form in line with the first three episodes. Episodes 1-3 and 7-8 were very, very good. I couldn’t help but cry over Trevor’s selfless act to incriminate himself for Simon and how that conveyed how much Trevor had grown to care for Simon. I also loved that Simon couldn’t just allow Trevor to rot in prison after what he did for him! Again, these two men’s friendship and chemistry and the strong and emotional character moments that chemistry allowed for (in addition to some of the comedic ones) made this show not only watchable, but overall, quite enjoyable! Wonder Man wasn’t perfect, mind you. Not for me, anyway. The Department of Damage Control really didn’t work for me at all, nor did the goofy elements that I’ve already addressed, though I do understand what the organization meant to the plot. It’s just a very underwhelming organization within the MCU in my opinion, and I just don’t find Agent Cleary all that interesting as a character. I thought the humor in the show worked when it wasn’t forced, and the drama worked very well when the creative choice to lean upon it was made.
In the end though, beyond all of the clever commentary on what Hollywood is and how it works (which was neither here or there for me), this series was really all about Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery and the generally great performances provided by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley. Trevor in particular was a delight throughout the series, and I loved all of the callbacks to Iron Man 3. Who would have thought 13-years ago that the divisive creative choice to make The Mandarin a drunken British “act-or” would have culminated with the fun and entertaining character that we got in this show? I sort of adore Trevor Slattery! As for Simon, this was a wonderful origin story and as a longtime comic book reader and Marvel comic book fan, I have to say that for me, this version of Simon Williams was far more compelling and interesting than the Simon Williams / Wonder Man comic book character. I would have no problem with seeing more of this MCU version of Simon Williams, but of course, I would prefer to have Trevor Slattery by his side when we do!
Marvel Television / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of Wonder Man
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams
Chemistry between Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
All of the callbacks to Iron Man 3 and “The Mandarin”
Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams
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