- - The 'Wonder Man' TV show might be too weird for Marvel – Review

Kelly Lawler, USA TODAYJanuary 27, 2026 at 8:46 PM

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While watching "Wonder Man," you may have to stop and check if you're still on Disney+.

There's a melancholic tone, an aesthetic darkness and a general abnormality to the new Marvel series that makes it unlike any Marvel series or film before it. You'll find no Captain America optimism here, no "WandaVision" magic, no "Loki"-style cheeky sci-fi.

The easiest comic book adaptation to compare it with is Prime Video's "The Boys," an irreverent and violent deconstruction of our cultural myths around heroism. If you were to compare it to any genre of TV show, you could pepper in some of HBO's "Barry," too. Instead of a hitman with big Hollywood acting dreams this time, it's a closeted superhero looking for his 15 minutes of fame.

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Simon Williams/Wonder Man (Yahya Adbul-Mateen II) in "Wonder Man."

"Wonder" (now streaming, ★★½ out of four) is an odd duck of a TV show, to say the least. It's gratifying, on the one hand, to see Marvel try something new, almost 20 years after "Iron Man" (2008) sparked off its run of Hollywood dominance. On the other hand, "Wonder" might just be a little too divergent to fit into this existing universe that's so familiar to so many millions of fans. A bit too mournful, a bit too slow, and a bit too "inside" the entertainment industry, "Wonder" struggles both to fit into the Marvel universe and to stand on its own, ending up a TV show with oodles of potential but rather low impact.

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Simon Williams ("Watchmen" breakout Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a struggling actor living the somewhat-depressing Los Angeles life of faux-niceness and rampant disappointment, Dumped by his girlfriend and fired from his latest gig for caring about his bit part a bit too much, he's all frowns until he meets Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the infamous actor who "played the role" of terrorist The Mandarin in "Iron Man 3." Trevor and Simon become fast friends and both land exciting auditions for "Wonder Man," a superhero reboot helmed by a famously artsy director (Zlatko Buric). Yes, it's an extremely self-referential show.

Von Kovak (Zlatko Buric) in "Wonder Man," the artsy director taking on a superhero reboot movie in the meta-world of the show.

The only problem with this whole Hollywood Cinderella story is that Simon is secretly harboring superpowers, a big no-no for the entertainment industry, and Trevor has some ulterior motives in befriending this real-life superhero who wants to play a superhero in a movie.

Paired together, Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley are a dynamic duo, if far sadder and more understated than say, Iron Man and Captain America. Both have significant trauma that they are working through, and though the characters come from completely different backgrounds, the actors give them a chemistry and friendship that feels real and visceral. Abdul-Mateen has been destined for stardom ever since he turned blue on "Watchmen," and it's gratifying to see him chew into a starring role, as the leading man he's clearly meant to be.

Although the main two performances are great, "Wonder" struggles with tone and pacing. Some of the awkward scenes, going for the cringe-comedy laughs, aren't well balanced and run too long. The arc of the season sputters between big and little problems in a haphazard manner, with strange side quests for Simon and Trevor that are more head-scratching than adventurous. It's hard to tell if "Wonder" is black comedy or plain tragedy, an introspective coming-of-age story or industry satire.

And speaking of the industry, it's clear that Hollywood adores stories about itself − just look at the recent Emmy and Golden Globe tallies for Seth Rogen's Apple TV industry satire "The Studio," or Bill Hader's nods for "Barry" or the love for Michael Douglas' "The Kominsky Method." There are many moments in "Wonder" that are incredibly apt for the world aspiring actors are living through today, from Simon needing to "self-tape" an audition (a major negotiating point in the last Screen Actors Guild contract, the guild wanting to remove this burden from performers) to the glut of remakes and reboots in the development pipeline.

There's a poignancy to Simon's struggle that feels relatable to anybody stuck in their career or passion pursuits. It's clear he's talented − Simon has as much acting skill as Abdul-Mateen can muster, and he has oodles of talent. But the show helps highlight the sad reality that talent is not always enough to find success. Luck, connections, personality and more all help decide who makes it, and who moves back home to Pacoima.

Simon Williams/Wonder Man (Yahya Adbul-Mateen II, right) and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) in "Wonder Man."

Will "Wonder Man" herald a new future of offbeat Marvel projects with existential crises and deep meditations on the futility of fame? Probably not. Every tease of "Avengers: Doomsday" promises yet more of the brand's signature cinematic whiz-bang. But though "Wonder Man" isn't perfect, it is a worthy effort. There's as much superhero fatigue in the real world as there is in the Hollywood Simon and Trevor occupy, and if the comic book adaptations aren't going away, it's imperative we try something new.

An ambitious flop is always preferable to a mediocre success, whether or not Hollywood executives agree.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Wonder Man' TV show might be too weird for Marvel – Review

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