Occasionally the creatives over at Marvel and Disney will take the MCU in a completely random and unexpected direction… this is one of those moments. Wonder Man follows a small-time actor trying to land his dream role while concealing his powers from the DODC, teaming up with Trevor Slattery (fake Mandarin) in his pursuit for success.
I have no issue with the MCU taking random detours with small lesser-known characters, so long as the film or TV series offers something different and entertaining. Wonder Man is definitely different, taking the form of a Hollywood-set buddy comedy where the characters are the focus and the super powers serve as more of an emotional obstacle. It’s a unique concept and it’s executed well enough to not be the total disaster I expected going into it. It’s entirely isolated from the rest of the MCU, with minor links like Slattery, so I wasn’t the least bit excited to embark on this journey. Throughout the series there wasn’t enough going on to really hook me and keep hitting next episode, but it also wasn’t a bad watch. By the end of the finale I can’t say it was a must watch… or even a worthwhile watch… but it’s a decent adventure headlined by a couple of captivating performances. Those performances are the bulk of what kept me engaged.
Leading the series as Simon Williams is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; a great actor who excels in the subtleties of his performance. His character is one with a complex past and a lot of layers that have turned him into the man he is today; one who is still growing and learning from his experiences. Abdul-Mateen II brings out all of Simon’s mannerisms and conveys every emotion exceptionally well, turning him into a protagonist who’s as likeable as he is unlikeable. You despise his actions but at the same time you understand his flaws because of the strength of the character. He exhibits a great amount of chemistry with Ben Kingsley, who is undoubtedly having a blast playing the chaotic Trevor Slattery. The buddy comedy element really works, with these two quirky personalities clashing and complementing each other throughout the series. Their banter makes for fun interactions and lets brief comedic beats flourish even when the narrative isn’t thriving.
Speaking on the narrative; the central arc of Simon Williams navigating life, relationships and the Hollywood audition process while concealing his powers just wasn’t enough to grab my attention. I understood from the get-go that this wasn’t going to be an multiverse-set adventure full of tense action sequences and a power-hungry villain, but the dramatic elements in lieu of that just weren’t engaging enough to hold my attention for longer than a couple of scenes per episode. Even the central arc surrounding Slattery just doesn’t offer enough to really keep me invested. It’s a show made up of neat moments, but doesn’t offer much depth beyond that. The comedic elements are occasionally fun and there’s some good instances of character development, but it’s not enough to make this an exciting series. Once again, that’s not to say the narrative is terrible; it’s just okay. However “okay” isn’t enough to warrant the existence of this series.
In the end, Wonder Man is yet another MCU series that just hasn’t hit the mark. It’s got some fun moments, decent laughs and a great leading duo, but in terms of an interesting narrative it felt lacking. It gets points for being different, with a more character focused approach, but it just didn’t hook me at any point from start to finish. It’s not an offensive watch, but it’s also not one I can see myself ever rewatching in a trip down MCU memory lane. Also the fact that this followed Iron Heart and wasn’t much better is concerning.
5.4/10
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