Wonder Man (miniseries)


Wonder Man is an American television miniseries created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is the 17th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe produced by Marvel Studios, via its Marvel Television label, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. Guest served as showrunner. The series follows actors Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery as they try to land roles in a remake of the film Wonder Man.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams, alongside X Mayo, Zlatko Burić, Ben Kingsley, Arian Moayed, Joe Pantoliano, Byron Bowers, and Josh Gad. In December 2021, Cretton signed an overall deal with Marvel Studios to create television series for Disney+, with a comedy series already in development at that point. The series was revealed to be centered on Wonder Man in June 2022, with Guest involved and Cretton confirmed to be directing episodes. Abdul-Mateen joined the cast that October, with Stella Meghie and James Ponsoldt set to also direct in February 2023. Filming began in early April 2023 in Los Angeles, before production was shut down in late May due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Filming resumed by early January 2024 and concluded by that April. The series was officially revealed in October 2024.
Wonder Man was released in its entirety on Disney+ on January 27, 2026, and consists of eight episodes. It is part of Phase Six of the MCU, and was released under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner. The series received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Struggling actors Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery try to land roles in a remake of the superhero film Wonder Man.

Cast

An aspiring actor who auditions for the lead role in the remake of an in-universe Wonder Man film and secretly possesses ionic energy-based superpowers, including superhuman strength and speed, as well as the ability to create massive explosions. Showrunner Andrew Guest described the character as "incredibly powerful in a way that even he is not fully aware", with Marvel Studios executive Brian Gay adding that Simon "doesn't even know the extent of what his powers are", although both noted that the character does not care that he has powers and simply wants to be an accomplished actor like Daniel Day-Lewis. Abdul-Mateen explained that Simon hides his powers because they are looked down upon, due to the Doorman Clause having banned superpowered individuals from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's fictional version of Hollywood. The character allowed Abdul-Mateen to explore "some three-dimensionality" between his past and relationship to his family, while still being a superhero. Kameron J. Meadows portrays a young Simon.
  • X Mayo as Janelle Jackson: Simon's agent
  • Zlatko Burić as Von Kovak:
A celebrated and reclusive director who is directing the Wonder Man remake. Guest said the character is a combination of filmmakers Werner Herzog, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan.
  • Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery:
A failed actor who previously took on the guise of the Mandarin working for Aldrich Killian and was later abducted by Xu Wenwu's Ten Rings organization, who is also auditioning for the Wonder Man film. Slattery returns to Hollywood after the Mandarin and Ten Rings fallout to find a "second chance" as an actor and to prove to his mother Dorothy he was "the actor always hoped he would be", with Wonder Man showing Slattery take ownership for his past behavior. He becomes friends with Simon though he also realizes Simon is someone he can exploit. Guest called Slattery a "Forrest Gump-y, Chauncey Gardiner-type character" who manages to get "caught up in bigger-picture things". Executive producer Brad Winderbaum said the character had a "very interesting three-act structure" within the series that was "very sincere, very earnest not cynical", with Kingsley adding that Slattery gets "pulled in two directions", including reaching his ambition but "at a terrible cost". Winderbaum said the series concludes a trilogy for Slattery, following his appearances in the MCU films Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
  • Arian Moayed as P. Cleary: A Department of Damage Control agent, who considers Simon an "extraordinary threat"
  • Joe Pantoliano as a fictionalized version of himself who is an old rival of Slattery.
  • Byron Bowers as DeMarr Davis / Doorman:
A former doorman at the Wilcox Club whose body can phase through objects and is connected to a door-filled dimension. He later became an actor, but his powers caused an on-set incident that led the creation of the Doorman Clause.
  • Josh Gad as a fictionalized version of himself who becomes Davis's best friend. Gad jokingly said that he used method acting techniques to get into his own head for his performance in Wonder Man, and stated that he had hoped to play a superhero in the series, although he admitted that he ended up playing "the next best thing, which is myself".
Additional cast members include: Ashley Greene as a fictionalized version of herself; Béchir Sylvain as Sanford Williams, Simon's late father who took him to see the original Wonder Man film when he was a child; Olivia Thirlby as Vivian, an actress and Simon's ex-girlfriend; Phumzile Sitole as Lauren, the director of the American Horror Story episode Simon is fired from; Jon A. Abrahams as Frank Preminger, Davis's agent; Dane Larsen as Brent Willard, the actor who played the title character in the original Wonder Man; Shola Adewusi as Martha Williams, Simon's mother; Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams, Simon's "stable" older brother who works in insurance; Dan Donohue as DODC Deputy Secretary Heyerdahl; Charlotte Ross as Bridget, the owner of the Wilcox Club where Davis worked as a doorman; Mario Lopez as a fictionalized version of himself; Joseph D. Reitman as Patrick Connor, a drug dealer who Slattery owes money to; Brandon Wardell as Jayden; Carlito Olivero as Esteban; Bradley Tejeda, Alex Polcyn, Carlos Leal, and Simon Templeman as, respectively, Olly, Jake, Manuel, and Richard, additional actors auditioning for a role in the Wonder Man remake; Juliette Ortega as Melanie, Kovak's assistant; Lauren Weedman as The New York Times reporter Kathy Friedman; Blake Robbins as Chuck Eastman, a DODC worker whom Simon uses to gain access to the prison where Slattery is held; and Torrey Vogel as a DODC agent.

Episodes

Production

Development

While working on the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton and Marvel Studios producer Jonathan Schwartz discussed creating a television series centered on the character Trevor Slattery, and discussed this with the actor who plays the character, Ben Kingsley. Around the same time, Marvel Studios producers Stephen Broussard and Brian Gay were beginning early development on a project centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man. Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television, and animation Brad Winderbaum said both ideas were conceived around an "actor's journey" narrative and working in Hollywood and naturally merged to create a "two-hander" between Simon and Slattery.
In December 2021, Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios and Onyx Collective to develop television projects for Disney+, with a comedy series already in development at that point. Cretton would produce the series through his newly created production company, Family Owned. This was in conjunction with Cretton returning to write and direct the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In June 2022, the series was revealed to be in early development and titled Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series and serve as head writer; he was previously a consulting producer on the Marvel Studios series Hawkeye. Cretton was expected to direct episodes of the series, and was confirmed to be that October, directing the series' first two episodes. Joe Otterson at Variety noted the series had the possibility to be a "Hollywood satire", which he felt made sense given the character's history in the comics as an actor and stuntman; the series was later reported to be a character study of Simon that explores the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood. Winderbaum said Guest was able to pitch a take on the series that was "an uncynical, earnest view of the trials and tribulations of anyone in the arts". In February 2023, James Ponsoldt entered negotiations to direct episodes of the series, while Stella Meghie was hired to direct multiple episodes by the end of the month. Ponsoldt directed the third and fourth episodes, while Tiffany Johnson directed the fifth and sixth episodes, and Meghie directed the final two episodes.
By October 2023, Marvel Studios shifted their creative philosophy to a more traditional television development process, moving away from head writers and began to hire dedicated showrunners for their series; Guest was named showrunner for Wonder Man. Marvel Studios formally announced the series in October 2024 when it released the first footage alongside the studios' other 2025 series. Adam Blevins from Collider said Wonder Man was Marvel Studios' "worst-kept secret for quite some time" and was grateful to have official information released for it. The series was originally reported to consist of ten episodes, but Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television, and animation Brad Winderbaum later said it would consist of eight episodes, with each ranging from approximately 20 to 40 minutes. Executive producers of the series include Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D'Esposito, and Winderbaum, alongside Cretton and Guest.
Because Wonder Man was developed prior to Marvel Studios' late 2023 shift towards multi-season television series, they were taking a "wait-and-see approach" by May 2025 regarding whether it would get a second season. Winderbaum explained that, while the series "really stands on its own as a beautiful piece", it was "caught in the middle" of their creative overhaul and was not planned to have additional seasons. Marvel Studios would be open to more if there was a strong audience response.