Club Benefits
- Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
- Verdict: "Wonder Man" manages to be a very good show in its own right, to the point where you wonder if it even needs the MCU. The best parts have very little to do with it being a Marvel show, and the ending leaves you wanting more. But regardless of its minor flaws, Yahya Adbul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley make this a must-watch show.
- Premiere date/time: Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 3 a.m. ET
- Channel: Streaming on Disney+
You need to watch "Wonder Man." Or at least, you really should, whether you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not. In fact, if you don't read anything beyond this point, I hope you take away that even a Marvel skeptic can like this show, and at the end of its eight episodes, come away from the viewing experience impressed.
But, as they say in the business, time is money, and just because "Wonder Man" is the biggest show on Disney+ this month doesn't mean you need to watch it. After all, our Tom's Guide managing editor, Kelly Woo, declared this show unlikely to be must-watch TV to the point where she was willing to cancel Disney+ this month rather than watch it as soon as it debuts on the streaming service.
Before watching "Wonder Man," I'd have agreed with her — without reservation. Now that I've watched the eight-episode miniseries, I couldn't disagree more. This superhero show is a well-crafted, engaging story about an unlikely mentor-mentee relationship and the unexpected friendship that comes with it, as well as an engaging tale of betrayal that's dripping with metaphor. If anything, it could have used a bit more superhero stuff to make the Marvel aspects of the show impactful rather than largely ancillary. But regardless, I can't recommend it enough, and I'm genuinely hoping that we get a "Wonder Man" season 2.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022 and thinks that reading A Wiki of Ice and Fire might be better than reading George R.R. Martin's books.
'Wonder Man' doesn't need Marvel, but Marvel needs more 'Wonder Man'
If you watch the trailer above, you'll notice two things. First, there are no superpowers on display. Second, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley are rarely on screen alone. Where one goes, so too goes the other.
Eight episodes later, I can tell you that the trailer nails it. Yes (spoiler alert), Simon (Abdul-Mateen) does have superpowers (Marvel gives that away in a subsequent trailer). But until the very last second, they're largely irrelevant to his story.
That's not to say they're totally irrelevant. As you watch the series, you see how Simon's powers shape who he is today. Especially as he tries to be an actor in a world where the superpowered are barred from acting. But while they're part of his character's backstory, it's not essential. What's essential is that Simon needs to overcome the traumas of his past and finally get over the obstacles in front of him. The fact that superpowers are involved in those core components of great storytelling is merely window dressing.
Speaking of storytelling, "Wonder Man" is primarily the story of an unlikely friendship. It's far more about that than it is about capes or costumes. This show is centered around the unlikely friendship between Simon and Trevor, and while Trevor may be a familiar face for anyone who's watched "Iron Man 3" or "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," you don't need to know his backstory going into this show. "Wonder Man" tells you everything you need to know as it plays out the mentor-mentee relationship between the veteran actor Trevor and the struggling Simon, which then becomes a deep friendship ready to be fractured by dark secrets the two friends keep from each other.
"Wonder Man" is, in theory, exactly the type of show Marvel should be craving. But instead, I'm worried it's doomed to be the type of show Marvel often forgets that it knows how to make.
Do those secrets involve powers and Marvel lore? They do, but the reason this show is so good is that they don't have to involve either of those things. A Marvel-free version of this show could exist, and it would be just as good, possibly even better.
Which brings me to the two negatives I have about "Wonder Man." While I like that it's focused on substance over style, this is still fundamentally a Marvel property, and I would have liked Simon's powers and his relationship to them to be further explored. His growth as a potential superhero happens off-screen, and I think with more time, it would have been fulfilling to go through that journey with Simon, rather than rushing to the show's endpoint.
I also worry that Marvel, which seems to be careening towards a reboot, isn't going to learn that this is the type of show that people want to see. The studio dumped this show at the end of January as a binge-drop, and while the story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, this show is billed as a miniseries and what's currently on the Marvel release schedule seems aimed at getting to "Avengers: Secret Wars" and tying up loose ends. "Wonder Man" is, in theory, exactly the type of show Marvel should be craving. But instead, I'm worried it's doomed to be the type of show Marvel often forgets that it knows how to make.
Please Marvel, don't let 'Wonder Man' end here
I know I just said I think this show's future is doomed, but there are some hopeful signs that "Wonder Man" could get a second season.
First, there are some early reviews that have already come in, and they're positive as well. "Wonder Man" is currently rated 93% "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes by critics, which is impressive in general but particularly for a Marvel show. Show creator Andrew Guest also recently sat down with MovieWeb and hinted that a season 2 was not out of the question.
Personally, I don't need it to be a season 2, necessarily. If we get more of Simon (and Trevor) in a future Marvel movie — and not just forgotten or killed off in "Avengers: Doomsday" — I'm fine with that too. But after watching "Wonder Man," it's clear that this is a story worth telling, and there's more of it to tell. So I'm just begging Marvel, please, don't let "Wonder Man" end here.
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