Wonder Man is about a bit actor named Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
A bit actor is someone who plays small roles in film, television, or theater. They usually have a few lines and a specific function in the story. It’s a decent enough gig. You say one or two lines, then you’re done for the day.
But Simon loves his job. He loves it to the point that he’s willing to go above and beyond what’s written on the page. He doesn’t just want to say his lines. He needs to understand who his character is, where they’re coming from, and why they say and do the things they do.
That is, until the production of his latest gig grows irritated by his inability to simply deliver his lines without overthinking them and fires him. Oh, and his girlfriend dumps him too. What a bad day.
Later, while trying to shake off his terrible run of luck, Simon meets Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), infamously known for playing the Mandarin. The two spend some time talking about movies and the artistry behind them. Trevor then tells Simon about an upcoming audition for acclaimed director Von Kovak’s (Zlatko Burić) remake of the 1980s superhero film Wonder Man.
You see, Simon loves Wonder Man. It was his favorite movie growing up and the very reason he pursued acting in the first place. So, naturally, he needs to be in it. He begs his agent, Janelle Jackson (X Mayo), for a chance to audition, however she shuts him down because of his recent firing. But Simon is persistent and goes anyway.
During the audition, Simon struggles to get into character. The frustration builds, and as it does, the world around him begins to vibrate at an unnatural speed. Simon has a superpower, one that activates whenever he’s under extreme stress. But with the current policy surrounding superhumans, no one needs to know about it. Thankfully, Trevor helps him let go of his overthinking, even if only temporarily, and Simon pushes through the audition.
Everything seems to work out fine in the end. The two celebrate with drinks and laughter, and a genuine friendship begins to form.
Until Trevor answers a phone call. A mysterious voice warns him about how dangerous Simon is. Trevor then calmly reassures the caller: “Don’t fret. I’ve got him right where I want him.”
The thing plaguing Marvel right now is superhero fatigue. It’s a term used to describe audience burnout from superhero movies and shows flooding theaters and streaming platforms nonstop. That is fine if all of it were at the same level of artistry and stakes as Avengers: Endgame, but that’s clearly not the case here. It’s the same thing over and over, and too much of the same thing will inevitably kill both quality and demand.
However, fatigue doesn’t mean the death of a genre. It’s more of a call for variety. And Marvel seems to heed that call with Wonder Man, which addresses several of the fixes the studio needs to make superheroes interesting again.
On the surface, Wonder Man is a satire of the Hollywood grind. It shows how auditioning for roles can dehumanize a person. It exposes artistic narcissism and the instability of a career in acting. At the same time, it also critiques the Marvel IP treadmill: the constant revisiting of old heroes for profit, and acting as both an art form and a lifeline for artists trying to keep a roof over their heads.
Needless to say, Wonder Man is not about the grand scheme of things. It’s not about the multiverse or monsters threatening to destroy the world. Instead, it’s grounded in work, survival, and the pursuit of mastering a craft, problems that exist in our own daily lives.
Wonder Man isn’t homework, and that’s one of the best things about it. You don’t need to watch it to prepare for Avengers: Doomsday this December, as it has no bearing on The Multiverse Saga. You can enjoy it purely as a standalone series. And with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley leading this buddy-duo story, it’s hard not to have a good time with it.
My hope for Marvel is that they release more series like this, where superpowers aren’t the central focus but exist in the background as symbols of a character’s growth from repression to liberation. It just keeps everything fresh, adds genuine heart to the story, and allows these superheroes to be more relatable to the masses.
4/5