Commentary: ‘Wonder Man’ Could Use More Wonder And Less Man

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a very specific thing. It’ stories are centered around science fiction and fantasy. They are meant to stretch the imagination and transport the audience to a fictional world of superpowers and aliens. Of course, this trend couldn’t last forever. As more and more installments enter the universe, its films and television series must think outside the box and have unique takes to avoid retreading old territory. Wonder Man certainly takes this risk by following an actor trying to keep his powers hidden for the sake of his career. However, the show focused so much on its mission that it forgot its main purpose is to wow and, well, wonder.

Centered on Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) — a gifted actor with incredible superpowers that often flare out in times of stress — the program sees him trying to score a key role while evading the Department of Damage Control. They enlist Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), a former terrorist stooge, to spy on him. Simon and Trevor form an unlikely friendship as the former’s career blossoms. However, Trevor is forced to sacrifice himself to Damage Control when Simon’s powers destroy a film set. Unable to allow his friend to take the fall, Simon breaks Trevor out of prison, and the two make a daring escape using Simon’s powers.

Wonder Man is much more grounded than previous MCU installments. There aren’t any big fights or dramatic displays of power. In fact, Simon’s powers are relatively contained for the vast majority of the show. In this case, his abilities could really be a stand-in for anything that Simon would want to keep hidden because it threatens his career. This kind of story could have easily taken place focusing on race, sexual orientation, or even political affiliation. The audience never even really gets to see Simon’s powers in full display until the very end. The entire purpose of the MCU is to showcase strange beings with supernatural abilities. So, while it’s interesting to see a different kind of show in the MCU, this series could have benefited from a lot more of the spectacle fans have come to expect from the universe.

Wonder Man is now streaming on Disney+.