Wonder Man became an official part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in January 2026, bringing a new, meta perspective to superhero storytelling. The entire eight-episode miniseries was streamed on Disney+ on January 27 and is a part of the MCU Phase Six under the Marvel Spotlight banner.
Wonder Man, a creation of Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest with Guest as the running of the show, mixes comedy, Hollywood satire, sand uperhero elements in a character-driven story about ambition, identity, and second chances.
It was created by Marvel Studios under the banner of Marvel Television and was mainly filmed in Los Angeles. Production commenced in April 2023, but due to the Writers Guild strike, a pause was made. The shooting went on in early 2024 and the last shot was done in April.
The plot of the series revolves around an aspiring actor, Simon Williams, vying to land the role of the lead character in a remake of the original in-universe Wonder Man movie alongside MCU character Trevor Slattery, who has made a comeback.
Who stars in Wonder Man?
1) Yahya Abdul, Mateen II as Simon Williams
Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, is played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The Emmy winner is best known for the roles of Black Manta in Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections, and Bobby Seale in The Trial of the Chicago 7.
He won a Primetime Emmy for Watchmen and was nominated for a Tony for his Broadway show Topdog/Underdog. Wonder Man is about a character who is a struggling artist and secretly has superpowers like super strength and super speed, but he is more interested in gaining recognition as an actor than becoming a superhero.
2) Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery
Ben Kingsley reprises his role as Trevor Slattery in the MCU, which he helped establish in Iron Man 3, All Hail the King, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Ben Kingsley, an Academy Award-winning actor for Gandhi, has maintained a stellar career in theatre, film, and television for several decades.
In the show, Slattery is portrayed as a failed actor who is trying to find his way back to stardom in Hollywood while also going to the same superhero remake auditions as Simon. The story of the character is an in-depth exploration of the human qualities of ambition, responsibility and the costs of one’s decisions in the past.
3) X Mayo as Janelle Jackson
X Mayo is Janelle Jackson, an agent of Simon who helps him navigate the unpredictable world of Hollywood in the superhero era. Von Kovak, a famed but mysterious director of the Wonder Man remake, is played by Zlatko Buri. Joe Pantoliano is a fictionalized Joe Pantoliano who is an old rival of Slattery.
4) Arian Moayed as P. Cleary
Arian Moayed plays the role of P. Cleary, who is a Damage Control Department agent and sees Simon as a threat. Byron Bowers acts as DeMarr Davis, aka Doorman, a former club employee whose ability to phase led to a huge incident on the film set, which made Hollywood ban people with powers. Josh Gad also features as an exaggerated version of himself and eventually becomes Davis’s best friend.
Other members of the cast are
- Demetrius Grosse portraying Simon’s elder brother, Eric Williams,
- Shola Adewusi plays their mother, Martha.
- Olivia Thirlby acting as Vivian (Simons ex, girlfriend)
- Juliette Ortega is taking the role of Kovak’s assistant Melanie,
- Dane Larsen as the actor who played the original Wonder Man.
- Mario Lopez
- Ashley Greene
- Lauren Weedman
Read More: Highlander remake shares first look at Henry Cavill in his new avatar
What is Wonder Man about?
It traces the story of Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery, two down, on, their, luck actors who are vying for parts in a Wonder Man superhero movie reboot. Simon has superpowered abilities that he keeps secret because in Hollywood, there are rules forbidding superpowered performers, so he hides his talents while chasing traditional acting success.
This series goes deep into industry satire, exploring themes of fame, exploitation, and the price of ambition in a world where superheroes coexist with celebrity culture. Trevor is looking at the project as a way to patch up his image, while Simon is seeing it as a golden ticket that will finally get his career recognized.
Across the eight episodes, he manages to balance the character drama with the MCU lore, interspersing the Department of Damage Control, Hollywood politics, and Simon’s complicated family history.
Additionally, the series goes into how the two main characters deal with the issues of making moral compromises, experiencing personal failures, and facing the pressure to succeed, all the time functioning within Marvel’s bigger shared universe.
Read More: The Wrecking Crew (2026) Ending explained: Did Walter Hale die?
The show released on January 27, 2026, on Disney+.
Edited by Sakshi Singh
