We had absolutely no idea what we were getting into with this new Marvel series, and yet, we want more of it. Despite being a subversion of the superhero genre, Wonder Man has so much heart that makes it a genuinely interesting watch.
The story follows Simon Williams, an actor barely coasting by with his craft when he meets Trevor Slattery, the failed actor who played The Mandarin in Iron Man 3. The two forge an unlikely bond as fellow actors as a film adaptation of Wonder Man begins production. The catch? Simon has powers, and Hollywood has a rule against it.
Join us as we get into the High Five reasons you should give Wonder Man a shot.
A Study of Contrasts
Wonder Man is a huge part of Wanda and Vision’s arc in the comics. In the original source material, Simon Williams aka Wonder Man was a result of Baron Helmut Zemo’s experimentation and has a complicated relationship with Wanda and Vision because his brain waves are the basis for Vision. Not only that, but Simon is a son of an arms dealer and he’s gone corrupt even before the experiment of the Baron. When he does get his powers though, he does pursue acting to keep his cover.
In the series, there is no clear explanation on William’s powers except an instance where it manifested in his childhood. He’s from a loving family and is just trying to pursue what he loves. All in all, even if they are different, Simon’s role in the TV series keeps the core aspects of what makes Simon Williams who he is: ionic power, being an actor, and having imposter syndrome.
The People Behind The Powers
Everyone has been throwing the term superhero fatigue a lot recently. Wonder Man addresses this by combining Hollywood satire into the mix. Instead of a superpowered human dealing with the problems of the world, Simon is dealing with his internal demons. It’s not just the imposter syndrome he has to process, but his own anger and anxiety as he navigates the world as a superpowered actor. The moment he allows himself to feel complicated emotions, he bursts with ionic energy, damaging his surroundings and immediately revealing his identity.
Wonder Man is an incredibly overpowered superhero and yet we get to see him struggle like the common folk do, making him a relatable character from the onset.
Magnetic Acting
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley have gelled so well, embodying Simon and Trevor respectively. When acting alongside each other, they own the scene and keep the viewer hooked into the antics they get into, with Abdul-Mateen carriying the emotional side, while Kingsley embodies the eccentricities of a man with a checkered past.
Alongside them are great performances from Josh Gad, who played a fictionalized and highly conceited version of himself, which gave rise to Hollywood’s rule of no superpowered actors; Zlatko Burić who played Von Kovak, who carried the idiosyncratic tendencies of auteurs as the director of the Wonder Man adaptation; and X Mayo as talent agent Janelle Johnson, whose loyalty and tenacity are palpable. All in all, the cast is a mix of familiar faces and charismatic performances that had us hooked from the beginning right until the end.
Subtle Heroics
While not entirely a superhero show at the start, Wonder Man uses subtle and well-timed effects for when superpowers need to show up. While Simon bottles up everything, just one trigger is enough to make him snap. But despite his volatile nature, he is considered a hero by Trevor, his first and only friend who also helps him gain confidence in himself.
After establishing this, the powers are introduced through the most human way possible: stress. The typical action scenes seen you expect from a superhero adaptation are in the later episodes so it’s a gradual rise of seeing Simon bottle everything up to purposefully using his ionic powers. You’ll have to watch the whole season to see what we mean.
Read Between the References
If you’re a literary buff, Slattery’s Shakespeare quotes won’t escape your notice. From Hamlet to King Lear, there are heavy tones of betrayal all over the place. Even the songs at the end of the episode are references to what the characters are feeling, or what the people around him are doing behind his back. The question is, who is doing the betraying and why? This makes for an intriguing setup that will capture viewers’ attention right until the end.
All in all, the series was a surprising superhero series that tackles Hollywood and superhero satire, while being an empathetic story of an individual just trying to pursue his passion and livelihood. SEA Wave gives Wonder Man 3.5 out of 5 waves.