Marvel's Wonder Man Preview Unveils The MCU's Most Self-Referential TV Show Ever
Marvel is aware that audiences could be experiencing some superhero exhaustion, so they've opted to incorporate that very concept into their next superhero show.
That's right, the first preview for Wonder Man has been released, and it promises a meta twist on the MCU.
The trailer, which premiered on Oct. 10, also subtly pushed the Wonder Man launch date back from its original end of 2025 window into early 2026.
Why one more superhero film? People is tired of superheroes. Why go see them in the cinema? Wonder Man spoke to me on a deep level. There is an opportunity to shock audiences. To reinvent the entire genre of narrative.
The reporter responds: "Have you given any thought about the cast?"
The preview then transitions to lead actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's viewing the conversation on his mobile device, and the trailer concludes.
What We Know Regarding Wonder Man
We already knew that Wonder Man would be a self-referential interpretation on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the character Simon Williams, a Hollywood actor who transforms into a super-powered being (Wonder Man).
The rest of the cast features actor Ben Kingsley returning as Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams (aka Grim Reaper), Ed Harris as Simon's manager Neal Saroyan, and Arian Moayed coming back as DODC agent P. Cleary.
The Studio's Self-Referential Comedy Strategy
We don't know much else about the storyline of Wonder Man, but it's evident that Marvel plans to poke some fun at itself.
In the wake of Deadpool & Wolverine, it seems like the studio is fully committed on meta-humor. Will this approach succeed without the star power of its previous leads? We'll have to wait and see.
