Wonder Man is leaning into superhero fatigue - and making it part of the joke
If you've felt burned out on capes and quips, you're not alone. Wonder Man isn't pretending that feeling doesn't exist - it's winking at it.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (movies and tv series), who plays Simon Williams (movies and tv series) in the upcoming Disney Plus series, says the show knows exactly where it sits in the MCU conversation. In an interview with Empire, he put it plainly: "We're doing something that, tonally, feels much different than really any other Marvel show, or any other films. We're doing something that's fresh, and a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit self-aware."
And yes, the series will poke at the "superhero fatigue" thing. But that's not the whole point. "There'll be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it's just dressing," he said. "That's not really the aim of the show. The focus of the show is about an actor's journey. It's about a journey of friendship."
So what's the story they're telling?
The heart of it is Simon Williams - a working actor who also happens to have superhuman abilities - and his unlikely bond with Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley (movies and tv series). If Trevor rings a bell, he should: he first showed up in Iron Man 3 as the washed-up thesp who fronted as the Mandarin, and later popped up in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Putting those two in a room is already a tone statement. It's showbiz meets superheroics.
That pairing hints at something looser and more character-first than the usual save-the-world setup. You can almost hear the awkward audition rooms, the on-set chaos, the long silences between takes - the stuff actors actually live through - with the MCU humming in the background.
For the comics crowd
Wonder Man's got serious juice on the page: ionic energy, super strength, near-invulnerability, and the ability to shift into pure energy. He's also the guy who won't stay dead - one of Marvel's most persistent comeback stories. That history gives the show plenty to play with, whether it leans into the spectacle or the identity crisis that comes with being practically immortal.
Why this matters right now
Here's the honest read: audiences are choosier with superhero shows than they were a few years ago. So a series that's self-aware without getting smug - one that talks about the fatigue but doesn't drown in it - might actually cut through. Maybe it's just timing, but a character-led, showbiz-framed Marvel story feels like the right kind of different.
- Format: 8 episodes
- Where to watch: Disney Plus
- Premiere date: January 27, 2026
- Stars: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Simon Williams/Wonder Man), Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery)
We'll see how far Wonder Man pushes that "tongue-in-cheek" promise. But if it lands, it won't just nod at superhero burnout - it'll turn it into fuel. And that's a smart way to keep people watching.
You can read the full comments via Empire.
