Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Marvel continues to deliver in its quest to return to form.

Spoiler Warning

Marvel Spotlight’s Wonder Man (2026) is the first television series out of the gate this year for the studio. It has arrived seemingly without very much fanfare, dropping all episodes in one go. It has also been a critical hit, with both reviewers and the audience loving it (Rotten Tomato shows 90% from critics and an 89% audience score at the time of writing). There is no doubt that this is a good quality TV show, but does that mean it is enjoyable to watch?

Do television shows have to be enjoyable? That is the question on my mind as I write this review. Any art can be intended to be thought-provoking and unsettling rather than purely enjoyable. A television show is entertainment in its broadest sense but the content and the story do not need to be fluffy in order to entertain. Last year’s critical hit, the mini-series Adolescence (2025) which dealt with knife crime and how teenage boys struggle with the concept of masculine identity in the modern world is very much proof of that. Wonder Man is telling a very real story about the challenges of acting as a career, the broader Hollywood culture, and being the odd one out – just set in a superhero universe.  

Simon’s early story is not a comfortable watch. The first episode paints Simon brilliantly. We get to know that he is an actor in it for the craft; that he overthinks it; that he is his own worst enemy. We wince as the scene devolves with every suggestion Simon offers until he gets fired. We feel for him as he arrives home and his girlfriend leaves him, getting to know that he is reserved and closed up emotionally as a man. We also see his ruthless ambition in how he goes after getting on the list for the auditions. We learn that he is struggling to hide his powers, bottling them up as they rattle the world in times of stress. And we see him deliver a fantastic audition.

It is a wonderful introduction (pun totally intended), but it is not a comfortable one. The character is struggling and flawed. The second-hand embarrassment for Simon is real. Powerful story-telling? Yes. Enjoyable to watch? Not so much. I am not sure I would have continued to watch the show except for the two things.

Firstly, the fact that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is outstanding in the part of Simon Williams. He delivers a tour de force performance as the actor. It will be a travesty if his performance is ignored come awards season because it is delivered in a Marvel show. The moment where he delivers the audition is emotionally wrenching and so beautifully performed, and it was the hook that made me think ‘OK, maybe this is worth sticking with.’

Underscoring that is the second thing which encouraged me to keep going; that it had been getting rave reviews from critics and reviewers online. Some have commented on whether Disney Plus should have gone for a weekly drop. I think that the show probably would not have done as well if it had. The first three episodes are a great character study, but they are not compelling unless you’re hooked on the actor journey theme, are tickled by the Marvel subplot of the Department of Damage Control being after Simon, or you’re truly invested in the characters. Personally, I was a little ambivalent about all of those things but that quality of the acting and the fact it had been lauded kept me watching.

As the show continues the quality of the acting element grows ever stronger as all the actors turn in stellar performances. I’m not a fan of some of the choices Ben Kingsley makes in his performance of Trevor Slattery, but he brings depth to a character who has previously been used for comic effect or as nothing more than a narrative twist. Seeing some of the backstory for the Mandarin helped with that, as does seeing Trevor’s apartment with its rich tapestry of a man who loves acting.

Nods for fabulous performances in the supporting cast too but I have two particular shout-outs to talk about. I loved Shola Adewusi as Simon’s mother. The scene with her and Trevor in the kitchen when she explains how she realised Simon was not alright with being alone and was lonely was heartbreaking. I also loved the no-nonsense Janelle the Agent played with deftness by X Mayo.

Still, where the switch flipped to hook me into the show was the very original move to make one episode a full flashback to set the context for why Simon has to hide. We’re not just told about the Doorman being the reason why supers are banned from acting, but we are shown it. It is a wonderful micro-story within the wider piece as it also delivers a story about a man’s journey in Hollywood, except flipping the script from the primary tale.

Byron Bowers gives an excellent performance as DeMarr Davis aka The Doorman. He’s personable and likeable, with no want to act; he’s the antithesis of Simon. He falls into fame and success because of his superhero power, and he devolves with his experience in Hollywood into debt and drinking, and unhappiness until the final denouement where his powers subsequently go very, very wrong, harming Josh Gad playing Josh Gad.

The whole episode is great. My one complaint is that I would have preferred it not to have been a known name but just a made-up Big Actor character; there was nothing gained from having the character be an AU version of Josh Gad – I feel the same way about the usage of Joe Pantoliano elsewhere in the show. But, overall, even this niggle was not enough to deter me from wanting now to watch the rest of the show.

The fifth episode is more of a farcical romp with Simon’s superhero capability on show, and Trevor’s past coming back to haunt him. I am left musing whether this part of the story was more indicative of the tone the show was meant to have as a whole before Marvel’s changing direction in 2024 and 2025. This episode is enjoyable for all that there is a sense of real danger with the thugs after Trevor. I loved the sub-plot of Esteban and Jayden’s relationship which mirrors the themes of betrayal and redemption in friendship.   

The sixth and seventh episodes do return us to that second-hand embarrassment mode as we watch Simon almost blow his callback with Von Kovak, and embraces being the lead in the movie in a kind of douche-y way which he tries to hide from the reporter shadowing him. However, the finale episode is brilliant as first Trevor saves Simon, Simon realises his dream but ultimately gives it up and chooses to save Trevor in return. The show ends on a high note as Simon and Trevor fly free of the prison as Simon embraces his powers.

Thematically, the narrative is great. There is a wonderful mirroring of the Wonder Man script where Barnaby betrays Wonder Man and the main plot of Trevor betraying Simon initially. The redemption theme and what does redemption really mean is great. Trevor’s initial redemption as defined by the government is to help them take-down Simon, whereas Trevor comes to understand his real redemption is to protect Simon, take the blame and return to jail. I loved the nods to real life issues in immigration policy and imprisoning people to make a quota and justify a budget. With recent events in the US, those nods feel even more relevant than ever.

The primary criticism I have about the show is pacing and the series’ construction. Episodes one to three form a first Act wherein Simon and Trevor meet, connect, and while Trevor gets the evidence he needs, he makes the decision to protect Simon. We have the actor’s journey from audition to callback news. Then we have the Doorman interlude. When we come back, we have the incongruous episode of Simon and Trevor having a side-quest to stop footage of Simon’s powers leaking to the internet after he protects Trevor. After that, we’re back to the actor’s journey in the callback episode. We then skip quite a bit of time (although it is not really clear) to get to the start of production, and finally the last episode skips from Trevor saving Simon, through the whole of the filming and release, and covers Simon’s time leading up to him saving Trevor. That pacing and construction does not work for me.

Imagine if we had actor’s journey from the start to them getting the roles in the first episodes. Then the Doorman. When we come back, it’s the actor’s journey doing their movie and getting their big break, with the penultimate episode ending with Trevor saving Simon. The finale could have focused completely on the release of the film, Simon’s fame, and his decision to save Trevor. For me that might have worked better. That said, the series is clearly a hit without that tightening up of pacing/construction so what do I know.

I would definitely be remiss if I also did not give a round of applause to production and crew across the board. Everything from the set design, the music choices, make-up, the special effects, costuming, direction – every single person involved in the show can take a bow to a standing ovation. It is a quality production.

In conclusion

This is a strong opening for Marvel in 2026. The show is rightfully getting held up as an example of what fans really wanted from the Marvel television series; great character-driven stories which just happen to be set within the MCU.

With the second season of Daredevil: Born Again (2025- ) dropping in March, it will be interesting to see if they can continue with the quality and excellence they’ve shown they can do with Wonder Man. I’m looking forward to finding out.    

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