There’s a lot of really bad, really disturbing stuff happening in America right now, so focusing on something as trivial as a superhero TV show feels almost a little disrespectful to me in the moment.
Still, I have to tell you. Watch Wonder Man.
A spoiler-free review…
The acting is great. The writing is great. The pacing is great. It never feels quite like a superhero story, instead focusing a relationship story of two flawed people who become much needed friends; a lonely student and a unlikely mentor.
Jan 30, 2026 17:22The writers could have followed a more typical pattern for this sort of story, with twists and turns and suspense. Instead, they telegraphed everything, starting from episode 1 and hanging the lampshade in every beat after. We see everything coming from a mile away, and that choice was perfect.
The only character with any question as to what comes next is Simon, and as much as you’d expect a show called “Wonder Man” to tell the story through his eyes, it doesn’t. We watch and feel Simon’s struggles, but we’re never really surprised by them. He’s an open book, but only to us (and Trevor).
And Trevor Slattery (surprisingly, what might be one of Sir Ben Kingsley’s most engaging roles; he’s fucking brilliant) plays the teacher so well for Simon. Trevor is all over the place, but he knows it. He knows the highs of his career, he knows the lows (The Mandarin). He owns it all.
It makes him that much more attuned to understanding Simon and his internal challenges (played amazingly by Yahya Abdul-Mateen). Between the two, we see two phenomenal actors playing with characters who may not always be great actors themselves, becoming more complete people, and they nail it.
The aesthetic of the show is a quiet, introspective lo-fi, with a constant nod to TV and films of the 70’s and 80’s; before Simon was even born, and likely the peak of Trevor’s career. It works so well, especially given the current backlash-climate around high-budget blockbuster superhero films.
In an age where show premises have to be ultra-edgy or inconceivably clever, this one is just human. It hangs the lampshade here too; being about the entertainment industry, there are jokes that specifically call out those other approaches, but do so without mocking them.
Wonder Man does not adhere to the original source material. And while that can often be a cardinal sin in making a film or show based on an established character, I think it works so well here. This isn’t the story of comics-accurate Wonder Man’s adventures. It’s the story of a Simon Williams.
Simon *wants* to be Wonder Man. Simon can eventually *be* Wonder Man (okay, maybe a little spoiler, but again, very telegraphed). But it’s clear from the start that Simon has work to do to get there, and he can’t do it alone. He just doesn’t understand what he needs. He’s human like that.
Anyway, the whole thing is built in eight 30-ish minute episodes, so it can easily be binged in about 5 hours or less. Just go watch it. Even if you’ve never paid attention to the Marvel movies, this is just fantastic TV.
Even Josh Gad would agree.
