Wonder Man Review: Marvel’s Most Unusual Disney Plus Series

Very quietly, and almost without much fanfare, the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe project dropped yesterday on Disney Plus.

Wonder Man arrived with all eight episodes released at once, which honestly felt like a bit of a red flag at first. Marvel usually spaces things out, so seeing the entire season dumped in one go immediately raised eyebrows.

Each episode runs under 30 minutes once you cut out the long recap and those massive end credits. So when you add it all up, watching the full season feels more like sitting through a really long movie than a traditional TV series.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t overly excited heading into it. The final trailer caught my attention a little, but overall my expectations were pretty low.

Still, yesterday I decided to sit d own and binge the whole thing.

About four hours later…

I came away genuinely surprised.

I really liked it.

And not just “it was okay” liked it, I liked it more than several MCU Disney Plus offerings we’ve gotten over the past few years.

This one is definitely one of the better ones.

Wonder Man Doesn’t Feel Like a Typical Marvel Show

Other than Eternals, this might be the most un-Marvel Marvel project I’ve ever watched.

And I don’t mean that as a compliment or a criticism, it just feels different.

It doesn’t follow the usual MCU formula. There’s no constant buildup to massive battles, no nonstop superhero chaos, and no world-ending threat hanging over every episode.

Instead, it feels grounded. Almost like a real-world comedy-drama that just happens to exist inside the Marvel universe.

Before the series even came out, I said the one thing that would make or break Wonder Man was the chemistry between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery.

And any doubts I had were wiped away in episode one.

Their onscreen chemistry is fantastic.

You can kind of sense it in the trailers, but you never truly know until you watch the show itself. Once the story gets rolling and their friendship starts forming, you completely buy into it.

On paper, it shouldn’t work.

Visually, these two don’t exactly scream “best friends.”

But by the time it happens on screen, you’re like - yeah, I totally believe these guys are close. It feels natural, genuine, and surprisingly heartfelt.

Sir Ben Kingsley Steals the Show

I honestly don’t know why Sir Ben Kingsley doesn’t come up more often when people talk about the greatest actors still working today.

Because this series is a reminder of just how incredible he is.

Yes, he’s hilarious as Trevor Slattery.

But what really blows your mind are those moments when he suddenly slips into Shakespeare.

And it’s not just Kingsley doing Shakespeare.

It’s Trevor Slattery doing Shakespeare.

That layered performance is ridiculously impressive.

One second he’s this goofy washed-up actor, and the next he’s delivering classic lines with pure brilliance, and somehow it all works.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is great too, but Kingsley is absolutely remarkable here.

A Meta Take on Hollywood That Feels Uncomfortably Real

At its core, Wonder Man is a very meta show.

It mixes the superhero world with the brutal reality of Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

In some ways, it almost feels like a Marvel version of Entourage.

There are moments that made me physically cringe, not because they were bad, but because they were so real.

Watching Simon go through auditions, trying to explain backstories and motivations to directors, felt painfully authentic.

If you know actors or have ever worked in the industry, you’ll recognize so many of these moments instantly.

It’s uncomfortable.

But it’s also hilarious.

And incredibly honest.

The First Six Episodes Are Fantastic

Overall, there are eight episodes in total.

And for me, the first six are awesome.

The pacing is great.

The humor lands.

The character moments really work.

But once the story reaches the point teased heavily in the trailers, where they land the roles and officially start making the Wonder Man movie, the show does lose a bit of steam.

Episode seven feels uneven and slightly janky.

The momentum slows.

That said…

The Finale Brings It Back Strong

While episode eight still carries some of that uneven feeling from the previous episode, it also delivers some really strong high points.

The show leans heavily into Trevor Slattery’s past as the “Mandarin” from Iron Man 3, which becomes very relevant to the story in a surprisingly clever way.

By the time the final credits rolled - and no, there’s no post-credit scene - I found myself thinking:

That was a satisfying watch.

Is it WandaVision level?

No.

Is it one of the best things Marvel has ever done?

Probably not.

But it’s easily one of the better MCU projects from the last few years.

And sometimes that’s all you really want, something enjoyable that feels complete.

A Grounded MCU Story Done Right

One of the things I loved most is how firmly Wonder Man is set in the real world.

It feels like real Los Angeles.

Real people.

Real struggles.

In a weird way, it’s what She-Hulk probably should have been.

Where everything else feels normal, and the superhero stuff exists in the background instead of dominating every scene.

And honestly, I love that Trevor Slattery keeps popping back up in the MCU.

What started as a joke character in Iron Man 3 has turned into someone genuinely entertaining and memorable.

I’d actually love to see more Marvel projects like this.

Short, character-driven stories.

Smaller scale.

Less apocalyptic chaos.

Just good storytelling inside the Marvel universe.

Final Thoughts: A Pleasant Surprise

I went into Wonder Man with low expectations.

I came out genuinely impressed.

It’s funny.

It’s heartfelt.

It’s awkward in the best possible way.

And it feels refreshingly different from the usual MCU formula.

Will everyone love it?

Probably not.

Some people will complain there aren’t enough explosions or massive superhero moments.

But if you enjoy buddy comedies, grounded storytelling, and clever industry satire, this one is absolutely worth your time.

I really enjoyed it, and I honestly hope Marvel explores more projects like this in the future.