Marvel may have one of the franchise’s biggest TV hits on its hands with its new series, Wonder Man.
The eight-episode limited series, now streaming on Disney+, stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Hollywood actor Simon Williams, who’s thrust into the world of superheroes, where he gains powers of his own to become Wonder Man. Based on the comic book character first introduced in 1964’s The Avengers #9, the series welcomes back Ben Kingsley to the MCU as Trevor Slattery, alongside Arian Moayed, X Mayo and Zlatko Burić.
Following its release, viewers and critics have sung its praises, with many going so far as to declare it one of the MCU’s best shows yet — and in no small part thanks to “dynamic” performances from Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley.
“The most FRESH, INVENTIVE, and overall WELL-CRAFTED projects to grace the MCU yet! LOVED IT!” one fan posted on X, applauding the two leads as “an absolutely ICONIC duo and I hope to see more of them in the future!”
USA Today’s Kelly Lawler agreed, writing in her review: “Paired together, Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley are a dynamic duo, if far sadder and more understated than say, Iron Man and Captain America.” Singling out Abdul-Mateen, she argued that the actor “has been destined for stardom ever since he turned blue on Watchmen.”
Still, in spite of the two “great” main performances, Lawler found that Wonder Man “struggles with tone and pacing. Some of the awkward scenes, going for the cringe-comedy laughs, aren’t well balanced and run too long.”
That didn’t seem to be an issue for other viewers, including a second fan who commented on X: “Wonder Man not only makes the MCU feel more realistic, but it also adds a surprising amount of depth to it!”
“It’s so good. I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this,” a third added. “One of my favorite MCU projects no doubt.”
“Wonder Man is some of Marvel’s best storytelling,” another applauded. “The story doesn’t revolve around a guy with powers who happens to rise to fame rather it’s about a guy rising to fame who just happens to have superpowers. Wonder Man gets it.”
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The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan felt similarly. “The real meat of the thing, however, is not the superheroics, repressed or otherwise. It lies in two things,” she wrote in a four-star review: “The meticulous and moving examination of the growing friendship between the men” and “a masterclass — several, really — on the art of acting.”
Wonder Man has appeared only once before on-screen, in the two-season animated series Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, in which he was voiced by Phil LaMarr. This new series, Wonder Man, marks both the first standalone story centered on Williams and Abdul-Mateen’s Marvel debut. The 39-year-old actor is best known for starring as supervillain Black Manta in DC’s Extended Universe.
“If this ends up the only Wonder Man story ever told onscreen, it’s still worth watching,” Stephen Robinson of the AV Club argued. “But that would also make this feel like a wasted opportunity, as both Simon Williams and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have a lot of potential.”
Wonder Man is available to stream on Disney+.
