[New Look] ‘Wonder Man’ Gets Meta: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Says the Show Is Ready to Roast Superhero Burnout

Marvel is adding another project to its growing lineup with Wonder Man, a new Disney+ series that aims to bring a different tone to the MCU.

The show is being developed by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, with Guest running the production as showrunner. It will follow the long-running Marvel Studios timeline and is produced under the Marvel Television banner along with Family Owned and Onyx Collective.

The story centers on Simon Williams, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. In this series, Williams is an actor trying to land the lead role in a remake of a movie about Wonder Man, a hero he admired when he was younger.

Things get more complicated when it seems he may also have abilities similar to the character he’s trying to portray. He isn’t alone in this journey, as Sir Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery returns to join him, bringing back one of the MCU’s recurring actors-within-the-MCU characters.

Speaking to Empire, Abdul-Mateen described the show as something unlike what Marvel has done before. He said the team wanted to approach the material with a lighter touch and a tone that winks at the audience without crossing into full parody. He explained, “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.”

The series is expected to play with Hollywood culture and the superhero industry, touching on subjects like the current wave of superhero fatigue. Still, Abdul-Mateen stressed that these ideas are not the main purpose of the show.

As he put it, “The show is self-aware, without looking directly into the camera. There’ll be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it’s just dressing. 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.”

Marvel has recently experimented with different tones across its films and shows, and Wonder Man appears to continue that trend. Rather than aiming for a heavy or dramatic style, it seems to blend humor, self-awareness, and character-driven storytelling.

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