The MCU’s Best Disney+ Release in Half a Decade Has Finally Arrived
Disney+ is about to release one of the most talked-about Marvel projects in years. Wonder Man, an upcoming miniseries from Marvel Studios, is set to premiere on the streaming service on January 27.
The show was created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, who also serves as showrunner. It follows struggling actors Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery as they try to land roles in a remake of a Wonder Man superhero film.
Fans and critics are already praising the show, with Wonder Man holding a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics are highlighting its fresh take on the MCU. Simon Gallagher of ComicBook.com gave it a strong review, writing that the series is “a pretty provocative exercise in not ticking boxes: without getting too far into spoilers, despite hints that it could all break out into a conventional superhero slug-fest with a big battle climax, Wonder Man thumbs its nose at the very idea.”
Carson Timar of ButteredPopcorn added, “Wonder Man is tediously basic, but never embarrassing on execution.”
Other reviewers echoed the positive response. Abe Friedtanzer at Awards Buzz said there are “glimmers of greatness and promise to be found throughout this show’s first and likely only season, including a standalone flashback episode that’s difficult to shake.”
Eric Goldman commented on YouTube, “A show about an aspiring actor who has superpowers but isn’t a superhero. It’s a much smaller scale story for the MCU but for those who can accept it on those terms, it’s a really strong Hollywood-set buddy dynamic powered by two great performances.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote that it feels like “an MCU-style industry send-up à la The Studio or The Franchise that features fewer laughs than those satires but, courtesy of its leads, a surprising amount of heart.” Finally, Joonatan Itkonen said, “What a gift Wonder Man is, even if it turns out to be a one-off. This is everything that made me love Marvel in the first place.”
He was born to play this role, but the spotlight reveals everything. #WonderMan, an 8-episode series, premieres January 27 at 6PM PT only on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/hsB27lEaJD
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) January 1, 2026
The series will consist of eight episodes. Its release has been delayed multiple times due to production and strike issues, including the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Originally expected in the 2023–24 television season, the series was postponed from December 2025 to January 2026 to avoid competing with holiday programming. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige admitted that he didn’t like having the show “sit on shelves” ready to go, adding that similar shows on HBO had been released during the delay, making it look like Marvel was “following a trend, instead of leading it.”
Wonder Man is part of the “Marvel Spotlight” banner and promises to bring a smaller, more character-focused story to the MCU while still connecting to the larger universe. Critics agree that this fresh approach and the chemistry between the leads could make it one of Disney+’s best Marvel projects in the last five years.
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