Wonder Man Review: A fresh narrative that proves Marvel can still reinvent itself

Wonder Man is a story away from all the crazy incursions and branching timelines, something the fans have been wanting for years now.

Ever imagined a show that is so grounded in reality that you forgot it's a fictional world with superheroes, wizards, and aliens just existing around the corner? Well, Marvel Television's Wonder Man is that show, where bizarre superpowers and malicious villains take a back seat, and the character’s dream stands tall above the classic, glorious purpose of saving the world. Helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton, it introduces Marvel and its fandom with a fresh new take on the superhero genre, especially now when superhero fatigue is becoming a real thing.

From the get-go, the plot takes hardly a minute before throwing you into the life of Simon Williams, a struggling actor plagued by reading into the subtext of everything. With each episode, some secrets unravel, and more struggles emerge, but the plot never feels forced. The plot thickens, but the story remains breathable, all thanks to the chemistry the actors displayed with each other and their characters.

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Throughout the show, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and his character, Simon, often contradict each other, almost at odds with one another. Think of it in this way: they are two sides of the same coin. Where Yahya lost himself in the act by embodying the character, Simon's deeply emotional approach to life holds him back from delivering his best as a struggling actor. Yahya's Simon wasn’t alone in this fight; Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery had his own demons to take care of. His charming sense of fashion combined with witty humour is enough to make him the ideal sidekick, but he became more: a mentor, a friend, and a hero I wish we all had in our lives. While I was living for their bromance, two other characters, Janelle Jackson (X Mayo) andVon Kovak, by none other than Zlatko Burić, truly stood out. As Mayo and her roasts made my Gen Z soul feel represented in dialogues filled with theatrical references, Zlatko's mannerisms and dialogue delivery brought back memories of my favourite Russian mafia from Wehe film, 2012. They were not just great characters but were also able to ground our main cast, almost making me forget that this show takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Another aspect that is truly fascinating is how little it relied on magic or superpowers. In Marvel comics, Wonder Man is a character who can control ionic energy with his brain; he’s like the Psyduck of the MCU. The show hints at his powers, but never lets it take centre stage. It brought a brand style of content that is quite reminiscent of Iron Man, where the story is about the character and his inner battles. Where they lowered the dial on magic and superpower, they amped up the scale of meta commentary. They brought real-world topics from pop culture and cinema into the MCU, bringing the sacred timeline one step closer to the real world. While they did it once in She-Hulk and failed miserably, Wonder Man uses the lack of superhero cameos to ground their reality with ours, connecting us with them on a more personal level. Another way they did that was by casually name-dropping past superheroes and reacting to them as if they were celebrities. You can say, and I would agree, that Captain America is like the Taylor Swift of the MCU.

Overall, the show captured the story with a crisp plot, just like its episodic synopsis, and well-fleshed-out characters and arcs. While they don’t really tie up with the main MCU, it gives the audience a glimpse of how life is turning around in the streets of Hollywood while New York is in a blackout, and elsewhere, the space is ripping apart. Although these Marvel shows are about smaller, more independent stories taking place in the midst of all the major MCU shenanigans, fans always look forward to post-credit scenes. However, you can go finish that assignment or grab another bite when the credits roll because Marvel decided to skip it for this one. 

All episodes of Wonder Man are exclusively streaming on JioHotstar

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