Key Takeaways
- Release Date: Wonder Man premieres on January 27th with all episodes available.
- Character Background: Simon Williams, known as Wonder Man, first appeared in 1964 and transitioned from villain to hero.
- Cast Highlights: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars alongside Ben Kingsley and Ed Harris.
- Show Tone: The series is described as a “love letter” to filmmaking and acting.
Marvel’s Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum says we’re in for a “very sincere, beautiful” show when Wonder Man, which has an episode count of 8, reaches the Disney+ streaming service on January 27th. (All episodes will be available to watch on that date.) We’ve seen a teaser trailer and a full trailer, and now a second full trailer has dropped online to show us a bit more of the show while we wait for the premiere to come around. You can check it out in the embed above.
Wonder Man focuses on one of Marvel’s oldest characters, as title character Simon Williams was introduced back in 1964, in the pages of Avengers #9. “He began his comic book career as a villain but got reintroduced as a hero in the late 1970s. Wonder Man’s civilian name is Simon Williams, and he was a founding member of the Los Angeles-based West Coast Avengers. As an actor and stuntman, Williams’ look included wearing a turtleneck, a red jacket, and sunglasses. Wonder Man strongly relates to Marvel characters Vision and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. The trio shared several adventures, with Wonder Man and Vision thinking of each other as brothers in action. After Vision was dismantled, the villain-turned-hero developed intense feelings for Wanda.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman) stars and is joined in the cast by Ben Kingsley, who reprises his Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings role of actor Trevor Slattery; Demetrius Grosse, who plays Simon’s brother, Eric Williams, an Avengers villain from the comics known as the Grim Reaper; and Ed Harris as Simon’s agent, Neal Saroyan. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is a producer on the show, with Andrew Guest (Hawkeye) serving as the head writer.
Several months ago, Winderbaum told Collider that Wonder Man is “a very new flavor for Marvel. It’s straight from the minds of Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest. Honestly, it is one of my favorite things ever. I think it’s the best show no one’s ever seen, and I’m very excited to see the audience reaction to it. I think it’s a love letter to what we do as filmmakers. It’s a love letter to acting as a profession, and it’s a very sincere, kind of beautiful show.” Winderbaum went on to say that the episode runtimes range from 20-something to 40-something minutes.
Wonder Man seems to me like it’s going to be fun, so I look forward to checking it out early next year. Will you be watching this show? Take a look at the new teaser, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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