Marvel’s Latest Series Stuns with One of the Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores in MCU History

Marvel is launching a brand new show, 'Wonder Man,' on Disney+, and if you go by the early critical buzz, it looks like they've actually managed to shake things up this time. Yes, I know – we've all seen enough spandex and CGI city destruction lately – but it sounds like this one is doing things a bit differently.

So, What's the Hook?

'Wonder Man' follows Simon Williams (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an actor who’s trying to land a role in a Hollywood remake of, well, Wonder Man. He’s joined by Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), another familiar face if you’ve kept up with Marvel movies. Basically, it’s a show about actors trying to play superheroes – inside Marvel, but also kind of poking fun at Marvel. Very meta.

Crew and Cast Breakdown

• Co-creators: Destin Daniel Cretton (yep, the guy behind 'Shang-Chi' and a 'Spider-Man' run) and Andrew Guest.
• Main Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Simon Williams), Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery), Demetrius Grosse, Lauren Glazier, X Mayo, Zlatko Buric, and Arian Moayed.
• Episodes: 8 in the first season, all dropping at once on Disney+ January 27, 2026.

The Critics Aren't Bored (For Once)

First off, the show’s scored a pretty wild 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. To put that in context, a lot of recent Marvel projects have struggled to pass the 'meh' mark, so something is going right here.

Reviewers are saying 'Wonder Man' tosses out a lot of the usual Marvel formula and gets a bit more personal. Instead of just another superhero punching out another CGI villain, it’s more about struggling actors, showbiz weirdness, and the messy side of fame. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II seems to be stealing the spotlight as Simon Williams, and yes, it’s possible Ben Kingsley is having as much fun here as he did playing the fake Mandarin years ago.

Review Highlights (Or, Actual Human Opinions)

Here's what some of the early reviews actually said:

"Marvel's love letter to struggling actors… genuine hope for Marvel's future. The heroes matter most when they feel human first, and super second."
—BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm

Julian Lytle from RIOTUS basically called the show quirky and well-made, and even said it might work better without tying itself too tightly to the rest of the MCU. He also just straight up wished it were longer – a rare thing for a streaming superhero show, honestly.

Josh Wilding at ComicBookMovie was all-in on Abdul-Mateen II’s performance, calling the series 'the cure to superhero fatigue' and the 'most original' MCU TV show since 'WandaVision.' That’s a big claim, considering how much Marvel tries to make every show 'the next WandaVision.'

Not everyone is losing their mind over it, though. Jonathan Sim at ComingSoon kept it real with a 6/10 score, saying the show is 'decent,' and that the heart of it is the evolving bromance between Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery. But he also didn’t hold back – he thinks it could have gone further, and at the end of the day, it’s 'run-of-the-mill.' So, not universal raves, but the highs are high.

The Bottom Line

If you’re into the Marvel stuff but tired of the sameness, 'Wonder Man' might actually feel fresh. At the very least, critics seem to agree that it’s more about real characters and less about filling out the Marvel cinematic spreadsheet. All eight episodes come out January 27, 2026, so at least you won’t have to wait around week to week.

And if you thought Marvel had gone on autopilot, well, this might be the jolt they needed.