Wonder Man Is About to Rewrite the MCU TV Playbook

Marvel is finally pulling the curtain back on its long-rumored Hollywood satire, and the guy at the center of it is promising something that does not feel like the usual MCU assembly line. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II just talked up Wonder Man, and if he is right, this series might actually zig where the rest have been zagging.

What Yahya is promising here

Abdul-Mateen II, who plays aspiring actor Simon Williams, told Empire Magazine that the tone is a departure from the rest of the franchise. He describes it as fresh, playful, and aware of the superhero machine without turning into a wink-fest. In other words, it knows the space it is operating in, but it is not doing a Deadpool stare-down-the-lens routine.

"It tonally feels much different than really any other Marvel show, or any other films. We are doing something that is fresh, a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit self-aware."

He also says there will be nods to superhero fatigue, but that is not the point of the show. The core is much simpler: an actor trying to make it, and a friendship that forms along the way. If that sounds more like a character piece than a crossover billboard, that is the idea.

So what is Wonder Man actually about?

Here is the setup: Simon Williams cannot get his career going. He crosses paths with Trevor Slattery (yes, Ben Kingsley back as the washed-up legend from Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi), who is still trying to navigate life after his biggest days. A famed filmmaker named Von Kovak is remaking a superhero movie called Wonder Man, and both Simon and Trevor lock onto the chance to land roles that could change everything. The series is basically a tour through Hollywood hustle culture, filtered through the MCU.

The nuts and bolts

• Premiere: Wonder Man hits Disney+ on January 27, 2026.
• Lead: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Simon Williams.
• Creators: Andrew Guest and Destin Daniel Cretton are behind the series.
• Cast: Ben Kingsley returns as Trevor Slattery; Arian Moayed is back as Department of Damage Control agent P. Cleary; also appearing are X Mayo, Zlatko Burić, Olivia Thirlby, and Byron Bowers.
• Episodes and directors: 8 episodes total, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, and Stella Meghie.

If Marvel really lets this be a showbiz story first and a superhero story second, it could stand out in a way the recent TV slate has not. At minimum, the premise is a fun curveball: an MCU series about actors chasing a part in an MCU-style movie, while the show itself keeps its eye on the people, not the punchlines.