Wonder Man Star Teases A Meta, Tongue-In-Cheek MCU Series That Takes On Superhero Fatigue

Marvel has a new show that knows exactly what it is walking into. Disney Plus is rolling out Wonder Man, and yes, the series is very aware that people keep talking about superhero fatigue. Honestly, good. If you are going to make another cape show in 2026, you might as well talk about the elephant in the room.

The angle: self-aware without the wink-wink

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is playing Simon Williams/Wonder Man, told Empire that the tone is a left turn from the usual Marvel playbook. Fresh, a little cheeky, but not mugging for the camera. The teasers have already hinted at that, and the actor basically confirms it.

'There will be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it is just dressing. The focus of the show is about an actor's journey. It is about a journey of friendship.'

So yes, expect some meta commentary. But the series is not aiming to be a roast of the genre. It is more about the weird, messy life of an actor who also happens to be a walking ionic battery.

The buddy story you probably were not expecting

The friendship at the center is between Simon and Trevor Slattery, played again by Ben Kingsley. If that name triggers a memory: Trevor is the washed-up actor who was hired in Iron Man 3 to pretend to be the Mandarin, aka the made-up face of Tony Stark's comic-book archenemy. He resurfaced in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, where he ended up bonding with the hero and somehow surviving by being disarmingly earnest. Pairing him with Wonder Man — who is canonically an actor in the comics — is a very specific choice, and a smart one if you want to poke at fame, performance, and the Marvel machine without turning the show into a sketch.

Who Wonder Man is when he is not punching

For anyone not deep in the back issues: Simon Williams in the comics gets juiced up with ionic energy. Translation: super strength, near-invulnerability, and the ability to shift into a glowing pure-energy form. The side effect is wild — he is basically immortal. He has died and come back more times than most superheroes can count, which is either tragic or convenient depending on your storytelling needs.

What to know right now

• Series: Wonder Man (MCU, Disney Plus)
• Lead: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams/Wonder Man
• Co-star: Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery
• Tone: self-aware, fresh, and a bit tongue-in-cheek — without breaking the fourth wall
• Premiere: January 27, 2026
• Episodes: 8
• Context: Teasers and Mateen say the show will nod at superhero fatigue, but the core is an actor's journey and a friendship
• Comics powers: ionic energy grants strength, durability, energy-form transformation, and a knack for coming back from the dead

Bottom line: Marvel is aiming for a show that talks about the superhero glut while telling a showbiz story about two very different actors — one of whom can literally turn into energy, and one who once pretended to be a supervillain for a paycheck. That is a premise with potential.