Wonder Man recently teased its first footage with the news that it will be dropping onto Disney Plus this January. With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ filmmaker, Destin Daniel Cretton, taking the reins of this Marvel Cinematic Universe limited series and Yahya Abdul Mateen II as the titular Wonder Man (superhero fans know him as both Black Manta from Aquaman and Doctor Manhattan in the Watchmen show), that could be good enough reason to draw in viewers. However, the promotional material that Marvel has released suggests that the real excitement should be centered around Wonder Man’s intentions to stand out from the pack.
The principal takeaway from the Wonder Man teaser is that it doesn’t look like a typical superhero show in the slightest. Here is a protagonist that does not have any special abilities (yet) and whose motivation is to land his dream job of starring in a superhero reboot. Simon is an actor struggling to achieve his big break. He befriends an infamous thespian from MCU canon, Trevor Slattery, with Ben Kingsley returning to portray one of his most comical characters.
The footage showcases zero physical altercations and does not even offer a hint of an action sequence, but that it promises to be a different kind of Marvel adaptation isn’t simply enticing in and of itself. Some MCU devotees may recall other content that also went against the superhero genre grain. One can make the connection to unorthodox shows and movies, such as WandaVision and Thunderbolts*, which ultimately led to extremely favorable results.
WandaVision’s partially black-and-white commercials homed in on how the series would be rooted in sitcom territory, which is quite a reversal for a show featuring two of the most powerful Avengers. And just earlier this year, the Thunderbolts* marketing strategy emphasized the cast and crew’s independent film background. Considering that WandaVision and Thunderbolts* are two of the best written and most celebrated releases in the MCU’s post-Endgame slate, the fact that Wonder Man is also employing techniques to distinguish its innovative approach to this genre, is especially encouraging.
Marvel is clearly looking to disassociate Wonder Man from the rest of the comic book adaptations by setting the plot amidst the re-making of a superhero movie. Embracing self-awareness could be a strength of the writing, as the teaser already seems to be mocking superhero fatigue.
And beyond witty remarks about audiences growing tired of superhero movies, there will undoubtedly be in-jokes about the filmmaking industry. A few seconds are shown of Simon gearing up to get into character, developing a backstory and getting in the mindset, while Trevor advises him to just show up and say your lines.
The push back by Simon that Trevor’s acting style is not part of his process will likely resonate with actors or industry folk who are familiar with the clash of strategies that have been highly publicized in recent years; method acting versus classical or character acting. The Simon/Trevor exchange recalls an oft-told Hollywood example of classical actor Laurence Olivier disagreeing with method actor Dustin Hoffman depriving himself of sleep to get in-character, with Olivier famously uttering “why don’t you just try acting?”.
Wonder Man will also feature an eccentric “genius” filmmaker. All of these details could lead one to conclude that the series will have a lot more in common with Apple TV’s The Studio, than MCU shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or Ironheart. In fact, Kevin Feige expressed regrets about Wonder Man getting delayed so long considering that the concept was developed well before the release of The Studio.
Feige realizes that “it looks like they’re following a trend, instead of leading it”. While blazing a trail definitely has its advantages in terms of cultural significance, at the end of the day, MCU fans can only hope that Marvel Studios delivers high quality offerings. If Wonder Man does join the ranks of other unique properties, like WandaVision and Thunderbolts*, that would be a big win for the studio and the audience.