Limited Series: Wonder Man 
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sir Ben Kingsley
Streaming on: Disney+
Review by: Kirk Dulin
Review Type: SPOILER FREE

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With audience support for the MCU continuously waning, it comes as no surprise that the marketing and social chatter for its newest project – Wonder Man – seems almost non-existent. Despite the quiet buzz on this series, Disney might have successfully corrected its stagnant storytelling slop with a truly relatable character. 

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WHY HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF WONDER MAN BEFORE?

Wonder Man, the hero, debuted in 1964 to Marvel Comics only to die immediately by the end of the first issue. Legal battles over his superhero title clashed with DC’s lawyers – Wonder Man vs. Wonder Woman – pushed this unique character into hiding as DC ultimately won in court due to their status at that time. But Wonder Man didn’t die there, he just got quiet, being resurrected in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was increasingly written into big story lines (in the comics) such as Civil War, and he has HUGE connections with Kang, Ultron, Scarlet Witch, and Vision.

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A FAMILIAR SUCCESS STORY

It seems fitting that Wonder Man’s story connections tie closest with Disney+’s debut MCU TV Series: WandaVision. The creative team behind WandaVision knew that as the first project to appear immediately following Avengers: Endgame (the 11 year conclusion of the Infinity Saga)…it needed to properly capture audiences. It’s success relied on it unique storytelling, trusting its audience to keep up, and make their own conclusions and opinions on character choices instead of being spoon fed emotions and plot points.

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THE NEEDED CATALYST ON THE PATH TO AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY 

Enter Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley. Many superhero fans may remember Yahya as Dr. Manhattan/ Cal Abar in the Watchen series. He is a key reason why that series was so successful. Fans will also remember Sir Ben Kingsley as the lackluster story arc of Iron Man 3 as The Mandarin…er…the actor playing the (supposed) evil supervillain. 

We meet Simon Williams (Yahya), who is a working actor, focused on landing his next big role. He casually bumps into Trevor Slattery (aka The Mandarin, aka Kingsley), who is also trying to revive his acting career after being arrested for his gig as a domestic terrorist. The rest plays out so differently from any other MCU origin story, which is perfectly refreshing. The stakes are still high, but you won’t find yourself labeling “oh that’s the bad guy” in any of the episodes. Wonder Man truly is a journey unlike any other MCU project. This shift is adjacent to the first MCU films – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America – which gave audiences a variety of unique tones between movies, specifically tied to the character. 

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WHAT TO EXPECT – SPOILER FREE

Below is a brief spoiler free reflection on each of the 8 episodes audiences will have access to on its premier night, TODAY – Jan 27, 2026!

Click here to collapse and uncollapse spoiler free episode thoughts!

Episode	Reflection/Thoughts
Ep 1	It’s perfect. No notes.
Ep 2	Slow burn, but we learn some critical history about Simon. He is magnetized to acting because he wants to be anyone else but himself.
Ep 3	If you ever hoped that the mishandling of The Mandarin character could be resolved, this series does it, and some big fixes happen in this episode.
Ep 4	A very creative visual style, with surprise guest star, Josh Gad.
Ep 5	A Side Quest storyline that I’m not mad about.
Ep 6	There is a VERY shocking scene in this for any TV series, but especially the MCU. MY. JAW. DROPPED.
Ep 7	A WONDERful pentultimate episode
Ep 8	This episode has three sections, and my brain is still melting how seamless it flows.

THIS IS THE WAY that the MCU can be rebuilt. Unique stories. Unique characters. And unique story arcs.

Series Score: 9.4/10 kernels
Review By: Kirk Dulin