Marvel's Wonder Man Preview Reveals Marvel's Most Self-Referential Series Ever
Marvel is aware that audiences might be experiencing some superhero fatigue, so they've opted to include that very idea into their next superhero series.
That's right, the debut trailer for Wonder Man has been released, and it promises a self-referential angle on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The preview, which debuted on October 10th, also subtly pushed the Wonder Man launch date back from its original late 2025 slot into January 2026.
Why another superhero movie? Everyone is tired of superheroes. Why go see them in the theater? Wonder Man resonated with me on a deep level. There is an opportunity to shock audiences. To reimagine the whole genre of narrative.
The interviewer replies: "Have you given any thought about the cast?"
The trailer then transitions to series star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's watching the conversation on his mobile device, and the trailer ends.
What We Know Regarding Wonder Man
We were previously aware that Wonder Man would be a self-referential interpretation on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series stars Abdul-Mateen II as the character Simon Williams, a Hollywood actor who becomes a super-powered being (Wonder Man).
The rest of the cast includes actor Ben Kingsley returning as Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams (aka Grim Reaper), Ed Harris as Simon's manager Neal Saroyan, and Arian Moayed coming back as Department of Damage Control officer P. Cleary.
Marvel's Self-Referential Comedy Strategy
We don't know much else about the storyline of Wonder Man, but it's clear that the studio plans to laugh at its own tropes.
In the aftermath of Deadpool & Wolverine, it seems like the production company is all in on meta-humor. Will that work without the celebrity appeal of its previous leads? We'll have to wait and see.
