Marvel’s Wonder Man footage takes direct aim at superheroes’ biggest complaint

Fans have been waiting for more footage from the Disney+ show “Wonder Man” for a long time, with news coming in a bit complicated The superhero gets his own series (starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). as Simon Williams/Wonder Man) in 2022. That footage is finally here (see below), and although it’s only a minute long, it gives us an interesting little idea of ​​what Wonder Man might actually be like.

“Have you thought about choosing?” #TheMiracleMan pic.twitter.com/UCOUb04c0Y

– Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 10, 2025

The character of Wonder Man has gone through all kinds of changes throughout Marvel Comics history. He started out as an arms dealer’s little kid, but has recently become a super-powered actor and businessman. He’s a lesser-known superhero than Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises like Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, though that also gives Wonder Man the chance to be creative and bold in his storytelling.

This seems to be exactly what the show is doing. In reality, ‘Wonder Man’ appears to be Marvel’s answer to shows like ‘Peacemaker’ and The Boys, provide a meta commentary on superhero media, though I doubt it would be as important as either of those shows (since this is still the MCU). However, in the “Wonder Man” movie footage, we see the director of the new “Wonder Man” movie, Von Kovac (Zlatko Burić – yes, the evil boss of Boravia, Vasyl Gorkus, from James Gunn’s “Superman”), talking about rebooting the franchise and addressing the most common criticism of superhero stories head on: “Why another superhero movie?” It also shows Williams watching Kovak’s interview when he was asked about the casting, and we see that the original Wonder Man was white. If Marvel were to make a show that addresses not only superhero fatigue, but also potential fan reactions to a black actor playing a historically white role, it could be something meaningful.

There aren’t a lot of details yet about “Wonder Man,” but it looks like it will be heavy on meta commentary about the film industry and Hollywood especially as it pertains to superhero media. This could provide the MCU with a chance to address some of its issues and have a little fun at its own expense, which rules. This could also help audiences feel less alienated from the giant corporate machine that is the MCU, reminding us that there are human creators behind the scenes with actual opinions to share. A little self-reflection can go a long way, and having a sense of humor about it definitely helps. That’s evident in the clip, which not only includes Kovak talking about his love for the Wonder Man franchise with some amazing old-school tokusatsu/Star Trek style shots of the “original” Wonder Man fighting some bad guys, but it also includes a quick shot of the clapping board in the movie titled “Cash Grab 2.” If that’s a hint at this show’s style of satire, count me in. (Hardcore fans may remember that Nathan Fillion was originally going to play Wonder Man in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” but that unfortunately hit the cutting room floor.)

Abdul-Mateen II is a phenomenal actor who can absolutely pull off the tone here, and it will finally give him a chance to do more in the superhero space since he didn’t get enough for the role of Black Manta in the DC Extended Universe. Ben Kingsley will also return as Trevor Slattery (aka the actor who pretended to be the Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”), which is a delicious choice. Honestly, Wonder Man sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and this is coming from someone who has serious Extraordinary fatigue.

“Wonder Man” arrives on Disney+ in January 2026.