This review will be spoiler-free.
The character of Wonder Man, AKA Simon Williams, may be one that not many people know about. If you only follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you have no clue who he is. If you are a fan of the comics, then you will be familiar with the Simon Williams character.
A Brief History of Wonder Man
Here is a short history of the character: He was a munitions factory owner who became jealous of Tony Stark’s success. This jealousy led Simon to work with Baron Zemo and become enhanced to take down the Avengers. Hank Pym saves Wonder Man’s brainwaves after he dies, and later they are used to create Vision. Once he is brought back to life with his own body, he becomes a member of the West Coast Avengers and decides to be an actor.
Including all of this in an eight-episode series will be hard. Certain storylines would have to be either rewritten or retconned to include Simon. To prevent this confusion, Marvel decided to change up the story of Simon Williams to make it easier for new fans. Wonder Man is a Spotlight show, which means the audience can watch the show with no prior knowledge and still enjoy it. In this iteration of Wonder Man, Simon Williams has superpowers and is trying to become an actor.
The New ‘Wonder Man’
We have seen all eight episodes of the series and enjoyed it. When we are introduced to Simon Williams, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, he is getting himself ready to film a scene for a specific television show. It is fun to see how he prepares himself to act and preps himself in the mirror. This moment will resonate with actors and help to ground the character. What happens during the filming of the scene is interesting and again helps us learn more about Simon and his struggles to become an actor in Hollywood.
Through a series of events, Simon meets and befriends Trevor Slattery, Ben Kingsley. As much as Trevor is trying to turn his life around, people still call him The Mandarin. The two form a friendship, and Trevor helps Simon with his acting process by showing him some techniques. It is great seeing the dynamic of these two characters and how they help each other. There are quiet moments when they are reciting lines from plays or movies to each other that show how movies bring everyone together.
Without giving away spoilers, a group is looking for Simon and is trying to get evidence that he has superpowers. Another plot device in the movie is the making of a new Wonder Man movie. We see from the first episode that Simon is a fan of the original movie and has a connection with it. He feels he was made to play this role and will do anything it takes to get an audition. Seeing how he gets an audition is pretty hilarious.
Each episode shows Trevor’s brilliance and how his past keeps catching up with him. While each episode is around 35 minutes long, you learn more about the characters and how their friendship builds.
Breakdown of all eight episodes without spoilers
- Matinee – A great introduction to the character and the friendship that is forming. We hear about the Doorman Clause in this episode. Who is on the other side of that message?
- Self-Tape – This is a fun one as Simon is trying to record himself, but can not find a quiet location to do it. We get to meet some of Trevor’s acting friends in this episode. Trevor sees something he should not have.
- Pacoima – More is revealed about Simon’s past at his mother’s birthday party. Things get a little heated, and something happens. Trevor makes a choice.
- Doorman – We learn about the Doorman and why “The Doorman” clause is created. You will never hear the song “Summer” by Olaf the same way again.
- Found Footage – After running into old acquaintances, Simon helps out Trevor. An incident is filmed, and the duo goes on a side quest before going to their destination.
- Call Back – We learn about the Wonder Man film and the director behind it.
- Kathy Friedman – Things have happened, and a notorious reporter is doing a profile that may damage the careers of both Simon and Trevor.
- Yucca Valley – It all goes down in this episode, and someone makes a big sacrifice.
I stayed away from spoilers in these breakdowns, and I hope these recaps will pique your interest in watching the show.
Who knows where this series will go, but I hope we see more of Simon Williams in future seasons and Marvel projects.
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