Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery anchors Disney Plus' Wonder Man; his return unexplained

Wonder Man has arrived on Disney Plus, ending a six-month Marvel Cinematic Universe drought and putting veteran side character Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) at the center of the show with a starring role. Trevor first appeared in Iron Man 3 as a recovering alcoholic actor who pretended to be the Mandarin, a reveal that relied on Ben Kingsley’s empathetic, almost childlike portrayal.

The character was further developed in the 2014 Marvel One Shot All Hail the King, which finds Trevor in jail enjoying a strange celebrity status and being filmed for a documentary. All Hail the King set up Trevor’s next turn when a Ten Rings member breaks him out of prison, leading into 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

In Shang-Chi he’s kept as the Mandarin’s court jester, then is helped by Shaun/Shang-Chi and ultimately departs to another dimension with his faceless creature friend, Morris. Wonder Man shows Trevor back in California and apparently respected enough to offer an online acting lesson called The Slattery Method, though the series doesn’t explain how he returned from the dimension.

The show is largely a two-hander between Trevor and Simon (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), with Polygon praising the chemistry and calling Wonder Man an emotional, action-packed buddy comedy rather than a continuity-focused project; all eight episodes are now streaming on Disney Plus.

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