Wonder Man review: Marvel series on Disney Plus favours acting over action

The Guardian’s review says Wonder Man is a small, eight-episode Marvel series on Disney Plus that deliberately favours storytelling and the craft of acting over superhero spectacle. The review notes the episodes run around half an hour and follow Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul‑Mateen II), an actor in Los Angeles who overthinks roles and seizes a chance to audition for a film about the Wonder Man character.

He is befriended by Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who in the show is tied to the Department of Damage Control (DODC), which the review describes as shadowy and intent on protecting the public from supernatural threats. The DODC, the review says, has been tracking Simon since he survived a house fire at 13, and the series shows Simon keeping his powers hidden because people with such abilities are forbidden to work after an on‑set disaster that is depicted in a standout episode.

The reviewer praises the series for its focus on the growing friendship and mentorship between Simon and Trevor and for its sustained meditation on acting and the film industry: scenes of audition tapes, character choices, line‑reading and the two actor‑characters trading speeches from Shakespeare to Salieri are highlighted as a kind of masterclass in craft.

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