WONDER MAN Trailer Teases Superpowers, Superhero Fatigue, and Damage Control Trouble
Marvel Television is kicking off 2026 with a fun curveball. A new trailer for Wonder Man has landed, and they paint a surprisingly sharp picture of superhero life colliding with Hollywood burnout.
At the center of it all is Simon Williams, a superpowered actor who isn’t just chasing fame, he’s also being watched very closely by the Department of Damage Control.
The latest trailer opens by establishing the odd but entertaining bond between Simon and Trevor Slattery. Their dynamic feels loose and awkward, like two performers stuck in very different stages of their careers but clinging to the same dream.
That light energy doesn’t last long. It’s soon revealed that Trevor is quietly feeding information to the Department of Damage Control, which has flagged Simon as a potential threat. The man pulling the strings is Agent Cleary, a familiar face for MCU fans from Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel.
There’s a strong implication that Trevor’s cooperation isn’t exactly voluntary. After being sprung from prison by Wenwu in the All Hail the King One-Shot, it looks like Slattery is doing whatever he can to secure his freedom. That puts Simon directly in the crosshairs, whether he likes it or not.
The trailer keeps Simon’s powers mostly under wraps, but what it does show is enough to make it clear he’s incredibly strong and not entirely comfortable with what he can do.
That inner conflict is where the show seems to find its groove. Simon doesn’t want to be a symbol or a weapon. He wants to be a movie star, specifically the lead in a reboot of Wonder Man. Unfortunately for him, that dream comes with another enemy that might be harder to overcome than Damage Control… Superhero movie fatigue.
There’s something refreshingly self-aware about the way Wonder Man leans into that idea. The show plays with the concept of capes and franchises from inside the industry itself, letting audiences peek behind the curtain of casting calls, ego clashes, and desperate attempts to stay relevant.
It makes the decision to reportedly drop all eight episodes at once on Disney+ feel a little risky. Marvel tried a similar release strategy with Echo, and that series vanished from the conversation almost as quickly as it arrived.
The official series synopsis reads: “In Wonder Man, aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film Wonder Man.
“These two actors, at opposite ends of their careers, doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.”
The cast is led by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery. They’re joined by Arian Moayed, X Mayo, Zlatko Burić, Olivia Thirlby, and Byron Bowers.
The series is written by Andrew Guest, Paul Welsh & Madeline Walter, Zeke Nicholson, Anayat Fakhraie, Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman, and Kira Talise. Directing duties are split between Destin Daniel Cretton, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, and Stella Meghie.
Created by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, Wonder Man is executive produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Jonathan Schwartz, Brad Winderbaum, Cretton, and Guest.
Wonder Man is aiming to be funny, awkward, and just sharp enough to poke at the genre it belongs to. Watching a superhero worry more about auditions than saving the world might be exactly the kind of shake-up the MCU needs right now.
Wonder Man premieres on Disney+ on January 26, 2026.