Wonder Man is wonder-ful

    The concept of “best” is nearly always problematic when it comes to matters of art and entertainment, due mostly to the fact that the work put into the production and its ultimate effect on people are hard to quantify. There are fans and critics who seem to like attaching the words “best” and “yet” to almost every Marvel TV show that is released, so much so that I tend to groan internally when I hear it. And yet, Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, might just be exactly that, if not the best, easily one of the best shows Marvel has put out since being taken over by Disney. It has tremendous heart, is funny, features great performances and chemistry between the two leads, and represents an entirely fresh take on a superhero origin story.

            Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen) is a struggling actor in Hollywood trying to make his big break. Unlike other actors, Williams has a secret: he has superpowers that he keeps from everyone. In a highly unlikely pairing, he meets and befriends Trevor Slattery (Kingsley, reprising a role he first played in 2013’s Iron Man III) and the two attempt to land roles in a highly anticipated superhero remake of Wonder Man. Unbeknownst to Williams, Slattery, still trying to atone for his crimes of playing the villainous Mandarin, has been recruited by the Department of Damage Control (DODC) to spy on Simon to find out if he really has superpowers or not.

            If the plot sounds atypical, it is, and that is one of the things that makes Wonder Man so brilliant. Abdul-Mateen’s Williams, though superpowered, is strikingly human in his quest to make his dreams of being an actor come true. Despite his impressive physique and the fact that we, the viewers, know he has powers, he remains relatable and vulnerable as a character. We get glimpses of his personal life, from his floundering relationship with his girlfriend, his strained relationship with his brother, and his closeness with his mother. His powers are treated more as a curse than a blessing, something he tries to keep deep within himself, coming out only when he is extremely upset.

            Kingsley is a scene-stealer as Slattery, and it is funny to see his character grow from being a disappointing villain in a forgettable sequel to an important and sympathetic character. Like Williams, Slattery is making a last-ditch effort to make his own acting dreams come true. Yes, he has been recruited to spy on Simon, but he does so against his will, and as the two grow closer, he is very conflicted about this. The pair’s unlikely friendship, both struggling actors and yet Slattery serving as a type of mentor to Simon, makes this a sort of buddy story and a tribute to the acting life.

            Where’s the superhero stuff? Frankly, there isn’t a lot in it, and not only does that not take away from the plot, but it enhances it, allowing time for the characters to develop. While Marvel has always done a good job of fleshing out the characters of their superheroes, none have been developed quite so well in so short a time as Abdul-Mateen’s Simon Williams. The story works on every level, not in spite of this, but because of it, and the show would still be good television if you took all superheroic elements out of it, which is, as I see it, the highest compliment you can give to a genre program.