Marvel Studios has released a first look at Wonder Man, the long-awaited TV series starring Yahya-Abdul Mateen (Aquaman) and Sir Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3). In the first teaser — which would appear to be a single clip, if not for some sharp editing throughout — acclaimed director Von Kovak (played by Superman‘s Zlatko Burić) announces his plans to come out of retirement.
The project that has lured him back to the silver screen? A remake of the beloved superhero movie Wonder Man, which Kovak says can be the cure for a general malaise impacting the superhero genre. So…yeah, this is pretty meta.
You can see the trailer below.
In the trailer, Kovak shows off clips from the “original” Wonder Man movie — a campy movie with a comics-accurate costume and the vibe of the Flash Gordon film. Of course, since the premise of this series is that actor Simon Williams (Mateen) will get super powers during the production of the movie, it’s likely Von Kovak will be able to get away with some impressive practical effects of his own.
The meta-commentary behind the show hasn’t been subtle. Back in July, Mateen did an interview on the red carpet of Fantastic Four: First Steps in character as Simon Williams, talking about his excitement to bring Wonder Man to life.
“You know, I grew up a really big fan of Wonder Man, a really big fan of comics. It was actually the first movie that I saw in theaters with my father, when I was very young,” Mateen-as-Williams said. “And, you know, I left the theater that day wanting to be a super hero. So, this is amazing, and this is a beautiful full circle feeling for me.”
Of course, audiences see shockingly little of Williams in the teaser video. It’s dominated by Kovak, and we get as many looks at Williams as we do Trevor Slattery, the Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi supporting character who originally posed as The Mandarin. While it is not immediately clear what Slattery’s tie to Williams will be, it’s safe to assume that the two — actors who are thrust into the real world of superhuman intrigue — will have plenty to commiserate about.
Daniel Destin Cretton, the filmmaker behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is showrunning Wonder Man for Marvel Studios and Disney+. Marvel is keeping Cretton busy, as the filmmaker is also responsible for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Wonder Man is coming to Disney+ in January 2026.
English (US) · 