Let’s Discuss Wonder-Man Episode 1-1

Marvel live-action shows have been on an extended break.

We haven’t had anything new since July 1^st, when Mephisto finally appeared in the MCU.

Since then, Marvel has taken time off while placing all its hopes and dreams on Avengers: Doomsday.

Still, the early 2026 Disney+ lineup looks really good for Marvel, starting with the oft-delayed Wonder Man.

Reviews for this series have been glowing, and I fully understand why after watching the first two episodes.

So, let’s discuss Wonder Man episode 1-1, the one that is most assuredly not an origin story.

Rookie Mistake

We first meet Simon Williams as a child when he’s watching a movie with his dad.

The boy delights in their screening of the objectively awful Wonder Man movie.

The superhero wears a rocket pack a la The Rocketeer, but that’s not the worst part.

Wonder Man’s fight scenes are straight outta Star Trek…and I mean the original series.

Fake rocks and cheap laser fire effects reinforce that nobody should be enjoying this film.

Since Williams is too young to be a film snob, he delights in every second.

That’s his past, but his present involves him sitting in a film studio staging area. It’s a box.

The room’s size denotes his lack of stature as a performer, as does the fact that he doesn’t get a golf cart.

We quickly learn that Williams isn’t a bad actor. On the contrary, they loved his audition tape.

Who are they? Well, this is apparently the set of American Horror Story, and he’s a day player.

In simplest terms, that means he’s good enough to get a job on a mainstream television series.

However, he’s only getting a line or two before Twilight’s Ashley Greene eats him. Literally.

Williams quickly charms the actress as well as the director by making a lunch suggestion.

Then he offers a few ideas for his character, which are very well received… at first.

One idea requires the film crew to re-light the room, which causes a multi-hour delay.

Empowered by the director’s acceptance of some suggestions, Williams takes it too far.

He offers even more ideas, which leads to a frustrated producer to ask who this guy is. That’s fair.

The answer is that he’s replaceable. So, he gets fired.

‘Cause You Had a Bad Day

After the producer calls for Simon Williams to wrap, he gets awkward applause.

Humiliated, he leaves the set and heads home…and that’s where it gets worse.

Apparently, his girlfriend is in the process of leaving him but hadn’t planned to tell him.

Since Williams got fired and left early, he encounters the moving crew and his now-ex.

She flatly states that he left her no choice because he never let her in. She’s not lying. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Williams goes to look in the mirror, and a small rumble occurs in the bedroom.

In need of a distraction, the actor heads to a Midnight Cowboy screening. It’s a Dustin Hoffman classic.

As so often happens at the movies these days, an idiot is talking loudly into his phone.

Williams goes down to silence the person until they turn around, and he recognizes them.

Simon Williams, meet Trevor Slattery, the former Mandarin! Also, he’s an actor, too.

As a true cinephile, Williams recites several of Slattery’s roles before being silenced. The movie’s starting!

Afterward, the two of them speak briefly while exiting the theater, and that’s when Williams learns.

Slattery will audition for a role in the Wonder Man remake, the one directed by Von Kovak.

In the MCU, Kovak is apparently iconic, but he’s slumming by doing a superhero movie. It’s meta, I guess.

As Slattery says goodbye, a suddenly focused Williams rushes to his agent’s office.

She’s in a meeting with more than a dozen other people at her agency, which drives home the point.

Simon Williams lacks the cachet to interrupt an agent’s big staff meeting in the conference room.

Thankfully, he doesn’t get fired this time, but she lets him know that he will NOT play Wonder Man.

*Cut to the Wonder Man Audition*

Yup, you know what happens next. Undeterred, the actor snoops around to find the audition.

Then, Williams drives there and pretends like his agent, Janelle, has sent him. He bluffs his way in the door.

As is always the case at auditions, a bunch of other people are standing there waiting for their turns.

One of them, someone with a British accent, is clearly doing well. You can guess who it is.

I suspect that Trevor Slattery would get the part right then if not for one small problem.

One casting agent informs the other that he “used to be a terrorist,” which is technically correct.

Slattery takes note of Williams, who he knows isn’t supposed to be there, but then…

The elder actor provides the younger one with advice on how to crush the audition.

Slattery wants Williams to make himself breathless so that he’ll react in the moment.

Simon Williams is apparently guilty of overthinking, which…makes sense once you get it.

The advice works perfectly, and Williams earns a callback, something his agent did NOT expect.

After their triumphant auditions, both men go out for a drink. Slattery doesn’t have alcohol, though.

He’s apparently been sober for more than a decade now, which seems timely in the wake of the Natasha Lyonne news.

Williams calls it a night, leaving Slattery to drink alone. And that’s when the fun begins.

If you were waiting this whole time for Williams to gain superpowers, well, you’re too late.

SURPRISE!!!

Slattery receives a phone call from a familiar voice. It’s Agent Cleary from Ms. Marvel.

Oh, who am I kidding? You know the character from Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Why is this character important? Well, Agent Cleary works for the Department of Damage Control.

Yes, they’re the ones who track superpowered beings. You get why that’s a big deal, right?

Folks, Trevor Slattery has pretended – well, acted – every step of the way to befriend Simon Williams.

The government knows that he’s a superpowered being, and it’s up to Slattery to get proof.

Now we’ve got us a ballgame! And it’s a doubleheader, too.

Well, technically, it’s an octoheader, as Disney+ is now streaming all eight episodes of Wonder Man.

So, stay tuned for more recaps starting tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to cover, and it’s all great.

Sir Ben Kingsley is having the time of his life playing Trevor Slattery again. It’s a joy to behold.

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