Less punch, more plot

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, January 30th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a possible cure for superhero fatigue.

Marvel Studios is trying something different. Instead of raising the stakes, Marvel might be lowering them. Here is WORLD Arts and Culture editor Collin Garbarino on Wonder Man.

COLLIN GARBARINO: I’ve been complaining about the bloated staleness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years now. 

But a decade ago, Marvel Studios was churning out one hit after another. The franchise stayed fresh by tweaking its superhero films, pushing them into different genres. We got spy thrillers, space operas, and heist movies. What we haven’t gotten up to now is Hollywood’s favorite genre: stories about Hollywood itself. 

That all changes with the MCU’s new series on Disney+, Wonder Man.

VON KOVAK: Human and spectacular. That’s where this film needs to live.

In the comic books, Wonder Man is a guy using superpowers to become an actor who does his own stunts. This eight-episode TV series takes the character in a different direction. Yahya Abdul-Mateen stars as Simon Williams, a struggling actor hoping to get his big break. He has superpowers, but he has to keep them hidden. Hollywood studios won’t hire enhanced individuals because the cost of superhero-related liability insurance is too high.

But Simon’s life as a failed actor starts to change the day he meets Trevor Slattery, played by the incomparable Ben Kingsley.

SIMON: But I remember you from that omnibus episode you did in the 70s. You played Edgar Allan Poe, “The Need for Nightmare.”

TREVOR: Well, well, well… Not too many people remember that old gem, including me.

Trevor’s a washed-up British actor who’s led a checkered life. His most memorable role was when he pretended to be a terrorist called the Mandarin.

TREVOR: And whatever theories you’ve seen on Reddit are totally false, I had nothing to do with Pizzagate, I’m not a member of the Illuminati, and I did not have my hands replaced with baby hands.

Trevor becomes a mentor to Simon and the two actors attempt to land roles in a new superhero movie directed by a legendary and eccentric filmmaker.

At its heart, this TV series is a buddy comedy. The anxious and insecure Simon and the laidback, oblivious Trevor make an entertaining odd couple. 

Simon imagines elaborate backstories for his characters and agonizes over finding the right tone and inflection. Trevor’s the kind of actor who advises against overthinking things.

TREVOR: When you’re in there, blow every last bit of air out of your lungs hard and fast. With no air in your lungs your body will go into shock, shut down your frontal lobes, so… no more logic getting in the way.

But navigating auditions—and relationships with prickly agents—aren’t our protagonists’ only problems. A government agency tasked with controlling superheroes is falling behind on its quotas, and its determined to find enough evidence on Simon to put him in prison.

AGENT: The Department of Damage Control considers Simon Williams an extraordinary threat.

Wonder Man is rated TV-14 for occasional foul language. The series has no sensuality. But every now and then folks make references to Trevor’s dissolute past.

BARTENDER: And a Virgin Mary with extra horseradish.

TREVOR: Thirteen years sober.

BARTENDER: Congrats.

TREVOR: Thank you.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Wonder Man is how little violence there is. This is the kind of show you watch for the dialogue, not the spectacle. 

Show runner Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the Shang Chi movie, has created a series that feels grounded in reality. Simon isn’t going to punch his way out of his problems. Instead, he wins by working hard, taking good advice, and learning to trust family and friends. Cretton allows the series to find its natural conclusion. Don’t expect the CGI smackdown you find at the end of just about every other superhero show.

TREVOR: Are you going to use super speed, or what?

SIMON: I’m gonna use my car, Trevor!

TREVOR: Does that mean you do or do not have super speed?

SIMON: Let’s go!

The most unbelievable aspect of this show might be that a director is actually attempting to make a superhero movie on a soundstage in Los Angeles. It’s been a long time since studios could afford to film in Hollywood.

Simon might have superpowers, but Wonder Man is character driven, which, in my opinion, makes it one of the best MCU TV series.

Also homework isn’t necessary to appreciate this show. You can watch Iron Man 3 and Shang Chi to get Trevor’s backstory, if you want. But the series stands on its own. It isn’t tied into that convoluted Avengers multiverse.

It’s more concerned with gently poking fun at the foibles of Hollywood while expressing its love for filmmaking. Expect to see a couple of surprising guest stars playing themselves.

But really, the show’s greatest strength is that it’s honest about the superhero fatigue that audiences have been feeling. Wonder Man provides some sly commentary on the state of the genre, suggesting that people care more about human stories than they do computer-generated extravaganzas. 

I’m happy to say the series doesn’t merely prescribe the cure for superhero fatigue, it embodies it.

VON KOVAK: The world is going to fall in love with the two of you.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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