Marvel's Wonder Man Preview Reveals Marvel's Most Meta Series To Date

The Marvel studio is aware that audiences might be feeling some superhero exhaustion, so they've decided to include that very concept into their next superhero series.

That's right, the debut trailer for Wonder Man has been released, and it pledges a self-referential angle on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The preview, which debuted on Oct. 10, also quietly moved the Wonder Man launch date later from its original late 2025 slot into early 2026.

Why one more superhero film? People is weary of superheroes. Why watch them in the theater? Wonder Man spoke to me on a deep level. There is an opportunity to surprise audiences. To reinvent the whole genre of storytelling.

The interviewer replies: "Have you given any thought about casting?"

The trailer then transitions to series star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's watching the conversation on his mobile device, and the trailer ends.

Image: Marvel

What We Know About Wonder Man

We were previously aware that Wonder Man would be a self-referential interpretation on the MCU. The series features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, a Hollywood actor who becomes a superhero (Wonder Man).

The rest of the cast features actor Ben Kingsley reprising his role as Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams (also known as Grim Reaper), Ed Harris as Simon's agent Neal Saroyan, and Arian Moayed returning as DODC agent P. Cleary.

Marvel's Meta-Humor Strategy

We don't know much else about the storyline of Wonder Man, but it's evident that Marvel intends to laugh at its own tropes.

In the wake of Deadpool & Wolverine, it seems like the studio is fully committed on meta-humor. Will this approach succeed without the celebrity appeal of its previous leads? We'll have to wait and see.