Iron Man (2008) started it all.
Not only did Marvel Entertainment’s first movie restart Robert Downey Jr.’s career, but it also spawn the interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but paved the way for Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers (2012) — which all but rewrote the superhero movie game.
The triumph of the initial six Avengers, the superhero squad known as “The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”, naturally resulted in subsequent individual successes for Downey Jr. with Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013).
Since RDJ’s Iron Man/Tony Stark made a monumental sacrifice to eradicate Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and save the universe following Avengers: Infinity War (2018), he has been conspicuously absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Although there has been much speculation about his return, along with the recent introduction of his successor, Iron Man’s presence has been notably scarce.
Now, it appears that Marvel Studios, owned by The Walt Disney Company, is keen to explore an iconic star from Iron Man 3 in a brand new project called Wonder Man.
An Exciting Set Photo Leak
The following contains potential spoilers for Disney+ (Disney Plus)’s Wonder Man.
Following his stint in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, veteran actor Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery is now slated to play an even bigger role in the MCU’s future with the now-resurrected Wonder Man project.
Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 is introduced as an actor hired to portray the Mandarin — in Shang-Chi, revealed to be Tony Leung — a formidable, immortal villain at the head of criminal organization the Ten Rings, from Marvel Comics. However, in a twist revealed later in the movie, it is uncovered that Slattery is merely a pawn and a front for the true mastermind, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).
Wonder Man, created by Shang-Chi‘s director Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, was previously reported to have been canned by Disney and Marvel. New set photos following this news corroborate further reports that despite being halted by the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) writer’s strike and SAG-AFTRA actor’s strike, the Wonder Man project seems to be chugging along.
The set photo, uploaded by @TheAmericanOni, depicts a likely in-universe promotional banner and awning emblazoned with the text “Wonder Man”, hinting that this “Wonder Man” is a seemingly fictional character in the MCU, with a movie made about him:
They are filming a premiere scene for wonder man in westwood. #mcu #marvel #wonderman #DisneyPlus
They are filming a premiere scene for wonder man in westwood. #mcu #marvel #wonderman #DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/2Nlm94T3od
— (The Pride Fighter) American Oni/WPW Leather Daddy (@TheAmericanOni) January 12, 2024
Since the character of Wonder Man from Marvel Comics, created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, goes by the name Simon Williams and is an actor in-universe, it makes a lot of sense that he might tangle with Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery.
With Yahya Abdul-Mateen slated to portray the eponymous character of Wonder Man/Simon Williams, an antagonist of the Avengers who wields ionic powers, this Wonder Man project is shaping up to take on a rather satirical approach to superhero movies and TV — likely commenting on the genre in a way that not unlike Amazon Prime’s The Boys (2020) and Invincible (2020), with perhaps a tinge less blood and guts.
Further Hollywood and Marvel insiders add proof of this resurrection of a once-believed dead project, with Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) corroborating that the Marvel television series Wonder Man has indeed not been canceled. Richtman quotes yet another set photo leak by @douglaszaldaaa, claiming to have witnessed Marvel filming outside their place of work:
Daniel Richtman: And there you go. The Wonder Man tv show is not canceled and resumed filming.
@douglaszaldaaa: I thought they canceled #wonderman but they are filming outside my job 😳#wandamaximof you are getting a new man 😯
And there you go. The Wonder Man tv show is not canceled and resumed filming. https://t.co/v5eY84Dd5V
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) January 12, 2024
That “W” right across Wonder Man‘s chest is likely going to be the new logo for Wonder Man, with real-life promotional material likely looking similar to the style depicted here. It looks like Marvel is heading in a particularly “meta” direction with their new project.
Wonder Man is slated to appear alongside Echo (2024) and (most likely) Daredevil (2015) soft reboot Daredevil: Born Again as part of Disney’s new Marvel Spotlight on streamer Disney+ — a new, “gritter” and more mature series of deeper stories canon to but simultaneously adjacent to the mainline MCU movies.
Are you excited for Wonder Man? Do you like shows that play with ideas of convention? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!