TV review<\/h2>\n
\u201cWonder Man,\u201d the Marvel Cinematic Universe\u2019s latest series, is a quieter, sweeter affair compared to its predecessors, its gaze fixed on the loneliness and resilience of its excellent lead characters. But it\u2019s this focus, coupled with stunning performances from Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, that transforms the show into one of Marvel Studios\u2019 most charming efforts to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cWonder Man,\u201d which premieres Tuesday<\/span> on Disney+, introduces us to the ion-powered Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen II), who keeps his superhuman abilities hidden as he pursues a career in Hollywood. He quickly runs into Trevor Slattery (Kingsley, in tip-top form), the disgraced actor and escaped convict who posed as a supervillain in \u201cIron Man 3\u201d and has since played a more limited role in the MCU at large. Both are gunning for top billing in a remake of the in-universe superhero classic \u201cWonder Man,\u201d a film to which Simon feels especially connected. Trevor and Simon befriend one another, the latter unaware that his only friend is a reluctant spy for the Department of Damage Control. Thus, Trevor\u2019s biggest hurdle becomes convincing Simon that their bromance is genuine.<\/p>\n Clear-eyed and big-hearted, \u201cWonder Man\u201d knows exactly what it wants to be, even if that means skimping on action and spectacle. Anything working on adrenaline, really. Series creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest instead explore how the prevalence of real-life superheroes would impact and shape Hollywood, elevating what easily could have been a cute but forgettable story to a shrewd and sweeping examination of modern artifice.<\/p>\n The show smartly keeps its assault on the inauthentic two-sided; while it is indeed a plea for sincerity in a relentlessly insincere world, it also recognizes artifice as something necessary and conditionally beautiful. In its purest form, this falseness is art with the purpose of circling back to some sort of truth about the business of being human.<\/p>\n Here, the MCU\u2019s methods of story propulsion \u2014 big drama, breakneck pacing, city-leveling action \u2014 make way for an everyday type of resonance. One scene early on illustrates this beautifully: After tagging along with Simon to a family gathering, Trevor learns from Simon\u2019s mother (a fantastic Shola Adewusi) that Simon has never had a friend. She recounts a moment from Simon\u2019s childhood in which he fell off his bike. Her voice breaking, she recalls how after she bandaged his scrapes, Simon thanked her for loving him. \u201cAll that time, I thought he didn\u2019t mind how alone he was,\u201d she says sadly. \u201cI thought, \u2018OK, he has his acting, his Criterion DVD collection, all those movie posters on the walls \u2026 maybe he doesn\u2019t feel alone. But he was, and he felt it.\u201d The exchange is short, happening as they\u2019re washing dishes after the party, but it\u2019s one of the series\u2019 standout moments. This is where \u201cWonder Man\u201d shines. This is what Cretton and Guest know it needs to be, and what makes this story so resonant.<\/p>\n\n But despite his struggles, Simon doesn\u2019t wallow. He\u2019s sad, but he stands tall and tackles the world with alacrity. It\u2019s the people around him, namely his mother and ex-girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby), who speak to the pain he won\u2019t talk about. Abdul-Mateen II proves the brilliance of his casting again and again, communicating Simon\u2019s pain while keeping up with Kingsley\u2019s comedy.<\/p>\n Here, though, Kingsley is more than his comedic chops. Trevor\u2019s Mandarin-divorced charm was evident at the outset; from the moment he hurried out of that bathroom and found himself cross-eyed with a handgun pointed at his face, the character affronted all five senses with ease and endeared himself immediately. The screen feels superfluous, even nonexistent, when Kingsley pops into frame. Most important, he\u2019s able to grow and challenge his character without forfeiting his intrinsic greasiness. Kingsley is one of the MCU\u2019s greatest assets, even if Kevin Feige and other studio heads have yet to realize it.<\/p>\n \u201cWonder Man\u201d is an all-timer for the MCU, partly because it isn\u2019t as beholden to overarching continuity. It isn\u2019t perfect, but it\u2019s closer than I ever imagined. A prevailing sense of withholding plagues Marvel\u2019s post-\u201cEndgame\u201d efforts, most of which seem to aim not to satisfy but to segue into the next thing \u2014 projects that invariably feed the same machine in the same way. \u201cWonder Man\u201d avoids this approach simply by being; it\u2019s more than happy sitting off to the side while mindlessness cheapens its sister shows and films. What Cretton and Guest have created is special, and hopefully Marvel knows why.<\/p>\n \u201cWonder Man\u201d<\/p>\n The full miniseries premieres at 6 p.m. Jan. 27 on Disney+.<\/p>\n \n<\/h3>\n