Considering that more well-known Avengers have made live-action appearances in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), it would make sense that some of the lesser-known characters finally made their debut. One such character is Wonder Man, who possesses immense superhuman strength, heightened senses, the ability to fly, and regeneration. He’s essentially immortal, powered by ionic energy. That all sounds impressive, but we barely see any of that in the new 8-episode miniseries, “Wonder Man”, which drops in its entirety on Disney+ on January 27th. Created by Destin Daniel Cretin and Andrew Guest, the show is more of an introduction than an origin story for a character that hasn’t appeared in live-action before, let alone any other MCU offerings.

With two epic “Avengers” movies in the pipeline, it would only make sense to add the powerful character to the mix, but before any of that, the series provides a chance to learn who Simon Williams is. If you’re at all familiar with the character from the Marvel Comics, you’ll know that the writers can come at Wonder Man in a myriad of ways, considering he debuted as a villain, has died and resurrected a handful of times, and has an assortment of costume changes over the years.

Produced by Bonnie Muñoz, Tara Duncan, and Asher Goldstein for Marvel Studios on its Marvel Television label, the show exists within the MCU while also expanding it, a goal of these shows. The idea for the show came about when Cretin was directing 2021’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, with the idea that a television series could revolve around one of the supporting characters from that movie, washed-up actor, Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who was first introduced in “Iron Man 3” as an actor hired to play the terrorist, The Mandarin. Some fans are still bristling with how Marvel apparently botched a formidable Iron Man villain, but the Oscar-winning actor was clearly having fun injecting some comedy relief into an atmosphere that is often super serious.

Since Simon Williams is an actor in the comics who maintains the identity of Wonder Man, it would be fitting to pair the two characters and set the series in modern-day Hollywood. Indeed, much of the series revolves around the unlikely friendship that develops between Simon and Trevor, which proves to be quite engaging. In this series, Simon is played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who’s no stranger to the superhero genre after playing Aquaman antagonist Black Manta twice. Abdul-Mateen has both the muscular physique of a superhero and proven acting chops (such as his portrayal as Bobby Seale in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”) to bring to the series. The character of Simon doesn’t require superheroics from the actor; rather, it calls for someone who is struggling to be open with who he is and, therefore, has a hard time tapping into the resource each actor needs: vulnerability and openness.

When we meet Simon, the thirtysomething actor has been struggling to get his big break, often getting himself fired from steady acting gigs for voicing unsolicited opinions about his role, rather than simply playing along with what’s already been written. Such behavior has made it difficult for his agent, Janelle Jackson (X Mayo), to secure him roles in shows and movies. Simon doesn’t realize he’s often the reason he loses roles. It’ll take an encounter with another actor before Simon can begin to consider reapproaching his methods. It’s easy to do the math and figure out that his prickly disposition probably cost him his relationship with this girlfriend, Vivian (Olivia Thrilby), who used to share an apartment with him.

When he meets Slattery, he learns that the Shakespearean actor is auditioning for the antagonist role of Barnaby in an epic blockbuster revival of a cheesy 1980 sci-fi yarn called “Wonder Man”. From the clips of the B-movie cult classic that exists solely in the MCU, it looks like an amalgam of “Zardoz” and “Flash Gordon”. We see these scenes during flashbacks, as Simon fondly recalls his father, Sandord (Béchir Sylvain), taking him to see it at the movie theater when he was a boy (Kameron J. Meadows portrays a young Simon). That’s one reason why Simon has always liked the character and feels compelled to audition for the remake, which will be directed by legendary auteur Von Kovac (Zlatko Burić, last seen in James Gunn’s “Superman”); he could be a caricature combo of departed filmmakers like Milos Forman and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

The big problem is that Simon has superpowers, which no one wants on a film set for liability reasons. He’s well aware of what happened not long ago to Damar Davis, aka Doorman (Byron Bowers), after an incident involving him and Josh Gad on a television show. Simon’s powers have typically only shown up when he’s agitated, anxious, or angry, so he’ll have to keep his cool as he pursues the role. Simon will receive help from Trevor in preparing for the role, while unaware that the former drug addict and alleged criminal has a secret working relationship with the Department of Damage Control (DODC) and Agent P. Cleary (Arian Moayed, last seen in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”) will do anything to apprehend and subdue Simon, seeing his powers as an extraordinary threat.

What’s most interesting about “Wonder Man” is that it doesn’t go out of its way to show typical superheroics. That’s not what this show is about. As the eight episodes unfold the story, we begin to see examples of Simon’s powers, but never at the expense of his own personal story. This is a protagonist who isn’t out to show the world his powers, but rather someone who’s grown to withhold these powers from everyone.

That could stem back to an accident that occurred at his childhood home, witnessed by his mother (Shola Adewusi, “Babes”) and his older brother, Eric Williams (Demetrius Grosse, “Justified”), who works in insurance. Simon feels pressure from his brother, who thinks his pursuit of an acting career hasn’t amounted to much. In the comics, his brother becomes the Grim Reaper, a longstanding foe of the Avengers, but despite the friction between the two brothers, there’s no indication of that yet.

Like many other Marvel television series, some episodes stall the overall storyline and feel unnecessary. That’s true for the episode featuring Josh Gad, but maybe that’s because my threshold for the actor isn’t very high. A little of the Disney regular goes a long way. On the flipside, it’s fun to see “Joe Pants”, aka Joe Pantoliano here, playing himself in a couple of episodes.

Overall, given how the miniseries ends and how it gets there, it feels like at least two episodes could’ve been scrapped or consolidated. Showrunner Andrew Guest has four different directors, each helming two episodes: Destin Daniel Cretin, James Ponsoldt, Tiffany Johnson, and Stella Meghie, all of whom have experience directing features and television. Their styles come across as consistent as possible, so maybe it’s the seven writers involved in this metafiction that, at times, make the miniseries feel like it’s overstaying its welcome.

Regardless, I can definitely appreciate a Marvel show that aims for something more character-driven rather than relying on MCU connections and spectacle. I’m not sure I can envision more misadventures between Kingsley and Abdul-Mateen (after all, Kingsley is 82 years-young), but it’s clear they wouldn’t be bringing in Wonder Man just to solely use him here. I have a hunch the Marvel heroes of the MCU will need his powers in the near-future.

Personally, as a fan of Marvel’s Wonder Man from the comics, I’m glad this show exists, especially with the inclusion of certain geek nods. The different costumes that Simon has worn over the years as Wonder Man make appearances, some more comically than others. (Side Note: Simon spends most of the show wearing a grey sweatshirt, which could be just a struggling actor thing)

While it is a comedy through and through, “Wonder Man” is also grounded with an emotionality that’s welcome. In a rare move, it turns out to be the rare MCU show that doesn’t require any homework for the audience. In comics lingo, this can be considered “standalone” material.

RATING: ***

For those unfamiliar with Wonder Man, his Marvel Comics history is quite dense, dating back to October 1964, when he was introduced in Avengers #9 (see above) as a villain created by Baron Zemo. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Don Heck, as a threat to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, only to die off in his introductory issue. Of course, rarely does anyone die in Marvel Comics, so the ionic energy-powered character would be revived multiple times, usually by Avengers villains looking for some serious muscle to assist their nefarious plans. After a handful of brief appearances, Wonder Man finally joined the Avengers as a hero after Avengers #160 (see below) in June 1977. When not superheroing, Williams pursued acting, auditioning around Los Angeles for commercial work or whatever movie roles he could land. This came in handy when the West Coast Avengers were formed in September 1984.

“Wonder Man” is part of Phase Six of the MCU (which began with last summer’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps” and released under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. Other television series, such as the second seasons of “Daredevil: Born Again” and “X-Men ’97” will also be released this year on Disney+.