Marvel's Wonder Man Trailer Unveils The MCU's Most Self-Referential Series To Date

Marvel has heard that audiences could be experiencing some superhero exhaustion, so they've decided to incorporate this exact idea into their upcoming superhero series.

Indeed, the debut preview for Wonder Man has been released, and it promises a self-referential angle on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The preview, which debuted on October 10th, also quietly pushed the Wonder Man release date back from its initial late 2025 window into early 2026.

Why another superhero movie? People is weary of superhero content. Why watch them in the cinema? Wonder Man spoke to me on a deep level. There is an chance to shock viewers. To reinvent the whole category of narrative.

The reporter replies: "Have you given any thought about the cast?"

The trailer then transitions to lead actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's watching the conversation on his phone, and the trailer concludes.

What We Know About Wonder Man

We were previously aware that Wonder Man would be a self-referential interpretation on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series features Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, a film star who transforms into a superhero (the hero Wonder Man).

The rest of the cast features Ben Kingsley returning 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 coming back as Department of Damage Control agent P. Cleary.

Marvel's Meta-Humor Approach

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

In the aftermath of Deadpool & Wolverine, it appears like the studio is all in on self-referential comedy. Will this approach succeed without the star power of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman? Only time will tell.