It’s not hard for an actor like Ben Kingsley to get us to care about his character. He did as much 13 years ago in Iron Man 3, the second he dropped his guise as the Mandarin to reveal that he was actually Trevor Slattery. The efficacy — not to mention the morality — of this twist has been the topic of heated debate ever since, but no one can deny that Kingsley isn’t utterly sympathetic in the role. Sure, he’s cosplaying as a wincing racial stereotype, but his total ignorance and unbounded optimism is, admittedly, a bit funny.
Of course, Marvel still had to answer for the crime of “remixing” the Mandarin at all, and it did as much with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. There, director Destin Daniel Cretton introduced the man whose real organization had been co-opted for a heavy-handed racial caricature, reimagining the Mandarin as Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) and reintroducing Trevor as a prisoner doing penance for his role in the whole charade. It was a satisfying way of tying up the loose ends of Iron Man 3, but in this year’s Wonder Man, Cretton reveals that he’s not done with Trevor Slattery. As easy as it might have been to write the character off as misguided comic relief, Wonder Man takes things further, turning the controversial red herring into an actual person — one we can actually root for.
Warning: spoilers ahead for Wonder Man.
Like a lot of Marvel shows, Wonder Man focuses on the reality of living in a heightened world. It’s a grounded story set within Marvel’s cinematic universe, which gives it the space to explore the consequences of events many fans have forgotten. Not every show does that successfully — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for example, fumbled its exploration of the Blip — but Wonder Man doesn’t squander the chance to explore the pitfalls of supervillainy. Trevor has struggled to reclaim a normal life, even a decade and change after his stint as the Mandarin. Everywhere he goes, he’s recognized by those who remember his reign of terror. Since he didn’t exactly finish his prison sentence, he becomes a tool of the Department of Damage Control. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he’s still being hunted by shady figures from his pre-Mandarin life.
Trevor might take all this hardship in stride by doubling down on his quirky Liverpudlian optimism, but his circumstances couldn’t be more dire. That’s part of what gives his unlikely bromance with the aspiring actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) such weight. Trevor is meant to spy on Simon for Damage Control, to help them prove that his inherent enhanced abilities are a threat to public safety. He coaches him through an audition for a new superhero reboot in order to get close — but in the process he finds himself rekindling his own love for the craft.
Trevor’s friendship with Simon mines new depths within his character: as he becomes a mentor to the flailing young actor, he reveals that he’s not all stilted one-liners and dubious morals. Sure, Trevor still provides the bulk of Wonder Man’s comic relief, and does so brilliantly, but it’s nice to see this character become more of a person, as well. It’s almost a shame that he remains haunted by the Mandarin persona, to the point that he reprises his “role” in order to keep Simon’s dangerous abilities under wraps. Though he’s not exactly a good person, Wonder Man makes a great case for his humanity. If nothing else, you certainly understand his plight. Trevor made plenty of mistakes in his youth, and he’s still paying for them throughout the series. Mentoring Simon isn’t quite enough to balance the scales, but you almost wish that it was, if only because it’s such great fun to watch this odd couple chop it up.
Wonder Man is its most entertaining when it’s focusing more on its characters than their relationship to the larger MCU, but the dots have to connect sometime. It’s Trevor who serves as the strongest link to the goings-on throughout the franchise; thanks to his connection with Simon, the stakes remain personal until the credits roll on Wonder Man. It’s a baffling tightrope to walk, especially when leaning so heavily on a character that everyone was keen to write off. If Wonder Man proves anything, it’s that anything can serve a purpose within the MCU — it just takes a great script and a committed performer to unlock greatness.
