Marvel just revealed the first real teaser for Wonder Man and we’re getting really meta by the looks of things. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man in the latest Marvel Studios Television series. It seems that he’s just as excited about superheroes as the rest of us in the new teaser. The clip teases that the titular hero was a big part of his upbringing and he’s hanging on a casting announcement like so many fans do every month on the Internet.
Wonder Man’s in-universe director Von Kovak (Zlatko Buric) has been lured out of retirement by the chance to reinvent the superhero genre. (We’re already operating on two levels of meta commentary here with some gesturing towards the media-driven “superhero fatigue” discourse and talk of reinvigorating the genre by getting back to basics.) But, the fans out there seem really jazzed at the prospect of Kovak getting back behind the camera.
Probably the most fun part of the entire clip is the retro treatment of Wonder Man (the movie) that Marvel actually produced. This is a hysterical bit of pastiche with a comics-themed Wonder Man costume and a spaceship fighting against soldiers with laser guns. It’s a whole lot of throwback cheese, and honestly can’t wait for that part of the series. Because, it’s always fun to see a medium try to reflect itself and have a bit of a laugh.
Wonder Man first clip emerges
Marvel’s tack during the entire run-up to Wonder Man has leaned-in on this kind of meta wackiness. A fully decked out Simon Williams (actually Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) showed up on the red carpet for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. During a cheeky interview with Marvel.com, Williams talked up his upcoming stint with Wonder Man and gestured towards some of the stuff we’ve seen in the clip that came out today.
“You know, I grew up a really big fan of Wonder Man, a really big fan of comics. It was actually the first movie that I saw in theaters with my father, when I was very young,” Williams explains. “And, you know, I left the theater that day wanting to be a super hero. So, this is amazing, and this is a beautiful full circle feeling for me.”
As fans gravitate towards movies and shows like The Studio, this could be a gimmick to help get more people on-board with Wonder Man as the series gets rolling on Disney+. This entire promotional run is going to be very interesting if they keep going with the meta “I’m Simon Williams!” thing. Well, we’re here to watch when the series premieres in January of 2026.
(Photo Credit: Marvel)
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