Marvel's Wonder Man Preview Reveals The MCU's Most Self-Referential Series To Date

Marvel is aware that viewers might be feeling some superhero exhaustion, so they've decided to include this exact idea into their next superhero show.

That's right, the first preview for Wonder Man has arrived, and it pledges a self-referential angle on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The trailer, which premiered on October 10th, also quietly pushed the Wonder Man launch date later from its initial end of 2025 window into January 2026.

Why another superhero film? Everyone is weary of superheroes. Why watch them in the cinema? Wonder Man spoke to me on a profound level. There is an opportunity to surprise audiences. To reimagine the entire category of narrative.

The reporter responds: "Have you given any thought about casting?"

The preview then transitions to series star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who's watching the conversation on his mobile device, and the trailer ends.

Photo: Marvel Comics Group

Key Details About Wonder Man

We were previously aware that Wonder Man would be a meta take on the MCU. The series features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the character Simon Williams, a film star who transforms into a superhero (Wonder Man).

The rest of the cast features actor Ben Kingsley returning as Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery, Demetrius Grosse as Eric Williams (aka Grim Reaper), Ed Harris as Simon's agent Neal Saroyan, and Arian Moayed coming back as DODC officer P. Cleary.

Marvel's Meta-Humor Strategy

We have limited information about the storyline of Wonder Man, but it's evident that the studio plans 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? We'll have to wait and see.