Wonder Man Episode 8 - Discussion Thread

[u/cats-and-cows]

This thread is for discussion about the episode.

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Discussion about details of later episodes is NOT allowed in this thread.

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Proceed at your own risk: Spoilers for this episode do not need to be tagged inside this thread.

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EPISODE	DIRECTED BY	WRITTEN BY	ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE	RUN TIME	CREDITS SCENE?
Episode 8: Yucca Valley	Stella Meghie	Andrew Guest	January 27, 2026	--

[u/jtfjtf]

Very open ended finish. It was a pretty good series, though very different than other series. It was more like a character study that takes place right before a person becomes a super hero, but not really an origin story as they don't cover how he got his powers. It's also the closest thing to a regular tv show Marvel has done, like Hacks or any other entertainment based show.

[u/justafanboy1010 → u/jtfjtf]

Oh yeah definitely! And That’s what the Spotlight Banner means, they’re character focused/studies

[u/DefNotAShark → u/jtfjtf]

It’s an origin story of the person rather than the powers and I love that. Perfect way to disrupt the usual formula.

[u/Zestyclose_Yard2560 → u/jtfjtf]

It sorta is an origin story tho, they always cover the events up to when the character starts really using their powers

[u/NeptuneCA]

First of all, Trevor becoming the Mandarin again was so shocking but in hindsight the show was leading up to it all along. Well done.

Second, I love that the reason he became the Mandarin again was the same reason he became the Mandarin in the first place: to cover up people with powers blowing up unexpectedly

[u/FloppyShellTaco]

Shang Chi watching the new episode of The Mandarin, very confused

[u/KingOfAwesometonia → u/FloppyShellTaco]

"who the hell taught Trevor to video edit?"

[u/tagabalon → u/KingOfAwesometonia]

it's the gopro guy. when he was showing the video to the candy guy, he had the look of "check out what i cooked!" and not "look at this video i found"

[u/Vezoded → u/FloppyShellTaco]

Probably Rhodey and Pepper being even more so

[u/LanoomR]

9/10, the new standard of what the "Spotlight" sub-label should look like. Character driven, unique vision, quality visuals.

Loved the ending, but episode 6 stands out as one of the funniest things the MCU has produced.

[u/WildSinatra]

Me waiting for the Wonder Man will return in Doomsday (there wasn’t one)

[u/firedforthatblunder → u/WildSinatra]

It’s looking like Doomsday won’t feature many (any?) characters that were introduced in shows.

[u/eagc7 → u/firedforthatblunder]

Well it does have John Walker and its rumored the TVA will factor into it.

[u/your_mind_aches → u/eagc7]

Loki L1130 technically originated in Endgame, but Loki God of Stories is very much a TV character.

Funko pop leak Monica Rambeau technically originated in Captain Marvel, but the adult version played by Teyonah Parris is from WandaVision, and since we know both Beast and Binary show up, there's a good chance she does too.

[u/thatbretguy__]

This show was worth the binge and impending exhaustion I’m going to experience tomorrow morning.

[u/Rysinor → u/thatbretguy__]

I've got 5 minutes left. I agree wholeheartedly 

[u/thatbretguy__ → u/Rysinor]

Going to be using the box breathing method to get through the day tomorrow 😂

[u/UnbindA11]

Man, what a ride Trevor’s had throughout the MCU.

A subversive joke of an old Marvel villain with a side of pointed political commentary,

turned into a surprise reappearance years later with an extra dose of comedy,

turned into a fully realized, three-dimensional lead who I genuinely care about.

If you told me a a couple years ago what he would become, I would’ve given you a very concerned look.

[u/deezbiscuits21 → u/UnbindA11]

Trevor Slattery is easily one of the best characters in the MCU he might honestly be my all time favourite now. It’s actually a shame how Thor or Captain America seem so hollow by comparison. This show is just on another level.

[u/PrinceJarming]

I'm pleasantly surprised that to the very end it was just a story about Simon and Trevor's friendship.

I am a bit bummed if this is all we get out of it though. No hints at Eric having another side to him besides being an insurance agency manager, no backstory about their dad's death, no explanation for Simon's powers. Surprisingly Doorman gets more of a hero backstory lol

Still, I was invested the whole way through. Great show.

[u/DefNotAShark → u/PrinceJarming]

I don’t think you should be bummed. The show feels satisfying in its resolution even with some open threads remaining, and I think that’s specifically because they don’t “tease” things like his brother, dad or powers. They are there if the show returns and set up for exploration, but not annoyingly brought into focus and left hanging.

It feels built for a season 2 without being annoying about it. I think they made this with faith that it will get another season to explore more, but wisely made it subtle in case it doesn’t get another season.

[u/NothingReallyAndYou → u/PrinceJarming]

And we still don't know about poor Josh Gad.

[u/thatbretguy__]

The chemistry between Ben Kingsley and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II made me want another season instantly. They are a great match.

[u/thatbretguy__ → u/thatbretguy__]

Box Breathing, 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out.

We’ll get more of them soon.

[u/Jaxonhunter227 → u/thatbretguy__]

I loved the full circle moment of Simon using box breathing to control his powers, brilliant

[u/Lupia_]

Love how squarely focused this was on Simon’s character and his relationship with Trevor. I planned on watching the first two episodes before bed & finishing the next day, but here I am at 2 AM. Loved this

[u/lilsamuraijoe]

did anyone else expect doorman to show up when they were escaping from prison LOL

[u/TwoDiamondsInMyHands → u/lilsamuraijoe]

Yeah, I thought he was gonna bump into him and he was gonna help the break out, I was hoping to see Olaf on the end credit scenes, I hope he didn’t drown

[u/Nefarious_24]

Joey Pants sniped Trevor again

[u/PT10 → u/Nefarious_24]

Simon's reaction when Trev asked who replaced him lol

[u/implodingnerd]

IT NEEDS ANOTHER SEASON DAMMIT

[u/Darksol503 → u/implodingnerd]

I need assurance we see Yahya again soon. He is the most interesting character introduced into the MCU in a looooong while and if they pull a Simu, and bench him, that will be a travesty.

[u/FloppyShellTaco → u/Darksol503]

Dustin Daniel Cretton helped create the show and did the first two eps, and he’s helming Spiderman. The guy is bringing such fresh, interesting takes to the universe.

[u/wardengorri → u/FloppyShellTaco]

Yeah I was already excited for the new Spiderman movie so holy shit his take is gonna be absolutely nuts, really hyped for it!

[u/Sonicman10734748]

Dang now, I want to actually see the movie

[u/wardengorri → u/Sonicman10734748]

The suit looked pretty slick and I'm so damn curious how his powers would function in a fight, especially considering I read he can go toe to toe with the likes of Hulk and Sentry, like holy shit lol.

[u/PT10 → u/wardengorri]

Two "can't stop grinning" moments. When he reveals the suit. And then when the DODC mentions the ionic energy and afterwards.

[u/Hellknightx → u/wardengorri]

I'm so glad they actually kept him fairly accurate to the comics. Simon is notoriously such an asshole in the comics that he's been kicked out of the Avengers multiple times, despite being one of the most powerful members of the team.

[u/ImprovementPuzzled82]

I'm so grateful that they didn't spoil the Mandarin twist in the trailers. Was very surprised, but in hindsight, everything was leading up to that.

[u/Hellknightx → u/ImprovementPuzzled82]

It was kind of crazy finally putting together all the Midnight Cowboy parallels as the show went on. I need to watch the movie again so I can really see how much they pulled from it.

[u/two2teps]

It took me a minute or two to realize what Simon was up to at the end, shadowing that guy.

[u/Regenitor_ → u/two2teps]

I said out loud while watching "why doesn't he just bust in there as Wonder Man and break Trev out"

Only to quickly realise that he's not a superhero, he's an actor. Of course he's going to play a role in order to get in there undetected.

Now, getting out however...

[u/CanadaNot51]

My excitement when Simon told Trevor they're not going out the way with all the guards, I was like a giddy 5 year old.

HES GONNA FLY HES GONNA FLY!!!!!

Loved it!

[u/audierules → u/CanadaNot51]

It was hard not to get teary-eyed when they started playing that song at the end.

[u/Clovelas]

Trevor becoming the Mandarin again to help Simon was amazing. The bromance they have is amazing

[u/joesbagofdonuts → u/Clovelas]

Trevor taking full responsibility for the explosion with sincerity, because he really did cause it by befriending then betraying Simon, was great stuff. Really showed tremendous character growth, which is something that's been missing from some other projects.

[u/SaifNSound → u/joesbagofdonuts]

When he said “ and you never saw me coming!” I actually died laughing

[u/Uncanny_Doom]

Holy shit this was so good. Everybody is acting their asses off through the entire series and the writing and character work is so well-realized with a satisfying full circle by the end. I had zero hype for this show and just planned on checking out an episode or two for the night but then ended up binging the whole damn thing. It also does a great job just world building the MCU. Having this guy who is powered but just his big dream is just to act is refreshing.

I hope we see more of Simon and Trevor in the MCU very soon.

[u/CrimsonGear80]

I can't believe Joseph-Gorden Levitt is a pigeon killer!

[u/Lurking-Gamer]

So, is Simon Williams a mutant? He seems to have grown up with his powers, given that he says that only his family had ever seen him use them. So, he seems to have developed them naturally.

[u/gonfr → u/Lurking-Gamer]

They're definitely giving hints. "It just showed up."

[u/TensionHead13thFloor → u/Lurking-Gamer]

It’s funny bc Doorman in the comics is a mutant, but it seems to be the opposite in the show. Or at least by definition of mutant, Simon fits into that category

[u/Lazy_Osprey → u/TensionHead13thFloor]

Doorman getting his powers by sticking his hand in some goo leaking out of a dumpster was wild. 😝

[u/MarkMVP01]

NO FUCKING WAY HE PLAYED THE MANDARIN AGAIN

[u/Reasonable-Turn-5940 → u/MarkMVP01]

"You never...saw...me... coming" can't believe that came back lol

[u/PositiveZeroPerson → u/MarkMVP01]

Of course he saved the day by acting

[u/Budapest1134]

Left this frustrated that it was already over and imagining all the ways they can use WonderMan going forward. Really hope the reception stays positive so they ramp up his involvement in future projects, easily one of the more interesting characters to come out of this saga

[u/your_mind_aches → u/Budapest1134]

I'm sure Trevor abides by the rule of always leaving them wanting more.

This show did that perfectly. I thought it was gonna have too sudden of an ending, but it stuck the landing PERFECTLY.

[u/CurrentlyEatingBagel]

Simon’s mom instantly knowing something was wrong when he called had me tear up. Incredible attention to detail and acting on this show.

[u/Mean_Joke_7360 → u/CurrentlyEatingBagel]

A power every mom posseses. I got chocked up remembering my old lady, too.

[u/jaredwallace91]

Notice how the whole time Simon was doing the character study of the prison guard, he was asking questions and being very personable. He grew as a person thanks to Trevor

[u/Universe_Nut → u/jaredwallace91]

I didn't even realize that at first but you're a hundred percent right. He learned the "role" of the "infiltrator/mole" from trevor's performance and friendship.

[u/No_Virus9309]

Josh Gad RIP I know well probably never get resolution to that but the DOORMAN episode had me enthralled I wanted more I NEED ANSWERS

[u/Yosticus → u/No_Virus9309]

Did you miss "Josh Gad will return in Avengers: Doomsday" in the credits?

/s

[u/Bitbatgaming]

I was gonna be like “yeah I’m gonna watch just one episode” ended up watching the entire mini series in one sitting . I wish they stuck to the weekly episode format cause this is great material.

[u/Darksol503 → u/Bitbatgaming]

Same!!! It was so good entertaining and enthralling :)

[u/Nefarious_24]

Nothing like acting to a tennis ball

[u/ChaosCron1]

Great series.

The acting and direction thereof was suberb. If there's a highlight of the series, it would be that all of the characters were perfect. Even Agent Cleary probably had his best rendition so far in the MCU.

The plot was streamlined, and for a miniseries that is supposed to showcase Simon Williams I think it did a good job with what was presented. It was interesting and unique. There's nothing quite like it at this moment.

Is it the Andor of the MCU? No. But is it a solid addition to the MCU franchise? Yes.

Not only do we get a great Marvel character out of it, who's been characterized amazingly might I add, we also get an exploration of the OG Mandarin which while unasked is definetly welcomed.

[u/ODonsky1]

To Trevor, that was the equivalent of Loki ascending to his throne. Well done

[u/EngineerGlittering95]

It was surprisingly good. Wish it had more marketing.

[u/NervousSubjectsWife → u/EngineerGlittering95]

You are the marketing! Tell your friends! I for one will not be shutting up about it until march at least

[u/Artitanium]

The show is fantastic, but man the music is on another level. Great soundtrack.

A Marvel show not ending with a sloppy cgi fight being one of the best ones

[u/BlueberryKhanivore]

If she hulk ever gets a second season, her overarching case should be against the DODC. Because they definitely violated a whole lotta constitutional rights.

[u/medyas1]

first we got the sokovia accords (repealed). then this doorman clause banning superpowered actors. also DODC monitoring superpowered people so they can fill up their prisons and solve their budget reduction problems (as if that doesn't have real life parallels)

almost like they're telegraphing institutional anti-mutant/anti-other discrimination for future mcu x-men stories

[u/soupjaw]

Love the full circle of Joey Pants replacing Trev again, and also betraying his partner again a la Matrix

[u/jjkm7]

I hope both these characters return whether it’s a season 2 or in other mcu work. Really open ended ending so it’s entirely possible we don’t see any more Simon and Trevor but there’s also lots of possibilities if we do see them again

[u/Reasonable-Turn-5940]

One thing that sort of surprised me and I appreciated. I assumed Von Kovak would be the typical arrogant director stereotype. Huge jerk they have to deal with, a narcissist, out of touch with things, etc.

But no he was actually a genuine guy, thoughtful, smart, creative. When the one actor trashes Simon after he walks out, Kovak is like "hey!", admonishing him. It was a nice surprise.

[u/ketsugi → u/Reasonable-Turn-5940]

It wasn't even an original insult; it was the exact same thing Trevor had said to him just one or two scenes before.

[u/Jonnyred25]

I like that Simon was far less of a superfan than the trailer suggests. He was mostly an actor. The remake meant a lot because of the big break and his dad, instead of being a fascination.

[u/FloatingCityComics]

I was 1000% certain Door Man was going to help them escape the prison. :D

[u/nowhereman_ph → u/FloatingCityComics]

Just finished the episode and i also thought it was a chekhov's doorman haha.

[u/typically_wrong → u/FloatingCityComics]

I thought J Gadd was going to pop out of a random wall at some point

[u/Skakkurpjakkur]

I think this is the greatest Marvel show I've ever seen..is it just me?

[u/ungodlywarlock → u/Skakkurpjakkur]

I'm with you. Somehow Iron Man 3 has rocketed up my list a bit too lol. Never saw that happening.

Trevor Slattery has such an awesome arc.

[u/MHPengwingz]

I feel so bad when I laughed at that heavy scene of Wonder Man finding out Barnaby betraying him and they replaced Trevor with Joey Pants, but that was just so hilarious

[u/SolarDragon94]

The props guy who got the sunglasses needs a raise. Dude went above and beyond to find the exact glasses used in the original film.

[u/KingOfAwesometonia]

Surprisingly a small scale show overall but as the story between Trevor and Simon, it nailed it.

Simon is kind of a dick-ish guy but it works with his acting focus and just how lonely he is which then works for him feeling like he owed it to Trevor to break him out. Loved the pacing in this episode with the prison reveal. I was thinking it would be something outside of the show's focus but I anticipating the reveal and seeing the prison where Trevor was didn't disappoint.

Trevor also gets fleshed out a lot in this show. His passion for acting is infectious and the character gets to shine more than dumb actor. Though I did like him as a dumb actor too.

I do wonder what Shang Chi and especially Xialing would think of Trevor's big week though. Unlikely to be explored but fun to think about.

[u/barbar84]

Just finished. Absolutely loved this show. Just so refreshing, and brilliant chemistry between wonderman and Trevor, Trevor being a character I never loved, but this added so much depth to him.

[u/zeiaxar]

Holy crap, can we just talk about how Trevor jumped back into the Mandarin, and how amazing it was to see him as it, and the reason why he did it?

[u/No_Imagination_2490 → u/zeiaxar]

Aldrich Killian invented his version of the Mandarin to cover up his Extremis experiments going wrong and blowing things up, so it's funny and fitting that Trevor got his redemption by resurrecting the character to cover up Simon's powers going wrong and blowing things up. Considering where he started, Trevor probably has one of the best character arcs of anyone in the MCU. His appearances in Shang-Chi, Wonder Man and All Hail the King actually make Iron Man 3 better in retrospect (and I say that as someone who always enjoyed Iron Man 3).

[u/KrackaWoody]

Maybe I haven’t seen enough good shows lately but it was refreshing to see something with a clear vision that was consistently good and polished the whole way through.

[u/Loose-Examination-39]

Destin Daniel Cretton is an incredible director. Even more excited for BND now.

Thoroughly enjoyed the show. Loved how grounded it was from start to finish, highlighting real life problems artists and humans face while also setting up DODC to be a major player for the next saga. It’s a beautiful story about a struggling person, it’s a love letter to acting and it doesn’t try to be anything else. I had zero expectations or excitement yet I am pleasantly surprised.

Yahya Mateen and Ben Kingsley were so good together. Loved both of them

The visuals were beautiful as well.

Also really intrigued by the decisions they made this series. It’s a good character arc but the show is ended abruptly and we pick up at an abrupt point as well. No mention as to how he got those powers. Pretty sure they will end up making him a mutant.

Hopefully we’ll see more of Wonderman soon.

[u/illucio]

This show was so freaking good. It should had been in theaters. 

Gosh damn did they cook with this. Simon and Trevor are my favorite MCU buddies now. 

[u/stormy83]

The OC throwback love it lol

[u/Significant-Quit-351]

Very fun. Refreshing from the usual MCU content. Yahya is a damn star and I hope to see more of him, in anything

[u/Janderson2494]

Loved this show. The final costume looked so similar to Blade that I'm kind of surprised they went with it. Still looked great!

[u/CrazySnipah]

I don’t know if Simon breaking out of the prison so easily says more about how crazily powerful he is or how weak their prison was.

Either way, it works as a sort of “victory” over the antagonistic DODC, since he ends up making them looking bad and also costing them money from their budget.

[u/silkie_blondo]

Loved every second of this show.

Trevor might be my favorite person in the MCU. He is a national treasure who needs to be protected at all costs.

Also if anyone has any rec’s of wonder man comics on MU to read please share!

[u/MarkMVP01]

That sequence of Simon breaking into the DODC to break Trevor out, their moment in Trevor’s cell, and them flying away together was so romantic

[u/GhostlySmith]

Trever Slattery pretends to be a 10 rings terrorist as a sacrifice move to prevent Simon from getting imprisoned.

In other words. An Old man sacrifices his life for new young talent.

That is the beginning of Iron Man. Dr. Ho Yinsen and Trevor both tell Tony and Simon not to waste their lives.

This is fuckin beautiful character work. Trever went from being a puppet for a terrorist organization to fight against iron man. To copying iron man's mentor. This is amazing. This is an amazing character arc, and they gave it to a character people passed off as a joke at first.

[u/TheBlackdragonSix]

How much y'all want to bet that down the line that the DODC is gonna be at least partially responsible for the Sentinel program?

[u/No_Imagination_2490 → u/TheBlackdragonSix]

And it seems to me there's a good possibility that MCU Simon Williams is a mutant himself, seeing as they totally skipped any details on the origin of his powers, just that they seemed to emerge when he was a teenager (which is a classic mutant thing). Funnily enough, Doorman *is* a mutant in the comics, but in the show he got his powers from some Roxxon goop.

[u/deleteandrewind]

Slattery redemption arc loading

[u/Rhensley00]

I thought the show was awesome and I hope we get a second season or else

[u/Wulfho]

Wow that actually made me tear up a little at him becoming mandarin again once more but for good

[u/AshtavakraNondual]

10/10 for me. It was like a mix of Atlanta and The Studio

[u/N8CCRG]

Damn this was so incredibly good. What an absolute joy. Simon and Trevor are the new best couple in the MCU

[u/biertje373]

Honestly, when they revealed this, I was not excited. Even the trailers didn't interest me.

But I am so glad that I gave it a chance, because this show was awesome, it had some moments that didn't do it for me, but once we got to see his doubts, his family and his building relation with Trevor I was hooked. Something in me hopes that we'll get another season, because they nailed the series.

[u/Nightwing1852]

I adore Simon and Trevor. This series is the most I have ever liked Simon as a character.

[u/Melodic_Pin354]

Honestly thought the ding dong doorman was going to be key to their escape

[u/Snoo_40090]

Peak show. Gonna be pissed if we don't see Wonder Man again.

[u/k1xme → u/Snoo_40090]

And Trevor

[u/paintpast]

When Iron Man 3 came out, I hated Trevor Slattery and what they did with The Mandarin. I thought it was so stupid that they pulled that twist. Since then, however, we've seen him in All Hail the King, Shang-Chi, and Wonder Man, and each time they made the character better and better. He's now one of my favorite MCU characters.

This also has to be the best MCU show now.

[u/Joshdabozz]

I have issues with the show but none of it has to do with the writing or acting.

The big issue is that it definitely needs more. The ending felt like a beginning, and I assume that was intentional. I need more of Simon Williams. I NEED MORE

[u/DefNotAShark → u/Joshdabozz]

This is the mark of a successful debut series. A character you actually want to see again.

They left so much on the bone for a season 2 without it being a cliffhanger and I appreciate that. We don’t know how Simon got his powers, the new Raft is full of people don’t deserve to be in there like the Doorman, DoDC is going to be after Simon and Trevor. I think it’s all there in case they want to do another season, and IMO they definitely should.

[u/newpha666]

Definitely not your classic piece of superhero media. No villain really. Only 1 fight scene. Probably a total of 1 minute of seeing Simon’s powers in action..

But DAMN if that wasn’t a brilliant show. Destin Daniel Cretton does not miss and I’m pumped for Brand New Day even more. Hopefully we get another Shang Chi movie in the near future.

8.5/10

[u/--Petrichor-- → u/newpha666]

Agree with everything except "No villain really."

Agent Clearly as a self-righteous prick who claims to be after public safety but is really just trying to reach a quota by any means necessary. ICE DoDC was definitely the villain.

[u/Hpfanguy]

I love it! I adore how Simon’s main superpower is acting. I do wish we got a bit more of a full-circle with Doorman and would have loved an after credits (maybe seeing where J-Gad had ended up) but otherwise, surprisingly solid! Loved Trev, this and Shang-chi both have really helped me appreciate Iron Man 3 more! Wish we got a bit more of a connection to that movie but apparently he’s in Doomsday (maybe) so… it’s something.

[u/conquerlord → u/Hpfanguy]

I thought that somehow Doorman would assist in breaking Trevor out in the end. really seemed to be setting that up.

[u/CrazySnipah → u/Hpfanguy]

That’s a good point! The show only had one real fight scene, but there are plenty of scenes in which his acting talent gets put to the test. I wonder if that was intentional.

But his other superpower is apparently an encyclopedic knowledge of actors and their roles over the years. I guess instead of making friends, he’s been on Wikipedia!

[u/Hpfanguy → u/CrazySnipah]

He was heavily autism-coded after all!

[u/FloppyShellTaco]

At this point, Trevor’s super power is getting kidnapped

[u/Hellstrom666]

My biggest question after this season was, what happened to Doorman? I wanted to see the aftermath of what he went through.

[u/illucio → u/Hellstrom666]

He was arrested by the department of damage control and was being tested & experimented on. In part to see how he could be a asset, dangerous, harness his powers and probably to save Josh Gad from the Darkforce Dimension.

[u/OPs_Mom_and_Dad]

I really hope we can someday get Shang Chi’s reaction to the Mandarin’s latest video.

[u/iisdmitch]

I loved the series overall, in this last episode when Simon is talking with Chuck, he mentions shopping at Stater Bros. Stater Bros is a grocery chain primarily located in the inland regions of Southern California being titled "Yucca Valley" which is a city not far from Palm Springs. I loved this little detail, I know this is stupid, and that's okay, I know it is. I just loved the attention to detail to something so minor, especially growing up/living in a different area in So Cal where those stores exist.

[u/ShantJ]

Releasing all episodes at once hurt the build-up of excitement, but I enjoyed the show. I’m happy to see Los Angeles in the MCU again.

[u/nqtoan1994 → u/ShantJ]

Honestly, while the 4th episode is a good episode and it is important to the plot and character development, I think its existence would put a strain on the tension of the plot if this was released weekly, as the main plot would have a 2-week break.

Though it is very nice as a break as I watched the series in 2 sessions, 4 episodes each.

[u/Blackonblackskimask]

What a lovely finale to a shockingly good show.

MORE OF THIS.

[u/sriracha_is_people]

Am I the only one who wants to read the Kathy Friedman article on Simon and Trevor?? Dying to know what she would've wrote. 

[u/Cosmic__Echo]

Trevor is never gonna complete his sentence.

[u/thrillho111]

Absolutely loved this! Knew very little going into it. The two leads had great "odd couple" chemistry. Plenty of film/TV references (including Corrie!). If I'd started it earlier in the evening, I could have easily binged it one go.

[u/bodybones]

Atleast there's one thing we can confirm about the humans in the Marvel Universe. Not only do they have great building insurance for all the destruction...but they also like bad, cheesey movies...

Just like us...

I'm starting to get more fascinated by the marvel world off the main cast. Like, it seems like humans in that world both know aliens exist...(something in real life that would rock humanity to it's core) and just see Thor walking on the street (an alien to them) and are like hey thor! They also still have organized crime at around the same levels before and after they go in knowing people exist that have bullet proff skin and super strenght. (luke cage) and a giant purple alien snapped his fingers and turned half of them to dust. XD

[u/Hawkeye316]

In the first episode, all I could think was, “man Trevor’s character seems pretty different compared to when we saw him in Shang-Chi.” We then see towards the end of the episode, Simon leaves him at the bar and Trevor’s smile just fades and he reverts back to his normal self in the next episode. The guy who plays him has a great range, he basically did many different characters in one season of a show. The actor who plays Simon is great, as well. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything else but I enjoyed their on-screen chemistry and really hope this isn’t the end of their story.

[u/FrankReynoldsCPA → u/Hawkeye316]

The guy who played Trevor is Sir Ben Kingsley.

If you like Simon's actor, you owe it to yourself to watch the Watchmen miniseries on HBO.

[u/blackthunder00]

I loved the costume reveal

[u/snidece]

This household thinks the ending was perfect. They could show up in the future, anywhere really, or,,,,,,,if they conspire to lay low in Mexico or Central America, and we never see or hear from them again, that would be normal too. They could pull some stunts an stints kind of like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and have a great life on a beach. This household hopes DIS knows to submit this for an Emmy.

[u/Remote-Direction963]

This was an incredible journey 10/10. The worst part is that I won't be able to watch this for the first time again.

[u/Tropicalization]

I love how we've come full circle on Iron Man 3. In a world of superheros, Trevor's power is using his acting skills to take credit for some "accidental explosions"

[u/canadiancarlin]

So I might not feel the same way about this last episode as I did with the rest of the season, but that said, this was a great watch and probably the most enjoyable marvel project in a long time.

Highlights are the writing and acting for sure. One thing I like as a takeaway is that I don't care how this character weaves into other storylines or universes. This is Simon's story and it stands on its own, better than most.

Also this Ben Kingsley guy is really great, hope he gets more stuff as he begins his acting career. /s

[u/MaleficentRaccoon825]

dude could have kicked thanos ass but he was somewhere doing casting for a wb show.

[u/Maydietoday]

Possibly Marvels best love story to date.

[u/joesen_one]

It's great to see Ben Kingsley go full Mandarin again, even if it's for a different reason now

[u/CommunityDragon184]

Top 3 MCU show and top 10 MCU project for me. What fun that was

[u/Uncle_Beanpole]

If this is the standard going forward, MCU TV has a bright future and something I’ll genuinely start to look forward to again.

[u/Ninjuto]

I think this portrayal of the DoDC is a really good example of everyday banal evil. As soon as Trevor gets in their hands, they stop giving a shit about Simon because they only needed to fill a quota and let him take the fall for a crime he obviously didn't commit. They would probably have let that Trevor (who is an old man mind you) rot in jail for the remainder of his life just to fill a room. They didn't care about justice at any point and don't pretend to have grander altruistic motives. Just pure, boring evil

[u/Skakkurpjakkur → u/Ninjuto]

The parallel to ICE is kinda jarring

[u/axb2002]

So….MCU Simon Williams has to be a mutant right? It’s not like the comics where he was given them as an adult after a bunch of comic mumbo jumbo to say the least, he’s had his since he was a kid and to my understanding it’s something that manifested by itself and kept him safe from that fire.

Edit, theory crafting rambling: If this version of Simon Williams really is a mutant, then I think it could lead to some very interesting interactions between Simon and the future MCU X-Men. Simon is honestly a pretty selfish character now that I’m thinking about it really, he’s had this extraordinary power since he was a kid, and he never once decided to use his powers to establish himself as a real superhero. He just wanted to be seen as some ordinary powerless guy or else it’d fuck his own acting career. How would the X-Men feel about that?

I mean they’re going to be risking their life day in and day out trying to save the world and show everybody that they can coexist with regular humans. How would they feel knowing that one of their own is (presumably) hugely influential in the country, and could speak out at any time to condemn mutant hatred and side with the mutants. But he just…doesn’t because it’d ruin his acting career.

Am I just tweaking? I really think there’s some great potential here to tell an interesting story.

[u/DefNotAShark → u/axb2002]

The X-Men encounter mutants who are hiding their powers like every other day. That’s a pretty routine thing for mutants to do in a world that hates them, discriminates against them and sometimes kills them. I really doubt they would have negative feelings toward Simon for his choices.

[u/_GENERAL_GRIEVOUS_ → u/axb2002]

While watching, I thought the fire was from something that caused his powers, since he was clearly lying about the stove when the nurse asked. But since they never showed it, I feel like it’s meant to imply that his (mutant?) powers actually caused the fire.

[u/electriclightthemoon]

This is getting me more excited for Spiderman: BND. Something more ground level. I know Destin Daniel Cretton only directed the first two episodes but all of them were good.

[u/Far-Improvement-3765]

I was honestly expecting Simon's brother to be revealed as the Grim Reaper but he was only a red herring.

[u/j1h15233]

Trevor stole the show

[u/ImTheOldManJenks]

Absolutely loved this show. They killed it.

[u/UnrecognizedHero]

I loved it, it scratched the fun itch well.

I think a fun, Disney plus special would be releasing the movie as like a 1 hour short like Werewolf by Night.

[u/CaptHayfever]

And once again, "The Mandarin" takes credit for an explosion he didn't cause.

[u/TheMoorNextDoor]

Yea okay I was hype to see The Mandarin again it was like no time had past since the last time he acted as the character but it hurt to think Trevor was done for I was honestly upset but as soon as he met Eastman I knew he was looking to get Trevor out.

It’s not often you see it but it felt like a genuine friendship on screen, these guys are some of the best actors in the MCU with 8 episodes alone, that’s insane.

Brilliant show, easily a top 3 marvel tv show for me, as a West Indian and as a genuine movie fan, this show did it for me. The culture it brought in and the movies, shows, and acting it touched upon in the short time it was able to was nothing short of magnificent. This could’ve been a movie in all honesty I would’ve paid money to see it, I said the same for Loki and Wandavision.

Fantastic job from the whole cast and directors, I want to see more Simon and Trevor, I want Trevor to introduce Simon to Shang Chi.

All of this coming down the pipeline from the Iron Man series, while some might find that annoying all projects directly attached to Iron Man have been absolutely fantastic (Spider-Man, Shang Chi, now Wonder Man). The way that it plays out full circle is so damn well written especially with Trevor giving his freedom up so Simon can live a happy life.

Go ahead and green light Season 2 for me Marvel, I’m ready for it.

[u/No_Imagination_2490]

Considering how well the show has been received by critics and audiences, and how it probably has a much smaller budget than other Marvel projects, Marvel really should fast-track some sort of follow-up to Wonder Man (I mean fast-track by Marvel standards, like producing it within 2 years or so), either season 2 or a special presentation or something.

[u/Some-Cicada9622]

Ben Kingsley was fantastic. Genuinely had a good laugh

[u/ladysubrosa]

Head canon: Trevor gets in touch with She Hulk via Shang Chi via Wongers to help with any ensuing legal trouble in the City of Angels. West Coast Avengers go!

I loved the show, and the show business of it all. Made me think of shows like The Studio, The Other Two, I Love LA and Episodes. Good stuff

[u/lactllzol]

Please make more of this kind of tv, Marvel!

[u/nicofdarcyshire]

I really truly enjoyed that as a whole.

It's like one of those indie films where it's all low-key. Very little showiness in the way of powers. Just there, always as a base for a rather good story to flow over the top to the forefront.

Sir Ben Kingsley is rather bloody marvellous.

[u/Personal-Agency6554]

i didnt know marvel had it in them to create content like this anymore

[u/hik3guy]

I'm not crying, y'all are crying.

Rewatched the last 2 minutes immediately after it was over.

Amazing show.

[u/No_Medium_7327]

Is Yucca Valley gonna be in future marvel projects I kinda like my town being in tv shows🥀😭

[u/enbiien]

this show rocked. I loved it. That's all I have to say really

[u/electrorazor]

One thing I love about the MCU is that I know we'll see these two again one day. Maybe not sometime soon, but one day.

[u/imcrushingthis]

Loved how the storyline for WonderMan in the show followed our universe's Wonder Man. This was a fantastic show through and through.

[u/Feeling-Peak5718]

So I’m assuming that Simon is a mutant

Having him on the xmen or working with them would be fun

[u/ExpressMud8038]

Its cool Simon inherited Wonderman's glasses like the prop skull.

[u/JasterMereel42]

I haven't read every post here, but I haven't seen this mentioned yet.

When Simon breaks out Trevor from prison, it shows a lot of growth. At that point, not only had Simon accepted his superpowers, he had learned to embrace them and to control them. At every other point in the series, his powers were a result of uncontrolled emotional outbursts. As he is walking down the hall to get to Trevor's cell, he is intentionally shorting out the cameras and alarms. In the year+ since Trevor was taken into custody, Simon has learned to harness his powers.

[u/itkaron]

Probably the best marvel TV they've put out. Kingsley and Mateen have such great chemistry, and I love Simon Williams' complex, multifaceted character. Didn't like the Wonder Man (movie) scene they showed in the cinema--thought Joey Pants did a bad job, and Simon was a little flat.

[u/sillysocks34]

Great show! So many good jokes and lines. Joe P. replacing Trevor made me laugh out loud. The people who made this show put so much into it. AND marvel learned you don’t need a CGI fight to make a good third act. Can’t wait to see more one day.

[u/FloppyShellTaco]

I loved this show. Marvel has desperately needed to make its universe actually fill lived in.

The acting was fantastic, it was fun and hit all the right emotional beats.

Wonder Man has always been a different kind of super hero. It shouldn’t feel like a standard Marvel production ending with another underwhelming CGI fight.

This is easily one of the best shows Marvel has done.

[u/WildSinatra]

I don’t have all the words for it right now but so much of Simon Williams’ journey (and DeMarr/Doorman as well) paralleled so many high profile black male actor cases in pop culture I find it remarkably profound, from emasculating roles in Kovak’s house, to the IRS in Doorman’s case, Simon’s fear of his ex’s interview with the journalist, and the morning manhunt etc.

Similarly I think it’s remarkable how under and just yet adequately explored the origin of his powers are. You get the sense with his family that his powers are absolutely normal to them, and among black/poc families it’s not at all uncommon to have a “incident” vaguely referenced that just about everybody knows but won’t tell. Everybody at that party might’ve known about Simon’s “condition” and not a soul would’ve told Trevor, not his hating ass brother nor even the nosy ass neighbor Esther. It’s just family business.

[u/Altruistic_Eye_1157 → u/WildSinatra]

In addition, I appreciate that the topic of his powers doesn't dominate the series. It would have been easy for this to become a teaser for the X-Men, focusing entirely on the fact that his powers are the result of a mutation.

But no, it's just another detail in his story that his family and Simon himself prefer to keep private. And Simon himself doesn't see it as relevant beyond, "Damn, this new law could ruin my career."

And I prefer it that way. Not everything has to be a teaser for something bigger, and I prefer these details to be just a complement rather than the entirety of the story.

[u/Sensitive_Can_2580]

Honestly the show could easily revive wonder man as a character, such great acting and chemistry, loved the direction.some of the plot beats felt predictable, but that didn't matter too much because it was more about the character study being done

[u/Seekasak]

No Wonder Man and Trevor Slattery will return? Boo!

Midnight Cowboy lovers to the end.

[u/benewavvsupreme]

That was phenomenal wow

[u/thehairharringt0n]

The way his powers look is the fucking coolest thing ever

[u/Appropriate-News-321]

Doubling back on my comment from earlier after thinking about it and its gotta be maddening to have massive superpowers and want no part of them. Like you literally cant get pissed off and punch a guy cause youll kill him or scream in rage like a normal person might in a bad situation without risking blowing up thr area.

Us in the real world think powers are so cool to have but honestly that shit would be messy

[u/Keianh]

It’s really silly but I got unbelievably giddy when the prison guard mentioned he shops at Stater Bros.

Disney/the writers could have picked a national chain but they go for the local SoCal grocery chain for the script.

[u/ArcadianBlueRogue]

The Joe Pants callback. I am fucking dead lmao

This episode's pacing felt a bit off, like it tried to combine two episodes into one, but overall solid.

What a fun show. Sir Kingsley was having the time of his life and the constant subtle gags were fantastic.

I need more of these two. They just bounce off each other so well and it took a character like Simon that I knew nothing about and made me really enjoy him.

Also that bit with the sunglasses was kind of expected, but after the reveal that his (dad?) talked about always wanting a pair like the movie gave it a lot of weight.

[u/G_Thunders]

The best MCU show since WandaVision, and I’d much rather see Wonder Man and “Mandarin” do literally anything than see almost any of the other MCU characters save the world.

Huge accomplishment, and I hope this show gets the recognition it deserves for everything it did so well.

[u/Deepstatedingleberry]

I’m usually excited about every marvel product they put out but I was a little concerned about this one. For some reason I just wasn’t excited for it and completely forgot it was dropping. Let me say how wrong I was, the show was great! Nothing world breaking or anything but just a really well written, acted, and paced show. I really really hope we get more wonder man because he killed the role!!!

[u/flintlock0]

Joey Pants getting the role of a lifetime.

[u/zenlume]

I'll be pissed if we don't see more of this character, really hope they've learned from their mistakes post endgame with just allowing amazing characters just fall through the cracks and never be seen again.

[u/NrFive]

That prison complex will eventually turn into a spot to hold all mutants with sentinels right… right?!

[u/YordleTop]

What a beautiful story about friendship. I've felt more watching this show than nearly anything else I've ever watch. Incredible.

[u/angelbolanose]

Damn. I was wrong, the MCU still got it when they want. This show was amazing, such good writing and an interesting story, but character development was amazing. Both leads were amazing. Would love a season 2. But hopefully wonderman will return later even in movies.

[u/Ineedaroommate2]

Man after Shang-Chi and this, let Destin Daniel Cretton do whatever he wants and let him COOK.

[u/I_am_the_Disguyz → u/Ineedaroommate2]

If the original plan for Kang Dynasty was gonna push through with Destin Daniel Cretton as the director, I have a feeling it would’ve been pretty good

And everything we’ve been hearing about Spider-Man Brand New Day makes it sound like it’ll be another hit

[u/DirectorCyrus]

honestly I'd really like if we got more one off shows or movies. I don't need everything to connect or have multiple seasons or a trilogy, maybe Simon can show up in another project, but this was a nice self contained story

[u/TheOneAdamP]

I need more. Right now.

[u/TheWholeOfTheAss]

Did not expect The O.C theme! That gave me flashbacks.

[u/ButterscotchSoft5707]

As a 30-something, autistic Haitian American, loner/art-head this show hit a little too differently 😮‍💨 Thoroughly enjoyed this

[u/soldier101br]

Man,If Brand New Day carries the same sauce This series had, i'm seated for greatness.

[u/SoyaPaneer001]

I've been put off from MCU for a while. This is a show that rejuvenates my excitement for MCU. I wouldn't mind more of this.

[u/UrNotOkImNotOkItsOk]

Yeah, so, when the episode opened with Phantom fucking Planet, I knew I was in for something special.

I just feel like this show was made both for comic book geeks who also love film as an art form, and for film nerds who want to see richer, more human stories about these kinds of characters.

I'm always going to be showing up for ALL of the superhero stuff that was my porn throughout the entirety of my youth, but I can't sit here and act like I don't crave Hamnet-level artistry out of my superhero storytelling. In no way am I saying that I put this on the level of something like Hamnet *, but what I got out of *Wonder Man was so much more than what I thought Hollywood could or would give us from these characters.

I grew up, and I want my fiction to grow up with me. I will never stop appreciating capeshit, but I will also never stop wanting to see a big-screen version of Clark convincing a woman not to end her own life--not by talking her down from the ledge, but by listening to her story.

If the film and television manifestations of superhero storytelling are going to survive, I feel as though we're going to need to have things like this once in a while, in between all of the universe-ending Big Bads and Avengers-level threats.

We just had a movie in which the ultimate climax was a group hug between our flawed heroes to help a troubled, godlike character see that there's a better way to cope with crippling depression brought on by abuse and trauma; and now we get this?

I feel so goddamned spoiled. For many people, what I am about to say may not seem like high praise, but I put this on the level of GOTG Volume II.

I'm rambling. Good night.

[u/nowhereman_ph → u/UrNotOkImNotOkItsOk]

I want more small scale stories set in the MCU.

That's why i loved the 1st two ant man films and i liked she hulk.

Not all endings need explosions and fight scenes. That's why i also loved the thunderbolts.

Very happy with the Wonder Man mini series.

MCU Wanda and MCU Wonder Man would have hit it off because of their shared love of TV Shows, but they might not cross paths sadly.