The MCU has not had a good year. And it has been accumulating several bad years. Although Disney is not yet at the point of declaring its project dead, the truth is that superhero fatigue seems to be real. The series no longer work like they used to, the movies do not generate the same excitement, and, in general, the audience seems to be elsewhere. There are still fans of superhero stories, but they no longer seem to be the dominant force in the mainstream. Not like they were fifteen years ago.
That doesn’t mean that Disney won’t try with all its might to change that in 2026, especially with Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon. The true test of whether the MCU is exhausted or just needed a break. But before that happens, a series wants to get us back in the right mood to dive into a superhero series. And that is none other than Wonder Man.
Although Wonder Man has a long history within the Marvel universe, the reality is that he is not exactly one of the most well-known, remembered, or beloved characters of the publisher. Even if we want to talk about him, we have to go back quite a bit if we want to discuss the moment of his creation.
Wonder Man was created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, making his first appearance in the ninth issue of the first Avengers series in October 1964. Dying in that same issue, the death was neither tragic nor traumatic, because, in fact, he was a supervillain against whom our favorite group of superheroes faced off. With superhuman abilities that make him physically equivalent in power to Thor, he has no special powers beyond being virtually invulnerable and immortal, but thanks to Baron Zemo giving him a jetpack, he is able to fly. This made the Avengers sweat to take him down, being one of the first villains who really tested them.
Wonder Man disappeared for 8 years, not returning until issue 102 of The Avengers, in August 1972. Although only in a cameo, demonstrating why he hadn’t come back: he was in a coma. Something that will change in June 1977, in issue 160 of The Avengers, when he not only comes out of the coma and regains his powers, but also joins The Avengers in an unexpected turn of events. Although not more unexpected than discovering that Wonder Man and Beast quickly became friends, united by a common hobby: going out partying every night.
From here on, Wonder Man will be a constant in the Marvel universe, although he will never reach the importance of some of its more popular characters. He will be one of the founding members of the West Coast Avengers, will have his own graphic novel in 1984, and will have his own series of 29 issues from September 1991 to February 1994, in addition to a five-issue miniseries in 2007. Although he never manages to shake off the feeling that he is a secondary character who has never fully resonated with the public.
In fact, the Wonder Man series seems to want to exploit this. Simon Williams, the civilian name of Wonder Man, is an actor who aspires to have the lead role of Wonder Man in a remake of his original movie. Having to hide that he has powers because supers are banned in the Hollywood of the MCU universe, this will lead to an exploration of the character with his past, his family, his powers, and also with the character of Wonder Man himself through cinema and everything that goes on behind any Hollywood production.
Although it currently seems to have no particular connection to the MCU, taking place in the universe but not serving as a springboard for any other series or movie, Wonder Man wants to establish a particular tone. And it seems to achieve it perfectly.
The specialized critics have already seen the series and are absolutely delighted with it. With a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is one of the highest-rated series in the history of the MCU, and the press highlights its much more mature approach, distancing itself from the sometimes overly superficial adventure aspirations typical of the Marvel universe.
With a premiere on January 27 on Disney+, it is undoubtedly one of the most notable series at the beginning of the year. And Wonder Man has a tough job ahead: to prove that the MCU is not only in great shape, but that it can also include things that are not necessarily superhero stories as we have seen many times before. But if it succeeds, Disney may have found another way to continue exploiting its universe. And perhaps, a new superhero who has been relatively unpopular so far, to give more weight to in the comics as well.
