Summary
Marvel Studios' upcomingWonder Manseries is set to break a 3-year-old live-action record for TV shows in theMCU. After the successful release ofShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, director Destin Daniel Cretton signed a multi-year deal to develop more projects for Marvel Studios. One of these is a Disney+ series focused on Simon Williams' Wonder Man, a superhero-turned-actor in Marvel Comics. While the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II-led series hasn’t yet been given a scheduled release date, theMCU’sWonder Manseriesis already breaking records for the franchise.
Wonder Man began his Marvel Comics career as a villain, but eventually fought alongside Marvel’s biggest heroes, meaning he could be a significant figure inthe MCU’s upcoming future. This is especially true given he’s set to appear in the second of the franchise’s Marvel Spotlight series, which is seemingly intended to provide audiences with shows that they don’t need to have seen other MCU releases to get. Given thatEcho, the previous Spotlight show, managed to becomeMarvel’s most-watched show of 2024, there’s a high bar set forWonder Man, making its record-breaking setup all the more crucial.
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Wonder Man Will Be The First Live-Action MCU TV Show With 10 Episodes
Previous MCU TV Shows Have Mostly Comprised 6 Or 9 Episodes
During a June 2024 report revealing Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s casting in Netflix’sMan on Fire,Deadlineconfirmed that theMCU’sWonder Manseries would contain ten episodes. This will break a 3-year-old record for the MCU’s TV shows, as no previous live-action series has included ten episodes, with the most recent longest show being that ofShe-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Most of Marvel Studios' TV shows have consisted of six episode long series, and - given there has been some criticism that these stories simply aren’t long enough - a longer episode roster forWonder Manseems set to address these concerns.
This record was originally expected to be claimed byDaredevil: Born Again, but the 18-episode first season has now been split into two nine-episode runs, meaningWonder Man’s will still be the first to reach this mark.Abdul-Mateen II is a huge draw for Marvel Studios, so it’s brilliant that he’s been gifted ten episodes to explore his complex character, giving him plenty of time to make his mark on the MCU.
9
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
6
LokiSeason 1
LokiSeason 2
5
X-Men ‘97 Season 1 Broke The Record For Most Episodes In A Marvel Studios Animated Series
WhileWonder Manwill be the first live-action TV series developed by Marvel Studios to contain ten episodes, one recent animated series already broke this record. Marvel Animation’sX-Men ‘97, a revival of 1992’sX-Men: The Animated Series, saw the X-Men team battle a variety of villains and deal with their interpersonal issues over the course of ten episodes, though this was in many ways split into some shorter arcs.This is expected to continue inX-Men ‘97season 2 and 3, which are currently in development.
Previously,What If…?came close to matching this record for Marvel’s animated shows, as each season of the MCU multiverse series includes nine episodes. However, whileX-Men ‘97may have already set the recordfor most episodes, the show is animated, and not actually part of the MCU’s main continuity.Wonder Manis the first live-action MCU series to include ten episodes, which could be a sign of longer seasons being developed in the MCU’s future, andWonder Manwill also expand on one of Marvel Studios’ newest developments.
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Wonder Man Will Be The MCU’s Next Marvel Spotlight Series
Echo Was The MCU’s First Marvel Spotlight Series
In November 2023, Marvel Studios unveiled a new release banner for a selection of its upcoming TV shows. Head of Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, explained toMarvelthat the new banner would focus on"grounded, character-driven stories… focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity.“Wonder Manhas been confirmed to be the next series releasing under the Marvel Spotlight banner, which may go some way to explain why it’s also the MCU’s longest debut season yet.
Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case ofEcho, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity. Just like comics fans didn’t need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn’t need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what’s happening in Maya’s story.
The Spotlight label implies thataudiences don’t need to do a great deal of homework prior to watchingWonder Man, even though some MCU characters are expected to return. As aMarvel Spotlight series,Wonder Manmay be standalone, despite introducing a new hero who could be crucial to the development of several new superhero teams. As such, its longer run time is sure to help flesh out any story and character elements that may need extra time in order to ensure thatWonder Mancan be one of the MCU’s most successful TV shows yet.
Wonder Man
Cast
Released on Disney+ as a limited series, Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man introduces the titular Avengers hero in the MCU. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the actor-turned-superhero Simon Williams, Wonder Man also features Ben Kingsley, who reprises his Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi role as the eccentric thespian Trevor Slattery.
