- Wonder Man is a “big swing creatively for Marvel”, according to its showrunner
- Andrew Guest says it could also “alienate some hardcore fans”
- The next MCU TV show will launch on Disney+ in late January
Wonder Man‘s showrunner has admitted “there’s a chance” that the new Marvel TV show could “alienate some hardcore fans.”
In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, Andrew Guest acknowledged that the Disney+ series is a “big swing creatively for Marvel”. Guest, who co-created Wonder Man alongside Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi, Spider-Man: Brand New Day) also said it potentially “runs the risk” of disappointing anyone expecting a more traditional live-action program from the comic book giant.
Billed as a half-hour metatextual comedy-drama, the first Marvel project of 2026 tells the tale of Simon Williams. A struggling actor who also secretly possesses superhuman abilities, Williams takes one last shot at the big time when finds out his favorite childhood film – that being, in-universe movie ‘Wonder Man’ – is being remade by acclaimed director Von Kovak.
Like many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) productions, Wonder Man is inspired by the titular character’s decades-spanning comic book history, but doesn’t directly adapt how it plays out on the page. There’s the possibility that some Marvel Comics devotees and/or Wonder Man superfans, then, will take exception to his live-action iteration in this Marvel Phase 6 TV show.
So, are Wonder Man‘s creators and Marvel Studios executives prepared for possible fan backlash when the series premieres on Disney+, aka one of the world’s best streaming services?
“That’s a good question,” Guest replied when I put that question to him. “The series is a big swing creatively for Marvel. There’s the chance that it alienates some hardcore fans.
“I think you run that risk no matter what when you’re dealing with material that people have some expectations or feelings about, particularly when it comes to the MCU. You always run the risk of somebody feeling like it’s not how they saw this character, or it’s not what they particularly wanted for this project.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley are a pitch-perfect pair in Wonder Man, Marvel’s terrific new tragicomedy. https://t.co/UCleqOoR65January 23, 2026
“But I think you have to take risks,” he continued. “You have to experiment, and the hope is that people who are fans of the MCU can find something that they like about this show. Then there are people who are not fans of the MCU, who maybe feel alienated by all the convoluted storytelling that can feel like homework, can watch a show that really has an easy entry point, that’s super grounded, and doesn’t require you to understand a lot of backstories, or the different or complicated relationships between characters.”
For what it’s worth, I had a blast with the first of many MCU Phase 6 productions that will be released this year. To find out more, read my review of Wonder Man – and, if you want the full lowdown on what to expect from the series, find out everything we know so far about Wonder Man.
Wonder Man premieres in full on Tuesday, January 27 (North and South America) and Wednesday, January 28 (everywhere else).
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