Wonder man’s genesis: a joke pitch that became a marvel obsession
What started as a throwaway gag – a ‘joke pitch’ as director Destin Daniel Cretton himself describes it – has blossomed into a surprisingly enduring corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wonder Man, the Disney+ series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, began with a simple, almost absurd, observation about a familiar face.
From iron man 3 gag to standalone saga
Cretton, known for his work on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, revealed the project’s humble origins during a Deadline Contenders TV panel. The initial spark ignited with a fascination for Ben Kingsley’s portrayal of Trevor Slattery – the actor-turned-terrorist – in both Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi. Slattery’s consistently brief, almost comedic, appearances provided a seed of an idea, one that quickly mutated into something far grander.
“The genesis of the idea actually sprouted when we were on the set of Shang Chi and I just loved working with Sir Ben [Kingsley, as Trevor Slattery] and I really loved his character and I really feel like in every movie Trevor Slattery has been such a standout and under utilized,” Cretton explained. “So I did a joke pitch to my producer Jonathan Schwartz and said ‘We should do Trevor Goes To Hollywood.’”
That ‘joke pitch,’ fueled by a hastily drawn poster depicting Slattery in a 1980s convertible – a visual flourish that unexpectedly captured the team’s imagination – rapidly escalated. “The joke pitch kind of escalated because [Schwartz], as a joke, made a poster with our art department of Trevor Goes to Hollywood with Trevor Slattery in a convertible and it looked 1980s. And I thought we have to do this show! So that’s how it began.”
Despite the MCU’s weight within the broader cinematic landscape, Wonder Man has carved out a unique space, shifting away from the traditional character-driven expansions seen with titles like Loki and Hawkeye. Instead, the series focuses on the unlikely pairing of Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery as they navigate the treacherous world of Hollywood acting. Remarkably, this departure from superhero spectacle has resulted in a Season 2 greenlight – a rare achievement for an MCU spinoff.
Marvel Studios executive producer Andrew Guest acknowledged the project’s initial unconventionality, stating, “This was a risk creatively for Marvel and I think it was one they reexamined during the strike. It’s been this underground project that the people at Marvel believed in.” The series’ success, Cretton suggests, highlights the power of embracing unexpected concepts. It truly is a testament to the fact that even a simple joke can become something extraordinary.