When "Wonder Man" was announced last year, nobody knew what to expect. When the show finally landed on streaming in India in January, it took not just many Marvel enthusiasts by surprise but also religious followers of comic books and associated properties across of any studio.
Despite being a little-known — regular viewers, that is —superhero from the Marvel stable, the show managed to impress with its focus largely on its characters and relationships, an approach not attempted before by any superhero movie or series.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played the titular superhero Simon Williams, who happens to be a struggling actor looking for his big break in Hollywood, won over many with his warm and endearing performance, aside from Ben Kingsley's character, Trevor Slattery (who pretended to be Marvel big baddie Mandarin in "Iron Man 3"), a veteran actor who guides Williams through Hollywood's tricky internal and external channels.
Though the show primarily revolved around a struggling actor who wants to work with one legendary filmmaker, while also trying to keep his 'super' urges in check, it also explored other interesting characters whose stories have a major bearing on the journey of its main man.
Both are officially returning for the next season, which was expected considering how Season 1 ended with a tease of exploring the "other" side of Williams in a new season.
The "Wonder Man" comics boasts a fascinating origin story. Developed by writer Stan Lee and artists, Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first showed up in the ninth issue of The Avengers comics as a supervillain but eventually reformed and evolved into a hero, teaming up with, and fighting alongside, the Avengers.
Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the successful "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", returns as executive producer, and is expected to direct a few episodes, with Andrew Guest involved again as the showrunner.
For more about "Wonder Man", read our opinion piece on the show here.