After years of waiting, Marvel Studios has finally unveiled our first taste of one of the MCU’s next round of Disney Plus series, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s fanmade. Official it is, though, despite seriously lacking the franchise’s usual… wonder.
If you gave Marvel fans 10 seconds to name upcoming MCU projects few would probably think of Wonder Man, as the show has been swept so thoroughly under the rug by the studio. Aquaman‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as Simon Williams, an actor-turned-superhero, way back in fall 2022, and Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is attached to produce. And yet Marvel has always seemed embarrassed by what should be one of the most notable titles on its slate.
At long last, Wonder Man is finally getting its due as Marvel has unveiled the show’s logo. While fans are excited that Williams — a comic book fan-favorite and long-term member of the Avengers in the source material — is on his way, many are feeling severely let down by the, let’s say, straightforward nature of this logo.
Did the logo designer just click Times New Roman and call it a day?
It doesn’t help that fans, as starved for Wonder Man content as they were, have been cooking up their own potential logos for the show for years now… and all of them are infinitely more creative and comic book accurate.
On the other hand, there are some out there who appreciate what Marvel is going for here. As one noted, “It has an old Hollywood look to it that I really vibe with.”
The above reaction might’ve tapped into Marvel’s thinking with this admittedly minimalist logo. Wonder Man is being described as a superhero comedy series that will lampoon the world of Hollywood and the acting industry. Expected to release under the Marvel Spotlight banner, for standalone series, Abdul-Mateen will be joined by Demetrius Grosse as Simon’s brother/nemesis Grim Reaper and Ben Kingsley as the one and only Trevor Slattery.
Much like Daredevil: Born Again and Ironheart — which, unlike WM, remains in streaming limbo — this series underwent some serious creative retooling amid last year’s Hollywood strikes. The finished product isn’t quite what was originally conceived, then, which might account for the unique stylings of the logo, but hopefully any changes made are for the better. Certainly its 10-episode run is a good thing, as that makes it the longest live-action Marvel Studios show yet.
In fact, following some recent embarrassing and costly failures — here’s looking at you, Secret Invasion — Marvel has restrategized how it approaches its TV content from top to bottom. We’re already starting to see that with Agatha All Along (the cheapest MCU Disney Plus product to date), but the new mindset will really become apparent with next year’s output. With any luck, once Wonder Man hits streaming in December 2025, it will conclude what will be the most reliable and high-quality year for Marvel TV yet. Even if its logo is a little lackluster.
Published: Oct 29, 2024 08:25 am