"Wonder Man" stars and creators reveal alternate finale ending and season 2 wishes Sydney BucksbaumJanuary 29, 2026 at 2:47 AM 0 Yahya AbdulMateen II in 'Wonder Man' Courtesy of Marvel Television Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Wonder Man season 1 finale. Simon Williams (Yahya AbdulMateen II) became Wonder Man in more ways than one by the end of the first season. And Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) became the Mandarin again.
- - "Wonder Man" stars and creators reveal alternate finale ending and season 2 wishes
Sydney BucksbaumJanuary 29, 2026 at 2:47 AM
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 'Wonder Man'
Courtesy of Marvel Television
Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Wonder Man season 1 finale.
Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) became Wonder Man in more ways than one by the end of the first season. And Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) became the Mandarin again. For a Marvel TV show that was mostly a meta story about working actors trying to make it in Hollywood, a lot sure happened in the season finale!
Episode 8 of the latest Disney+ MCU series felt a lot more like a traditional comic book show than the previous seven installments after Simon lost control of his powers and destroyed the set of the fake Wonder Man movie-within-the-show. In an effort to make up for betraying Simon to the Department of Damage Control, Trevor decided to save his new BFF by publicly taking the blame for the explosion, pretending to once again be the fake terrorist, the Mandarin. Despite the DODC not fully believing that it wasn't Simon, they had to take action as a result of the Mandarin's manifesto, so Trevor got a one-way ticket to a high security prison in the desert.
Because Trevor was now known as a terrorist, he was fired from the Wonder Man movie. His part was then recast with his former TV costar, Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano, and when the movie finally premiered to box office and critical success, it hard-launched Simon's career. He was now a true A-list Hollywood star, but he just couldn't get over Trevor's ultimate sacrifice.
Many months later, after training and careful planning, Simon took action. He pretended to shadow what seemed to be a normal civilian under the guise of researching his next role. But it turned out Simon was actually doing recon, because the man he was shadowing was a guard at the DODC prison. Simon successfully infiltrated the building, found Trevor's cell, and broke him out, flying them right through the concrete roof. The finale ended on that cliffhanger, with Simon giving up his anonymity as a superpowered person, as well as his successful acting career, all to save Trevor.
Below, Wonder Man stars Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley, along with creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, break down that "rom-com" finale ending and reveal their hopes for a second season (the show has yet to be renewed).
Sir Ben Kingsley in 'Wonder Man'
Disney+
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Was it always the plan to end the finale with Simon breaking Trevor out of the DODC prison?
DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON: Emotionally, that was always the ending.
ANDREW GUEST: There was an alternate version where they performed in a black box theater together and levitated off the floor. That's true. But essentially we knew it was always about these two narcissists who, for the first time in their lives, put somebody else in front of their own needs. Simon and Trevor both needed to learn that, and it's hopefully rewarding to watch them do that for the right reasons and because they love each other, essentially.
What play were they performing in the black box theater?
GUEST: I believe it was Hamlet or something. Or no, there was a version of a play that Sir Ben's character Trevor had written that was not very good that he was going to be doing. And then Simon kind of bails him out and makes it good.
CRETTON: Trevor disappears and then he gets into writing and puts on this play. That would have been cool.
Sir Ben Kingsley in 'Wonder Man'
Disney+
What was your reaction when you learned how this season ends, with Trevor taking the fall for Simon, becoming the Mandarin again, and Simon then breaking him out of prison?
SIR BEN KINGSLEY: I thought it was delightful in that I've always felt Trevor had within him a kindness and also a regret for missed opportunity. And although he might have thought that his most accomplished gesture was on stage or on camera, in fact, his most consequential gesture was saving a friend, not on camera, not on stage, in real life. Very interesting.
YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II: Likewise with Simon. At the beginning, Simon was being selfish. Eavesdropping on a conversation, I hear there's this thing, he weasels his way into this audition. He was looking out for self and burying a secret about him. And we end in a way where, in order to save a friend, to do something selfless, he embraces the thing that he was trying to hide that does potentially jeopardize his career. He flies and blasts through a roof and says, "I'm going to do this for friendship. I'm not hiding anything, and actually I'm putting myself on the line to save this friendship," which is completely opposite from the place where he first started.
KINGSLEY: They're both gestures of sacrifice, which is really interesting.
What drives Simon to take that step, to finally accept and expose his powers? Trevor gave him the perfect cover by taking the fall for him.
GUEST: I think the irony is that Simon, in the finale, gets everything he wanted, right? He gets the role, he's starring in it, he's at the premiere, everyone's telling him how great it is, but it still feels a little empty because he's not sharing it with this person who, throughout the course of the season, we realize means so much to him. He knows he needs to do something, that he won't be fulfilled and feeling okay with himself until he makes the sacrifice.
CRETTON: It's basically a really good rom-com.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 'Wonder Man'
Courtesy of Marvel Television
Where do Simon and Trevor go from here? Because this can't be the last time that we see them.
CRETTON: We already have been just brainstorming, imagining where they could go next, but we can't really tease anything at this point.
GUEST: We can tease a bunch of stuff that won't be real. [Laughs] They're both going to be in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is good news! That's an exclusive.
CRETTON: [Laughs] I don't think any of us wants the show to suddenly turn into a more typical superhero show because of the ending that we have on this. We've already discussed ways that we can make sure that the tone of the show remains what it is, if we are so lucky to get a season 2.
So you're planning on returning for a second season? Or could we actually see these characters and this story continuing in another Marvel project?
GUEST: Both.
CRETTON: Yeah, both!
GUEST: I don't think we could choose one or the other.
KINGSLEY: Of course we [want a second season]. It would be dishonest to say, "Ooooh, I don't know. Let's wait." Of course we do. I'll say it to the world.
ABDUL-MATEEN II: Absolutely.
What would you want to see for your characters in season 2 now that they're likely on the run together?
KINGSLEY: No idea. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Expect the unexpected.
ABDUL-MATEEN II: The other question that I think about when I think about the future of Simon is what happens when he gets a taste of what he wants? Simon's been wanting some of the stardom. I think he's been wanting this type of success for a long time, and then he gets it, and I want to see what that does to him. I want to see what getting a taste of what you've always wanted, what it does to a guy like Simon. I'm curious about that... But what I do love about Simon, which I realized today, is in the beginning we see him in the tiny [trailer] going over his script. And then toward the end, we see him in the big star wagon [trailer] and he's still going over his script. So that tells me that he's going to be all right.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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Wonder Man is now streaming on Disney+.
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Source: Entertainment
Published: January 29, 2026 at 04:46AM on Source: RED MAG
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