Development first began pursuing the idea of a series featuring the character Trevor Slattery while working on the film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, before the project was merged with one featuring the character Wonder Man. While working on the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), director
Destin Daniel Cretton and
Marvel Studios producer
Jonathan Schwartz joked about making a television series centered on the character
Trevor Slattery, an actor who was introduced posing as terrorist leader the
Mandarin in the film
Iron Man 3 (2013). Schwartz had the art department create a mock poster for a potential series called
Trevor Goes to Hollywood, and Cretton was excited about pursuing the idea. By that time, Marvel Studios producers
Stephen Broussard and Brian Gay were already developing a series set in
Hollywood that would be centered on the
Marvel Comics character
Simon Williams / Wonder Man. Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige wanted to invert the character's comic book background, where he is a superpowered industrialist who happens to be an actor, instead making the character an actor who happens to have superpowers and believes they are an impediment to his acting.
Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television, and animation, said both ideas followed an actor's journey in Hollywood and naturally merged into a "two-hander" series featuring Simon and Slattery. Feige and Cretton approached Slattery actor
Ben Kingsley about the series soon after
Shang-Chi premiered in August 2021. By late 2021, Marvel Studios was meeting with
head writers for the series. One of them was
Andrew Guest, who had previously worked on the MCU series
Hawkeye (2021) doing last-minute rewrites. His work on
Hawkeye had impressed executives and he presented a
pitch for
Wonder Man inspired by the film
Midnight Cowboy (1969), in which an unlikely friendship is developed between Simon and Slattery as they attempt to land roles in a
remake of an in-universe
Wonder Man film. Winderbaum said Guest's pitch had an earnest, uncynical view of the struggles that people in the arts go through, and Guest was surprised at how willing Marvel Studios was to make something that was not like anything else they had previously created. In December 2021, Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios and
Onyx Collective to develop television projects for
Disney+, with a comedy series known to already be in development. Cretton would produce the series through his newly created production company,
Family Owned. This was in conjunction with Cretton returning to write and direct a sequel to
Shang-Chi. In June 2022,
Wonder Man was revealed to be in development with Guest attached as head writer. Cretton was expected to direct episodes. In February 2023,
James Ponsoldt and
Stella Meghie joined to direct multiple episodes each; Cretton directed the first two episodes, Ponsoldt directed the third and fourth, Tiffany Johnson directed the fifth and sixth, and Meghie directed the final two. By October 2023, Marvel Studios shifted their creative philosophy to a more traditional television development process, moving away from head writers and beginning to hire dedicated
showrunners for their series; Guest was ultimately named showrunner for
Wonder Man. Marvel Studios formally announced the series in October 2024, when it was described as the studio's "worst-kept secret for quite some time" by
Collider Adam Blevins. The series was originally reported to consist of ten episodes, but Winderbaum later said it would just have eight. They range from approximately 20 to 40 minutes. Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Feige, Broussard, Schwartz,
Louis D'Esposito, and Winderbaum, alongside Cretton and Guest. Because
Wonder Man was developed prior to Marvel Studios' late 2023 shift towards multi-season television series, the studio was taking a "wait-and-see approach" by May 2025 regarding whether it would get a second season. Winderbaum said the series was caught in the middle of their creative overhaul and was not originally planned to have additional seasons. Despite feeling that it "really stands on its own as a beautiful piece", he said the studio was now open to more if there was a strong audience response. In January 2026, Guest said he had thoughts on what a second season could be. Winderbaum said the series would only be renewed if it had "big, big [viewership] numbers". In March, the series was renewed for a second season with Guest and Cretton confirmed to be returning as showrunner and director, respectively.
Writing Guest said Marvel Studios executives wanted the series to feel different from their other projects and never pressured him to include traditional superhero elements such as an
origin story, visual effects-heavy action sequences, a major villain for the
third act, or having the heroes save the world. In addition to Guest, the
writers' room included Paul Welsh, Madeline Walter, Zeke Nicholson, Anayat Fakhraie, Roja Gashtili, Julia Lerman, and Kira Talise. Their mantra during the writing process was, "What if
FX was going to do a Marvel show?" Guest described the series as a character study about two narcissists who learn to care about another person. The series features a
metafiction narrative set within the MCU, and references
superhero fatigue. Winderbaum described it as a "love letter to Hollywood" and to the profession of acting. The creative team brought their own experiences from working in Hollywood and Cretton said they wanted to show the "non-glitz and glamor side" of Los Angeles, telling a story about a creative person with a dream who has to live in a small apartment and struggles to get by, something that they had all gone through. He described the series as weird and melancholy.
Simon Williams actor
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II acknowledged that there is a meta aspect to the series and said it is self aware, but added that it is also focused on a genuine story about friendship and the journey of an actor. He said the up-and-coming Simon and the experienced-but-jobless Slattery represent two different sides of being a professional actor. Abdul-Mateen personally related to "the actor who is unknown, who is talented and passionate and just needs a break". Guest said the writers worked to ensure that audiences outside of Hollywood would care about Simon's journey and feel that getting the
Wonder Man role is like life or death for him. The series explores the realities of auditions, casting, directing, and writing, and some of the downsides of an acting career such as ego traps and fame. Kingsley felt this was done in an "entertaining, non-judgmental way". Abdul-Mateen heard from actors who appreciated that the series showed the real work done by professional actors. The writers discussed potential explanations for Simon's powers, including making him a
mutant, but decided that it was better not to explain them since they are something that happened to Simon which he has no interest in understanding and sees only as a hindrance. Guest compared this to the mutant-centric film
X-Men (2000), which he saw as treating superpowers as psychological issues that align with life changes that the characters are going through. Marvel Studios wanted Simon's superpowers to be an impediment to his acting, which led to the introduction of the
Doorman Clause which bans superpowered individuals from working in Hollywood. This follows other anti-superhero movements in the MCU such as the
Sokovia Accords in the film
Captain America: Civil War (2016) and the
Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) in the series
Daredevil: Born Again (2025–present). The clause is named after
DeMarr Davis / Doorman, a minor character who was introduced in the 1980s
West Coast Avengers comic book, a series which included Wonder Man for much of its run. Nicholson pitched that the character be used, and originally his role was meant to be a short joke about a character whose superpower is to be a door. As the writers discussed this, they came to see him as a more important character and eventually expanded his story to a full episode. Guest said Davis's story creates stakes for Simon, who has to hide his own powers, while Cretton said it represents core themes about being an actor and the struggle between contentment and pursuing your dreams.
Casting Ben Kingsley was revealed to be reprising his MCU role of Trevor Slattery in the series in August 2022. He said he was thrilled to explore the character more. In October, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as Simon Williams. Previously,
Nathan Fillion appeared on movie posters as Simon Williams in a cut sequence from the MCU film
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). Director
James Gunn enjoyed Wonder Man in the comics and felt Fillion could portray a "sometimes douchey actor/superhero". Even though the posters were cut from the film, Gunn still considered them to be
canon to the MCU. Fillion went on to voice the character in the
M.O.D.O.K. (2021) animated series. Abdul-Mateen was hesitant to take on another comic book role after portraying
Black Manta in the
DC Comics-based films
Aquaman (2018) and
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), and also portraying
Doctor Manhattan in the DC Comics-based series
Watchmen (2019). He signed on to
Wonder Man because of Cretton's previous work and because of discussions he had with the director about the role and the direction of the series.
Lauren Glazier was cast in a supporting role in February 2023. The following month,
Demetrius Grosse was cast as Simon's brother
Eric Williams, and
Ed Harris was reported to have been cast as agent
Neal Saroyan. By the end of April,
Josh Gad had reportedly joined the cast, which was confirmed in August 2024. Also revealed to have been cast in 2024 were
Byron Bowers, Béchir Sylvain, and Manny McCord. In July 2025,
Arian Moayed was revealed to be reprising his MCU role as
P. Cleary in the series.
Zlatko Burić was revealed in October to be part of the cast, portraying film director Von Kovak, alongside
X Mayo,
Olivia Thirlby,
Joe Pantoliano, Phumzile Sitole,
Jere Burns, and
Simon Templeman. Bowers was revealed to be playing
DeMarr Davis / Doorman in December. More actors and roles were revealed the next month: Juliette Ortega as Melanie, Sylvain and
Shola Adewusi as
Sanford and
Martha Williams, respectively; Mayo as Janelle Jackson; Thirlby as Vivian; Larsen as Brent Willard; and Kameron J. Meadows as a young Simon.
Charlotte Ross and Torrey Vogel were also revealed to be part of the cast in January 2026. Additional cast members include
Jon A. Abrahams as Frank Preminger, and
Lauren Weedman as Kathy Friedman. Gad and Pantoliano portray themselves in the series, as do
Mario Lopez and
Ashley Greene. The roles that Gad and Pantoliano fill—a celebrity who befriends Davis and a rival for Slattery, respectively—were not originally written for specific actors. The production put together a list of experienced actors who may not be household names for the rival role and Pantoliano stood out to them as the first person to ask. After he agreed to join, the script was re-written to incorporate aspects of his real life. Similarly, Gad was the first person asked for the celebrity role and aspects of his real life were written into the Doorman episode. Gad agreed to star in the series on the condition that he could also play a different character that was not himself in a future MCU project, which Feige accepted. With the announcement of the second season's renewal came confirmation that Abdul-Mateen II and Kingsley would reprise their roles.
Design Cindy Chao and Michele Yu, both from Los Angeles, were the production designers for the series. Part of their job was to work with the location team to identify and manage the more than 75 locations around Los Angeles that were needed for scenes and
establishing shots. Joy Cretton, Destin's sister, was the costume designer. She wanted most of the costumes to be realistic, such as the denim jacket and jeans that Simon wears for most of the series. Slattery's costumes are more eclectic due to his history of collecting interesting things, but also represent his more "
Zen" outlook following his experiences in
Shang-Chi. The series features versions of several Wonder Man costumes from the comics: the lead character of the in-universe
Wonder Man film wears a green jumpsuit with a red "W" and "M" chest emblem and a yellow jetpack, based on the costume that was introduced in
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #12 (September 1986); in the remake of the film, Simon wears a sleeveless black suit with a large red "W" symbol on the chest, based on the costume first featured in
The Avengers vol. 1 #253 (December 1984); and at the premiere of the remake, Simon wears a red jacket over a black turtleneck which is reminiscent of the "safari jacket" costume that debuted in
The Avengers vol. 1 #167 (January 1978). All three outfits include red sunglasses. Joy said there was debate over whether to also use the green and red look for Simon's costume in the remake, before they settled on using the black and red look. She felt the more "moody" appearance was appropriate for Simon's character. Doorman wears a comics-accurate black and white mask, while the rest of his outfit is all black and features a buckle-covered leather trench coat and a silver chain.
Filming Principal photography began by April 5, 2023, in Los Angeles, under the
working title Callback, with Cretton, Ponsoldt, Johnson, and Meghie directing.
Brett Pawlak was the cinematographer for Cretton and Johnson's episodes and Armando Salas was the cinematographer for Ponsoldt and Meghie's episodes. Filming was initially expected to conclude by early August. Filming locations in Los Angeles included the
Highland Theatre in
Highland Park, where Simon and Slattery meet during a screening of
Midnight Cowboy; the Eagle Theater in
Eagle Rock, which was dressed to be accurate to the 1990s for a flashback where Simon sees the original
Wonder Man with his father; the
Fox Village Theater in
Westwood where the remake of
Wonder Man premieres;
John Sowden House in
Los Feliz, which is used as a filming location for the
Wonder Man remake;
the Talmadge, an historic building in
Koreatown where Slattery's apartment is located; and the studio sets and backlots at
Radford Studio Center and
Paramount Studios. Ponsoldt wanted the Doorman episode, which was filmed in black-and-white, to feel like an "old Hollywood fairytale" inspired by the films of
Frank Capra,
Howard Hawks, and
Billy Wilder. When the
2023 Writers Guild of America strike began in May 2023, it was not expected to impact the production which was said to be continuing during the strike. It was reported that Marvel Studios was planning to shoot what they could during principal photography and make any necessary writing adjustments during the series' already scheduled reshoots. Filming was taking place around
Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on May 4 when
picketers participating in the strike attempted to shut down production. Picketers stopped production when it returned to film at Radford Studio Center on May 8. Production was shut down by the end of the month with plans to resume after the WGA strike and the subsequent
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike concluded. Approximately half of the series was filmed before the shutdown. In October 2023, Joanna Robinson, co-author of the book
MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, reported that Marvel Studios was considering not moving forward with the series, despite already filming some material. Guest explained that Marvel Studios used the production pause during the strikes to re-evaluate and provide notes on the series for when production resumed. Cretton added that it was possible the series could have become a tax write-off for Disney at that point, something that was happening at other studios with other unreleased projects, but Marvel Studios executives fought to ensure filming could be completed. Following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike in November and Cretton's exit from directing the planned film
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to focus on his commitments to other MCU projects, including
Wonder Man, filming was set to resume around the end of the month after
Thanksgiving. Filming resumed in Los Angeles by early January 2024. J.C. "Spike" Osorio, a lighting technician, died during production work on set at Radford Studio Center on February 6, after falling from the rafters. Disney and Radford were respectively fined $36,000 and $45,000 after the
California Division of Occupational Safety and Health concluded their investigation into Osorio's death and found that deterioration in the conditions of the catwalk Osorio was standing on led to his death. The majority of filming was completed by early February, with
pick-ups planned during the following weeks. Filming officially
wrapped in March. Winderbaum said
Wonder Man had "one of the lowest, if not the lowest" budget of Marvel Studios' television series to date.
Post-production Winderbaum confirmed that the series was being edited by March 2024. Gina Sansom joined the series as an editor after working with Cretton on the series
American Born Chinese (2023). Nena Erb and Cassie Dixon also edited the series. John Haley was the visual effects supervisor. Guest said the series was completed and ready to be released around September 2024.
Music Joel P. West, a frequent collaborator of Cretton's who worked on
Shang-Chi, composed the score for the series. A soundtrack album featuring West's score was released on January 30, 2026. West created a club remix of the song "
In Summer", which Gad sings as
Olaf in the film
Frozen (2013), to be played during a scene in the Doorman episode where Gad serves as the DJ of the Wilcox Club. == Marketing ==