With the Marvel Cinematic Universe heading towards ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, the hype is admittedly growing. Marvel is obviously making the movie a spiritual sequel to Endgame, and it is going to be big and spectacular. However, behind that hype is a familiar frustration, one that the MCU cannot appear to get out of with the Multiverse Saga.
And ‘Wonder Man’, with all its merits, silently supports it. The show is fashionable, touching, and pleasantly character-oriented. However, by the time the credits roll, it also leaves the viewers with a question that lingers: why does Marvel keep introducing heroes without telling us why they are important in the future?
MCU Keeps Introducing Heroes Without A Plan
‘Wonder Man’, in its own right, is a great success. The story of Simon Williams is touching, humorous, and, surprisingly, personal, which is largely due to his improbable friendship with Trevor Slattery.
The show is fully aware of what story it wants to tell, and it tells it. Then it just stops. There’s no post-credits tease. No hint at a future team-up. No hint of when or where Simon would come back. He completes his arc, flies away, and the MCU wheel continues as though nothing changed.
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Such a conclusion would be fine in a closed prestige drama. However, in a shared movie world, it is strangely empty. Marvel conditioned viewers to anticipate connective tissue, even a single scene implying, “This will matter later.”
‘Wonder Man’ offers none of that. It is not that the show didn’t establish a sequel right away. Fans are disappointed because it gives no hope whatsoever that Simon Williams is part of the bigger picture.
‘Wonder Man’ Exposes A Growing MCU Problem As ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Approaches
Unluckily, ‘Wonder Man’ is not an exception; it is simply following a MCU trend. The Multiverse Saga has brought an incredible number of characters, most of whom just disappear later. Since his debut, Shang-Chi has not been back. The ‘Eternals’ are completely missing. She-Hulk’s future is unclear. Even Vision vanished following ‘WandaVision’ and has just recently reemerged as a promise and not a presence.
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That is in contrast to the Infinity Saga, where even minor heroes were gradually incorporated into a bigger story. Characters crossed paths. Alliances were hinted at in post-credits scenes. It always had a feeling of momentum.
Now, the MCU feels fragmented. Projects are closed with open doors, which do not appear to be walked through. To old school fans, such ambiguity erodes emotional investment. Why get attached to a new hero if Marvel won’t confirm they’ll matter again?
That worry is more pressing than ever with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ coming. A huge crossover can only be successful when the viewers are attached to the characters in question. At this point, Marvel has far too many loose ends and not enough promises that they will be knitted. ‘Wonder Man’ did not create this issue, but it points it out in the most ideal way. It is a powerful narrative trapped within a bigger machine that has lost its way. If ‘Doomsday’ is meant to be Marvel’s course correction, it has a lot of unanswered questions to resolve.
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