Marvel Spotlight: Exploring Wonder Man and Echo's Unique MCU Stories

1 week ago 11

Published Jan 29, 2026, 3:10 PM EST

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

If Wonder Man understands one thing, it’s that there’s no business like show business. Marvel’s new series stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, following his role as the greatest superhero in Watchmen. This time, he plays Simon Williams, a struggling actor whose true calling is appearing in a remake of his childhood favorite film. In addition to being a humorous and meta take on Hollywood, Wonder Man delivers in another way. It is only the second MCU project under the banner of Marvel Spotlight.

Unlike the interconnected universe of almost every product from Marvel, Wonder Man is a little bit different. Marvel Spotlight focuses on more street-level stories within the greater universe. Though this could apply to shows like Daredevil: Born Again, which is largely set in one neighborhood, Marvel Spotlight also features stories that function just as well without any prior knowledge of the world. Watching every Marvel film that came out since 2008 used to be an adventure, but after the conclusion of Endgame, television shows kept coming out of the woodwork. It became impossible to watch every single one, and therefore, watching the MCU started to feel like homework.

Wonder Man does away with all of this, focusing on one man’s story that just happens to take place in the greater Marvel universe. The series admittedly has easter eggs for fans to look out for. Wonder Man also stars Ben Kingsley, reprising his role as the actor Trevor Slattery, who made a surprising reappearance in Shang-Chi. It isn’t necessary to have seen Shang-Chi or even Iron Man 3, where Trevor plays the character of The Mandarin in the universe. The main drive of the series focuses on Simon’s journey as a passionate actor who also develops super-powers.

Marvel Spotlight Represents Underrated Characters

Before Simon even thought about being in the spotlight, Echo was under a spotlight of a different kind. Her self-titled show was a spin-off of Hawkeye and debuted Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), the leader of the tracksuit mafia. Hawkeye was an extension of The Avengers lore as Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) tries to find his way in a post-Natasha world. Echo was quite different. It was grittier and not initially set in New York City, where the bulk of Marvel takes place. After Echo learns that Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) was behind her father’s murder, she shoots him in the face and runs back to her home in Oklahoma.

There, she gets involved with the culture of her hometown and the gang activity that also transpires there. Echo isn’t about a world-level threat, but developing who its main character is as a person. Maya explores her heritage as she starts to develop supernatural abilities, quite similar to Simon’s experience in Wonder Man. These shows are easier to digest and don’t need extensive research to get to the crux of what is going on. More importantly, they are character-driven and focus less on the greater plots of the MCU.

Marvel Spotlight is a good direction for the brand to go in, especially after the overwhelming amount of content that isn’t always a hit with fans. These series are less risky, but they are also more enjoyable. Echo was a return to the grit and violence of Daredevil, while Wonder Man leans into a more humorous tone that appeals to fans of Hollywood. At only 30 minutes an episode, the show more than delivers on its promise and could support a future for these lower-stakes shows.