Published Jan 31, 2026, 6:15 PM EST
Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel's Wonder Man
Wonder Man has quickly become one of the MCU’s most surprising Disney+ releases, and I believe it carries a clear parallel to the Star Wars series Andor to account for its high praise. Like Andor, Wonder Man is a show no one was really asking for, and yet has found major deserved success all the same.
At first, it may seem as though Wonder Man and Andor don't have much in common. After all, one is an MCU show and the other belongs to Star Wars, each with very different stories, themes, and characters. However, I still believe that Marvel's new Wonder Man series could be considered the MCU's Andor in one significant way.
On The Surface, Wonder Man and Andor Are Two Very Different Disney+ Shows
On the surface, Wonder Man and Andor could not be more different.
Andor is a grounded, politically charged Star Wars thriller about the true cost of rebellion in the face of overwhelming systems of Imperial oppression, focusing on individual characters with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) at its heart as he gradually embraces the cause. It's heavy, brutal, and incredibly poignant with challenging real-world parallels we're dealing with today.
By contrast, Marvel's new Wonder Man series is set in modern Hollywood, following struggling actor Simon Williams as he navigates personal insecurities and his own identity in the face of new fame and powers he's keeping secret. Deeply personal with moments of genuine emotion, the new MCU show is also more lighthearted compared to Andor.
However, I believe both shows saw success for the same reason.
Wonder Man Trades Expected Franchise Trappings For A More Unique Character-Driven Story (Just Like Andor)
Ultimately, Wonder Man traded spectacle for substance very much the same way Andor did.
For example, Andor did not have any lightsabers, Jedi, or Sith Lords. There were only brief mentions of the Force, and no major surprise cameos. Instead, the series focused on those who were crucial to the forming of the Rebel Alliance, and those who served the Imperial regime.
The result was a far more intense and focused character-driven story, making Andor a far more unique product compared to other Star Wars shows.
Despite its very different content, Wonder Man mirrors this approach in a few key ways. Superpowers and action scenes were very limited, nor was there any typical big CGI fight like we've seen in past MCU shows.
What we got instead was a captivating and highly entertaining bond between Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Trever Slattery (Ben Kingsley) that absolutely carried the series, grounding the MCU in something intimate, human, and emotionally sincere.
By keeping the expected franchise trappings in the background, Wonder Man proved the MCU can also provide a much wider range of stories, just like Andor did for Star Wars. Both shows succeed because they trust audiences to engage with a unique and well-written story, neither one of which had to be propped up by typical franchise elements.
Risks were taken with both shows, and they paid off quite well. In this way, I do believe that Wonder Man could indeed be considered the MCU's Andor.
All episodes of Marvel's Wonder Man and Andor are now streaming on Disney+.
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Wonder Man
Release Date January 27, 2026
Network Disney+
Writers Andrew Guest
Franchise(s) MCU
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Simon Williams
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English (US) ·