Episode Review: Wonder Man Episode 2 - "Self-Tape"

Welcome back to the blog readers. I have to say that I really enjoyed getting to watch the dynamic between Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery in the newest Marvel series Wonder Man (2026). Even though we only briefly saw them, it truly feels like we are watching two people that are incredibly close friends. The story of the last episode was solid and created a good foundation, but I am really curious to see where we go next. Would this second episode, titled "Self-Tape," written by Andrew Guest, and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, be another worthy addition to the Marvel pantheon? Stick around to find out.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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I thought last week's episode was not the flashiest one we have ever had, but it was definitely one of the more intricate and personal episodes we have ever gotten from Marvel. The main selling point of this series was always going to be the relationship between Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery, and I think this episode does a brilliant job of highlighting that relationship. Their chemistry is impeccable, and the story we get this week also highlights this chemistry.

I praised the chemistry between the two leads last week, and for good reason. I mentioned in last week's review that the two men were able to play off of each other in a way that I had really never seen before. Since we were promised a hell of a relationship, I was waiting with bated breath to see what would happen with the two, and we got just about the same thing: excellent chemistry. I really feel like these guys have been friends for a long time, and you can tell based on the way that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley play off of each other that they really mean the things that they are saying.

And now, we have to get into the story of this week because it is a doozy to say the least. We begin with a flashback to after the events of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), where Trevor Slattery is finally free after being a prisoner of Xu Wenwu for the last twelve years. He is able to board a commercial flight where he chats it up with a woman that praises his performance in a series called South Shore Hospital. Trevor muses about his mother being the inspiration for him going into acting as he explains that he is ready to do something important. Almost immediately upon leaving the flight, he is arrested by the FBI. He is introduced to Agent P. Cleary (who has harassed people like Spider-Man and Kamala Khan in the past), who presents Slattery with two choices since he technically did not serve his full sentence for impersonating the Mandarin and murdering someone (despite Trevor claiming it was really fake): actually serve out the remainder of his sentence or help Cleary take down someone he claims has immense power: Simon Williams. He insists on a condition: present an audition enticing enough to lure Simon to it.

In the present, after crushing his audition for the Wonder Man remake, Simon is on the phone with his agent Janelle, who is pissed off at him for going around her to land an audition. She does give him a silver lining however - casting director Ruth Bakshi loved him and is considering him for another role in a film called The Carlyle, but he must submit a self-tape that day. He makes it to his apartment and attempts to film the self-tape, but he cannot get it right. He is flubbing lines, getting angles wrong, and he is losing patience. It is clear that he is missing something, and we then learn what that is: his ex-girlfriend, who would help him rehearse for his self-tapes. He is reminded of this when he accidentally watches one of his old ones. Emotions spiral and his belongings begin to react to what Simon is doing. Just then, a burst of energy explodes from the apartment. Meanwhile, Trevor meets with Cleary while the Department of Damage Control (DODC) head lays out his concerns. Apparently, Simon is being viewed as a legitimate threat and wants results. Simon texts Trevor asking for help with the self-tape, and Clearly pounces on this idea. He asks Trevor to get into Simon's apartment and put a ring device on his computer to get information on Simon's powers.

Trevor makes it to Simon's apartment but he cannot film the self-tape there due to bad energy left behind by the breakup. The two decide to rent out a tacky studio in the city, but this goes exactly how you think it would. They decide to bail when Trevor makes up an elaborate backstory for a three-line role and it still does not work. This time, they move to Trevor's apartment, where a noisy houseguest is disturbing the peace while Trevor is enamored with his memorabilia from his time as an actor (including a skull that may or may not have been taken from Richard Burton). The two leave there while Simon muses about not having friends. Eventually, Trevor has an idea: hit up his old South Shore Hospital pal Joe Pantoliano and see if he is willing to host the pair. When they get to his house, Trevor explains to Simon that Pantoliano replaced him on the show, so a favor is owed. While Simon is on the phone with Janelle (who called to remind him that the self-tape is due by the end of the day), Joe switches up and tells the pair that Trevor was fired due to drug use and being unable to handle the pressure. He also delivers a rant about what acting really is that makes Simon snap and defend Trevor while calling his film Baby's Day Out (1994) garbage. The pair leave.

Simon eventually acquiesces and allows for filming of the self-tape at his apartment, and nothing seems out of the ordinary. Simon is able to successfully film the self-tape and the two upload it to Ruth. Simon excuses himself to use the bathroom, and it is now when Trevor decides to betray his new friend and put the ring on Simon's computer for the DODC. He then notices tarp covering something up, and removes it to see clear evidence of Simon's powers. Simon comes out of the bathroom and offers to order a pizza, but sees Trevor staring at the wall. Trevor agrees on the kind of pizza and this reveal is basically brushed under the rug as the episode ends.

Wonder Man's second episode continues to build on the dynamic between our lead characters while putting them on a satirical odyssey of the Hollywood business. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.