Wonder Man (2026) has taken Disney+ by storm. The MCU miniseries debuted with an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score and quickly climbed streaming charts worldwide. The hype around Wonder Man isn’t surprising. At a time when the MCU has felt disconnected and a bit underwhelming, Wonder Man is the exact change of pace that the franchise needed. You don’t have to be a comic book or MCU fan to find the charm in this series, which tells a deeply personal and human story of Simon Williams’ (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) dreams to be an actor while secretly harboring superpowers.
The series is also unique in that it wraps up many elements into one: a meta commentary on Hollywood, a deep character study, and a screwball bromance dramedy. With every episode, I never knew which side of the story I would get, which made it exciting. At times, Wonder Man almost seemed to get a little too comfortable leaning into the unexpected, making for two of the most shocking “deaths” the MCU has ever seen.
The Most Mysterious ‘Wonder Man’ Death, Explained
Wonder Man, like most MCU projects, features fairly light superhero violence, which is why viewers were taken aback by the deadly events of Episode 4, “Doorman.” The episode is by far the most creative episode of the series, paying homage to classic Hollywood with its nostalgic score and black-and-white picture. It brings in one of Marvel’s strangest heroes, Doorman (Byron Bowers), whose sole power is, literally, that he’s a human door, allowing anyone and anything to teleport through him.
Although he’s initially content working as a doorman, his life changes when he saves a group of people, including Josh Gad, from a fire by using his body as an emergency exit. With Gad’s encouragement, Doorman begins pursuing Hollywood fame, seeking more and more until one day it leads to horror. While filming a heist movie, Doorman loses control of his powers right as Gad attempts to pass through him, causing Gad to disappear.
It takes a moment for it to sink in what just happened in that scene, and the fact that Gad is, indeed, gone. He disappears entirely, never seen again, even though Doorman remains under surveillance for the rest of his life. The unexpectedly tragic, absurd ending of Doorman’s and Gad’s friendship is a huge shock. To add to the twisted nature, we’re not even certain if he’s really dead. Did he transfer to another dimension? Is he technically still inside the Doorman? Never has an MCU “death” felt so uncertain, uncomfortable, and unexpected at the same time, but it’s not even the most shocking one in Wonder Man.
‘Wonder Man’ Borrows A Page From ‘The Boys’ With This Shocking Death
As unexpected as Gad’s disappearance is, nothing prepares you for the surprise death in Wonder Man Episode six, “Call Back.” In the episode, Simon and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) attend a callback for Wonder Man with several other actors at director Von Kovak’s (Zlatko Burić) home. Simon blows his first round of impromptu acting, making him eager to redeem himself during the next exercise with his acting buddy, Richard (Simon Templeman). During the exercise, Richard pretends to be a former bully of Simon’s. However, as the exercise continues, Richard’s acting starts to feel less like acting as he jeers at Simon and hints that he knows Simon’s secret powers.
Simon grows angrier and angrier. When Richard calls him a “freak,” it’s the final straw. Using his powers, Simon abruptly punches Richard, his fist going clean through the actor’s face, killing him instantly. The fellow actors in the room look through the gaping hole in Richard’s face and begin to scream. My jaw dropped watching that scene. It was the last thing I expected and reminded me of a scene straight out of The Boys (2019) or the shocking ending of I Am Not Okay With This (2020). You just don’t see it coming, and the idea that Williams messed up this badly leaves you shaking.
However, the scene is meant to trick you. In the next scene, Williams wakes up, revealing that the gruesome death was just a dream. Still, the fact that it really led you to believe that the death was real and hit you with that unexpected gore easily makes it one of the most shocking MCU moments ever.
‘Wonder Man’s Deaths Take the MCU In A New Direction
While Wonder Man’s deaths certainly give you the vibe of The Boys or Invincible (2021), they still feel distinct because the tone of the show as a whole is so far from these other shows. To me, it almost feels like a better way to use the shock factor, where it generally is a moment so shocking and so far out there that you can’t predict, unlike shows where the shock factor is the entire show.
I also think it speaks to the MCU getting a bit bolder. The franchise has been trying to get bolder and edgier with the likes of Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and Daredevil: Born Again (2025). Still, Deadpool & Wolverine almost feels like it’s trying too hard, whereas Daredevil: Born Again is an excellent, gritty, dark superhero series, but doesn’t quite capture that boldness and willingness to shock fans. Wonder Man, though, feels like the MCU is finally getting maturity, gore, and the shock factor just right, and maybe even better than most superhero shows in general.
