Ready for another lesson?

Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has spent a decade paying his dues to become the Hollywood star he was born to be — like every other up-and-coming self-taping hopeful — but a childhood secret keeps him distanced from the networking he desperately needs. Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) is best known from his faux-terrorist days as “The Mandarin,” but he’d very much like that forgotten and to be seen as a real actor again. Film auteur Von Kovak (Zlatko Buric) is searching for an idea to upend “superhero fatigue” in a world filled to the brim with them. Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) is facing unemployment if his DODC employers can’t justify their annual budget. At the casting call for a reimagined 1980s comic book movie, the fates and egos of these four individuals are about to intersect.. and dire hilarity ensues.

Generally speaking, Marvel Studios’ foray into its various limited series have been a mixed bag in popularity. After ending their Netflix partnership shows and bringing new programs to Disney Plus, the idea was for longform character studies between event films… of which there seemingly became too many to keep up with for the casual viewer. While James Gunn is seemingly but cautiously leading the DCU horse up to that exact trough, Marvel Studios pledged to make these limited series runs as extras, fun for fans with the opportunity for gritty storytelling while not detracting from their film slate experience. History has shown that, with the right idea and direction, lesser-known characters have the chance to shine in the MCU — Guardians of the Galaxy, anyone? — by blazing their own path. Blurring the lines between creators and their creations, is everyone ready to see how the Marvel Tinseltown sausage is made?

Our main protagonist Simon isn’t exactly likeable or even a nice person, so single-mindedly engrossed in himself that no one’s interested in how good an actor he might actually be. Trevor has been equally selfish to the detriment of the world, and while there’s no forgiving him, he clearly wants to atone. While the circumstances of their initial meeting are suspect, there’s no denying each of these two men need exactly what the other has. Their slow bonding feels genuine, and when either appears without the other, viewers can’t help but dread everything that can and will go wrong. As the story weaves from past to present and from casting to final cut, rooting for these two to succeed becomes infectious, burdened with glorious ambition.

Each of the eight half-hour episodes provide a bit of backstory relating it to present day with the occasional catching up of what viewers don’t know. Avoiding the fascist propaganda omnipresent in “The Boys,” the show plays slightly darker than “The Studio” within a superhero setting (read: it’s a safe space to escape from reality into). Some of the humor stems from the casting of actors playing slightly fictional versions of themselves (and some of the darkness, too). It isn’t unusual for industry insiders understanding the mirror being held up will champion this type of behind-the-scenes storyline, but the series doesn’t shy away from the bitter truths of it, either.

Stylized character studies like “WandaVision,” “Loki,” and recently “Ironheart” are what these mini-series are all about, but they seem to work best removed from the film continuity, letting their stories breathe without too much complication. Trying to stuff in too many Easter eggs was one of many things that hamstrung “Secret Wars,” while high-concept fare like “Werewolf by Night” worked well bringing comics characters and concepts into the MCU continuity. Happily, “Wonder Man” falls into the latter, although True Believers will quickly notice his Marvel Comics revisions. It’s never easy answering existential questions like who you are, what you want, and what makes you happy, but finding someone to point you in the right direction can make a world of difference… or even change your whole perspective.

Four skull recommendation out of four