When you’re searching for the everyday Marvel motion sequences, you’re not going to seek out them in Surprise Man.
Not like Marvel Studios’ earlier makes an attempt to lean into comedy on Disney+, Surprise Man will get in its lane and stays there.
It’s very uncommon when punches are thrown on this sequence, and most of these come throughout an in-universe take a look at a tacky Surprise Man film.
For anybody who’s nonetheless on the fence, Watch With Us will now reply this query: Is Marvel’s new Surprise Man sequence value watching? And if that’s the case, why isn’t anybody speaking about it?
Frozen’s Josh Gad and The Sopranos actor Joe Pantoliano each make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debuts on the brand new live-action Disney+ sequence Surprise Man. The 2 veteran actors are a part of an off-kilter model of Hollywood that exists inside the MCU, the place superpowered people have been banned from the leisure trade as a consequence of an edict (…)
It’s Marvel’s Model of ‘Entourage’
It’s been virtually 15 years since Entourage wrapped up its run on HBO, however Surprise Man looks as if its successor. This present doesn’t change into as farcical as Apple TV‘s Emmy-winning comedy The Studioand it manages to stroll a nice line between parody and an easy comedy. To offer this sequence credibility, a handful of actual actors seem as themselves, together with Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Mario Lopez and Joe Pantoliano.
The irony is that apart from maybe Gad, these established performers are decrease on the A-list than Surprise Man‘s stars, each of whom play struggling actors. Yama is my Malays II leads the sequence as Simon Williams, whereas Ben Kingsley reprises his position as Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The largest factor that Simon and Trevor have in widespread is a need to be acknowledged for his or her appearing prowess. They’re making an attempt to interrupt right into a ridiculous world that will not need them, however each rejection makes them need it much more.
Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley Have a Enjoyable ‘Bromance’
The connection between Simon and Trevor is the beating coronary heart of this sequence. Surprise Man depicts their first assembly and their subsequent encounters within the preliminary episode, which is completed in a really charming method. Trevor truly will get an ideal audition out of Simon by serving to him get out of his personal method. If their friendship had solely grown out of that second, it might be virtually heartwarming.
January 2026 goes to be a superb month for anybody who’s searching for new TV exhibits to binge. Nevertheless, it’s going to be a quiet interval for movies apart from a pair of sci-fi motion pictures that have been theatrically launched in 2025. To get you thru the month forward, Watch With Us has assembled (…)
Sadly for Simon, Trevor does have an ulterior motive for getting so near him. We’re not going to spoil it for you right here, however Trevor’s future could depend on his willingness to figuratively stab Simon within the again. That’s the underlying pressure, as a result of these two guys genuinely like one another. Simon and Trevor could not agree about their appearing strategies, however their shared love for performing offers them one thing actual to latch on to. Bro-mancing was additionally an enormous a part of Entouragewhich is why the comparability between the 2 exhibits appears so applicable.
‘Surprise Man’ Shakes Up the MCU Formulation for the Higher
Let’s get this out of the way in which: Simon does have superpowers, however he isn’t serious about being a hero. Simon isn’t seeking to change into an Avenger or a costumed vigilante; he simply needs to make his mark on the leisure trade. Nevertheless, he has to cover his powers, or else he’ll by no means get one other alternative to point out off what he can do in entrance of the cameras.
There are solely a handful of instances in the complete sequence that Simon makes use of his powers, and he does so by chance extra typically than deliberately. That’s one thing which will frustrate MCU followers who might use an motion repair, however it’s a refreshing dose of character and small stakes drama/comedy that brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe again right down to Earth. That’s the complete level of this present, and if that sounds good to you, then that is the superhero sequence it’s worthwhile to watch.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley in Surprise Man.
Disney+Perhaps that’s why nobody is speaking about Surprise Man. As a result of it gives one thing extra delicate than the standard superhero fare, the present isn’t mentioned on social media as a lot as, say, The Boys. Hopefully, that doesn’t imply nobody is watching. It’s sufficient that Surprise Man fulfils what it units out to perform — to have a look at superheroes from a unique angle that doesn’t contain one senseless motion sequence after one other. That’s what makes Surprise Man actually particular — the present’s superpower is its restraint and your reward.
Surprise Man is now streaming on Disney+.