All eight episodes of Wonder Man will drop on January 27 for your marathon watching pleasure. The show follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen), an actor who really wants to play a superhero and has super powers. Unfortunately, those powers are a barrier to his dreams. He teams up with Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley), a seasoned actor who befriends him. If this guy looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen Trevor Slattery in the MCU a couple of times. So, before Wonder Man lands, let’s take a trip down memory lane to track Trevor Slattery’s weird arc in the MCU so far.
Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 as the Mandarin
We first see Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3, and he appears to be a dangerous terrorist called the Mandarin. He makes videos claiming to be responsible for several bombings, one of which eventually includes Tony Stark’s security chief Happy Hogan. This prompts a PTSD stricken Tony Stark to issue a televised threat to the Mandarin and even reveal his home base. The Mandarin attacks, Tony flees his house, and teams up with Rhodey to locate the Mandarin.
They discover that the “bombings” were triggered by soldiers whose bodies explosively rejected Extremis treatment, and were falsely attributed by Aldrich Killian’s Advanced Idea Mechanics as a terrorist plot to cover this up. Furthermore, they locate the Mandarin’s home base only to discover that the guy bringing this persona to life is Trevor Slattery, a washed up English actor who has no idea what’s really going on. He’s working for AIM and Killian and getting all the drugs and money his heart could desire. He ends up getting arrested for his involvement and goes to Seagate Prison.
All Hail the King Explores Trevor Slattery’s Time in Prison… and His Escape
All Hail the King is a 2014 direct to video short film that focuses on Trevor and the events that lead to his appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While incarcerated, Trevor continues to live a pretty good life, even having a butler at his side. He meets a journalist named Jackson Norriss who wants to interview him about the Mandarin events.
Norriss tells Slattery that his portrayal of the Mandarin made a lot of folks unhappy, especially the Ten Rings terrorist group. Ever the oblivious fool, Trevor Slattery didn’t know that Ten Rings existed and learns about the Mandarin and this group from Norriss. The journalist reveals that he’s actually a Ten Rings member and breaks Slattery out of prison so he can meet Norriss’ leader Xu Wenwu. The goal was to kill Slattery at first, but his acting wits lead Wenwu to make him a court jester.
Trevor Slattery in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Slattery’s imprisonment with the Ten Rings collective actually drives him to be sober and get his life together. He even befriends a hundun named Morris. Shang-Chi and Xialing help Slattery escape and they travel to Morris’ mystical home of Ta Lo. Slattery stands with Shang-Chi and the village against the Ten Rings in a final showdown.
What Happens to Trevor Slattery in Wonder Man?
Well, this remains to be seen. We know that Trevor will return to Hollywood in hopes of gaining a second chance in the entertainment world. But, considering he was broken out of prison before his release date and his face is widely associated with playing a terrorist figure, we aren’t sure that’s gonna work out. Sure he has some fans but will show business be so forgiving?
He will form a connection with Simon Williams as a mentor figure, as evidenced by his initiative The Slattery Method, and help the burgeoning actor. But there’s another agenda that will pull him in two different directions. Let’s see what happens when Wonder Man drops its entire season.