Marvel Studios will add to its list of "two-hander" TV shows with a new entry in 2026. The MCU's vast wealth of characters from the last 17 years has had countless team-up moments together, but they largely come in solo projects, specifically those that center on one character at a time outside of the Avengers movies. However, that trend seems to be changing as the Multiverse Saga expands.
Head of Marvel TV and animation Brad Winderbaum described the upcoming Wonder Man show as a two-hander. After Entertainment Weekly asked if this was an appropriate description, with the show led by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Simon Williams and Sir Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery, Winderbaum quickly replied, "Yes." Tied to one another by their "love of acting," they are still "wildly different people," but they find a "really white-hot affinity for one another:"
"Yes. They connect on their love of acting. Other than that, they're wildly different people, but because they have this very strong love of this craft, they have this really white-hot affinity for one another right away."
This will mark the fourth TV show in MCU history led by two characters rather than one, as Wonder Man is expected to give equal focus to Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery. While this will be Williams' MCU debut and Slattery's third MCU project after Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi, the two will share plenty of screentime as they take on the MCU's depiction of Hollywood, auditions, and the life of a working actor.
3 Other Two-Hander TV Shows in MCU History
WandaVision
The MCU's first release of the Multiverse Saga, 2021's WandaVision, featured Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's Vision. Across its nine-episode slate (which utilized multiple eras of TV history as part of its setting), both characters drove the story via their love and the mystery of how Vision was brought back to life.
Although Wanda's evolution into the Scarlet Witch was the main plot point, Vision learned about how he was brought back to life through Wanda's magic before encountering a new version of his body. This will lead into the third and final chapter of a WandaVision-based trilogy, VisionQuest, after the two shared equal screentime and focus in one of the MCU's most popular projects ever.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Immediately after WandaVision, Marvel Studios released The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, starring Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes. This show pitted them in an unexpected (almost unwanted) partnership to stop the Flag Smashers' reign of terror, putting them on the same path as Wyatt Russell's John Walker and Clé Bennett's Lemar Hoskins.
This show's core focus was Sam Wilson's evolution from the Falcon into Captain America. Still, Bucky Barnes' healing journey from his Winter Soldier days also played a pivotal role. Splitting screentime fairly equally, both heroes got their due time to shine, which ended with their friendship becoming stronger and their shared experience bonding them for life.
Hawkeye
2021's fifth and final Disney+ show gave Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton his first MCU solo project, Hawkeye. Teaming up with Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop in her long-awaited MCU debut, the series saw the two against the Tracksuit Mafia during the holiday season, which led to an epic confrontation with Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin and a return for Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova.
For as much as the show was about giving Renner his long-awaited solo shine, he and Steinfeld split leading duties, as she was introduced as one of the MCU's new younger heroes. While Renner wants to continue playing his role after a devastating real-world injury, he will guide Steinfeld into the future as she and a potential group of Young Avengers drive the narrative forward.
Marvel Studios' Wonder Man is set to be the MCU's first 2026 release and the third Disney+ show released in Phase 6. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sir Ben Kingsley, Joe Pantoliano, Demetrius Grosse, Ed Harris, and Arian Moayed, this show will center on Simon Williams' quest to be cast in a new superhero movie about the classic titular hero as he goes through the Hollywood experience. Wonder Man will debut on Disney+ on January 27, 2026.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
