After years of looking, the MCU is finally having its Andor moment. Marvel Studios on streaming has existed for more than half a decade, dating back to its 2021 debut with the critically acclaimed WandaVision; however, it has never had a crossover hit that breached the confines of the general Marvel fanbase. Disney's other tentpole, on the other hand, has.
For years, Star Wars was in the same place on Disney+, looking to strike streaming gold. Sure, shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett brought audiences into the service, yet there was still this aura of 'lesser-than TV' when compared to the 'prestige' output of things like HBO or Apple TV.
But then it all changed. In 2022, Lucasfilm and Disney released the critically acclaimed Andor series, following the gripping life of one Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the year leading up to the just-as-celebrated Rogue One film. This broke the seal for the franchise, finally giving Disney that character-focused, awards-level drama that was exclusive to the Disney+ platform.
Now, nearly four years later, Marvel achieved the same thing with the release of Wonder Man, giving the franchise its own Andor moment. Destin Daniel Cretton's Marvel series has quickly become one of the best-reviewed MCU titles in history (both shows and movies).
As of writing, it sits at a glowing 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics lauding the series' character-focused story, stellar performances, and refreshing take on the on-screen universe. Andor sits at a similar mark on the review aggregator with a 96% across its two seasons.
Wonder Man's ability to take an established franchise and provide a wholly new experience is something it shares with Andor and is perhaps both shows' greatest accomplishment. While Andor centers on a paranoia-steeped espionage story set in the typically high fantasy sci-fi world of Star Wars, Wonder Man tells a mostly down-to-Earth character drama in a franchise best known for its super-powered fights and universe-ending stakes.
Andor feels as much like a Jason Bourne movie as it does a Star Wars project in the same way that Wonder Man feels as much like a new season of Apple TV's The Studio as it does an MCU project. Both shows take their established canon and use it as a launching point for something different and are better for it.
The pair of series also happens to be deep-dive character studies, more so than any other project in their respective franchise. This focus on character over action has reinvigorated fanbases or those who may have left each universe behind over the years. It also shows a willingness to experiment with the traditional structure audiences have grown accustomed to over the years.
If Wonder Man is not just a flash in the pan for Marvel Studios, as fans hope Andor is the start of a new era for Star Wars, then the MCU, specifically on streaming, could be on the verge of a renaissance.
Marvel Studios' streaming slate moving forward can continue this trend of unique, genre-bending stories that just so happened to take place in the same super-powered universe. It could buck the common 'it's too paint-by-numbers' complaint often levied against franchises like the MCU and Star Wars.
It is too early to know whether the success of Wonder Man will have any lasting effect on the MCU overall, but it could be precisely the foundation-shaking moment the franchise has been asking for. Since Andor's release, the Star Wars universe hasn't exactly been on a trend of exploring unique genre spaces or breaking the confines of what Star Wars can be, but that doesn't mean it couldn't start soon.
The future of both Star Wars and the MCU remains largely a blank slate beyond the end of next year. On the Marvel side, the last known title is December 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. In fact, when it comes to streaming outside of Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 (confirmed for a 2027 release), no live-action Disney+ projects are confirmed for the comic book canon beyond 2026.
Wonder Man has the makings of a watershed moment for the MCU, potentially ushering in a new wave of heterogeneous content from the franchise. Could this spawn the hard-R horror Midnight Sons movie fans have always dreamed of, or a full-on teen drama, coming-of-age X-Men series that mixes Degrassi with superhero? Perhaps.
What makes this potential even more fascinating at Marvel is that its biggest competitor, the newly launched DCU, is being built with this kind of genre diversity as a core pillar. It is just a matter of Marvel capitalizing on what makes projects like Wonder Man and Andor so great.
If Wonder Man begins to creep its way into the sort of awards conversations that Andor found itself in across its two seasons, then the Marvel Studios brass will almost have to at least look toward pursuing more of these tonally varied streaming efforts. But there is no guarantee that it will happen.
Both Andor and Wonder Man are streaming in their entirety on Disney+. While Andor ran for two seasons, it is unclear whether a second batch of episodes for Marvel Studios' latest TV series will get the green light (though its creator has alluded to plans for a Season 2).
