Wonder Man Teaser Digs Into the Mind of Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery

Trevor Slattery knows how fickle fame can be. Fans cheered when they initially saw him in the first trailer for Iron Man 3, and that excitement continued throughout the front half of that movie. But midway through Iron Man 3, fans turned on Trevor, routinely citing him as one of the most disappointing characters in the MCU. Of course, that opinion changed with the revelation that Sir Ben Kingsley was not playing the Mandarin, Tony Stark‘s arch-enemy from the comics, but rather he was playing a bufoonish actor hired by the true villain of Iron Man 3 to portray a terrorist threat.

Where most actors would be hurt by the shifting tides of public opinion, Slattery takes it as proof that he’s mastered his craft. He achieved that mastery through what he calls the Slattery Method, and now he’s ready to share it with the next generation of thespians, as revealed in a new promo video… which is actually a marketing clip for the upcoming Marvel series Wonder Man.

“Acting isn’t a job. It’s a calling,” he declares in the opening of the video, staring at the camera with a self-importance matched by the stock orchestral music playing on the soundtrack. To entice viewers to sign up for his Slattery Method class, which he promises will help actors become “the next Trevor Slattery,” the master previews some of the techniques he’ll use. “Let’s start by taking control of our breathing and counting to four… thousand,” he advises, before displaying a number interested parties can call.

Surely, one of those interested parts will be Simon Williams, a struggling actor portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. As seen in the first teaser for Wonder Man, Williams learns about the acclaimed but eccentric director Von Kovak’s (Zlatko Burić) plan to make a modern film adaptation of the Wonder Man movie that he loved as a kid. Even beyond the training he receives from Slattery, Williams will likely somehow gain the ionic powers of his comic book counterpart, allowing him to be a true hero.

This play of reality and fiction makes Slattery a perfect fit for Wonder Man, even if it’s surprising to see him pop up again. Fans hated the reveal that Kingsley was playing a doofus actor instead of Iron Man’s greatest enemy from the comics, even though the Mandarin character is deeply rooted in racist tropes. Slattery had something of a redemption in the eyes of fans when he returned for a supporting part in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which also introduced the “real” Mandarin, played with depth and power by the great Tony Leung.

With Wonder Man, Slattery actually has a chance to step out of the shadow of the Mandarin debacle and become a character who stands on his own. At least, until he and Simon Williams get into a whole new set of hijinks. But then again, rolling with changes and giving a good performance is all part of the Slattery Method.

Wonder Man debuts on Disney+ on January 27, 2026.