Every Cameo in Wonder Man Explained

Outside Rogers: The Musical, watched by Clint Barton and his kids in Hawkeye, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has largely avoided touching upon Hollywood existing in said universe. We figure movies are made in Los Angeles, sure, but we never really see a project being shot or even so much as hear about the production of one. Until the fantastic Wonder Man, that is. Now, we’ve gotten a very deep look into the MCU’s Hollywood and, besides a certain industry policy, it’s quite similar to the one we know in our universe. Similarly, we now know that some of the biggest stars in our reality also exist there on Earth-616. And, whether they’re mentioned or actually physically appear, it seems as though they’re not ever going to end up playing a role in the MCU.

First off, the names that are mentioned include Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Paulson, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Cronenberg, Glenn Howerton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shonda Rhimes, Dua Lipa, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Robert De Niro, Antonio Banderas, and Pierce Brosnan (perhaps that means Black Adam and the overarching DCEU were a thing in the MCU as well). Furthermore, we learn Midnight Cowboy is a movie here, and by extension Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, and director John Schlesinger exist on Earth-616, as well. As for those who actually show their faces, let’s go through them now.

Spoilers for Wonder Man follow.

4) Ashley Greene

Twilight‘s Ashley Greene pops up in the premiere, “Matinee.” Simon Williams has been anticipating his small role on American Horror Story, but he keeps suggesting changes and asking questions about his character that, considering he has a single line, don’t need to be asked. Green is his scene partner, and by the end of the scene, she still has her job and he does not.

3) Josh Gad

Olaf himself, Josh Gad, is a major part of the fourth episode, “Doorman.” While singing in a club, he accidentally sets it on fire and is saved (along with the rest of the occupants) by its doorman, DeMarr Davis. Davis has phasing powers after touching toxic waste and entering another dimension, so everyone can go through him to pass through a locked door and escape the blaze.

Gad hires Davis, who is now being called Doorman by the press and fans, as a bodyguard but ultimately gives him a chance to enter the world of acting and mega-stardom. But Davis’ star fades, and towards the end of the episode, when Gad tries to phase through him during the shooting of a scene, he gets trapped in the door-filled dimension Davis himself was once trapped in. Because of this we get the Doorman Clause, which is the very reason Simon is keeping his own powers a secret.

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2) Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez pops up in the same episode as Gad, referencing his role as LeFou in Beauty and the Beast and talking about his next project, the humorously named robbery thriller Cash Grab. This version of Lopez is the host of a show called Hot Goss, playing on his prolific career as the host of shows like Extra and Access Hollywood.

1) Joe Pantoliano

The Matrix‘s Joe Pantoliano pops up twice, once in the sophomore episode and once in the finale. In Episode 2 we get to hear Simon compliment The Matrix and hear Pantoliano crack that “Everyone always calls me Joey Pants.” More importantly, we learn that Pantoliano and Trevor Slattery have a past. They worked on a television show and Slattery blames Pantoliano for taking the lead role. But, according to Pantoliano, Slattery was so doped up he was talking about “white worms” coming out of his skin.

By episode’s end, Pantoliano is giving Simon a speech that’s actually just condescension (especially towards Slattery), and he gets called out by Simon in the most perfect way: by referencing just how terrible Baby’s Day Out is. Humorously enough, that’s the only one of Pantoliano’s movies he has posters of all around his house. In the finale, “Yucca Valley,” Slattery revives his Mandarin persona and takes credit for an explosion called by Simon and, at that point, he is recast in Wonder Man with, you guessed it, Pantoliano.