One of Netflix’s new shows – which could have been Stan Lee’s final live-action project – has become an almost instant hit after years in development. Intriguingly, it’s a superhero show, which has not been a particularly strong genre for Netflix (other than The Umbrella Academy, perhaps). Like that show, the new success is somewhat unconventional, but it makes for an interesting alternative to The Boys, which ends its Prime run this week.
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The series in question is The Wonderfools, the 8-part comedy superhero fantasy series created by Kang Eun-kyung and starring K-pop singer Cha Eun-woo. Like The Boys, The Wonderfools explored a world of flawed supers rather than the typical image of immaculate heroes, who are not in control of their powers and use them unintentionally. Released on May 15 in full, the series has picked up a near perfect 97% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes – despite precious few critical reviews – and is now in Netflix’s US Top 3, according to Flixpatrol data.
The Wonderfools’ Unlikely Marvel Link
When it was first envisaged in 2018, The Wonderfools actually began life as an adaptation of Stan Lee’s original idea The B-Team, which would have seen a team of B-tier supers in a battle against the mad scientist who created them. Lee’s death came just before the idea was picked up but his production company was involved in early development. By the time the show’s production kicked off for real, it had been reformed as an original idea, and the title was changed.
The official synopsis and the idea of ordinary people touched by superpowers still feel like a Stan Lee joint, regardless of the changes. Here’s that synopsis: “In the weeks leading up to the turn of the millennium, the small Korean town of Haeseong City is gripped by a series of unsettling events. People are vanishing without a trace, and an eerie new church is taking hold — a chilling echo of the horrors the town thought it had long ago buried. But for The Wonderfools’ trio of ordinary misfits, they’re more concerned with their own issues, until they wake up with newfound superpowers and discover that they’re the only ones who can save their town.” When it was first announced, the creators said they were planning to create a Hollywood remake (as well as duel Korean and Chinese versions tailored to local markets). Whether that still happens remains to be seen but the reception of the series from fans has been enthusiastic.
Praise on Rotten Tomatoes focuses on the cast – and unsurprisingly Cha Eun-woo, given his established fanbase – as well as on the comedy and the storyline. There’s more balance on Reddit, where some users report inconsistent writing, a familiar storyline, and the villains not necessarily standing up to the level of the heroes. Overall, it seems like a mostly positive consensus that could mean a return for a second season in the long run.
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