Joey Pantoliano's Wonder Man Cameo Explained

Joey Pantoliano has appeared in the new MCU miniseries Wonder Man, where he plays a satirical version of himself.

The show stars Simon Williams, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, as a famous actor who discovers his superpowers could end his career. In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for Wonder Man​​​​, producer Andrew Guest discusses Disney+'s new show.

Guest went into detail about the conversations he had with Pantoliano when he first created the character. He explained that while Pantoliano plays himself, it's an exaggerated version that flips between being sweet and being a total menace.

He said it was a "really interesting casting opportunity." The goal was to have a career actor like Pantoliano appear in episode two to play the opposition to the character of Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley. Kingsley's character makes all the "right choices" regarding fame and family. Guest said the character makes the right investments and avoids the drug scene, and Pantoliano plays the foil character.

He continued:

When we had a list at Marvel of all these incredible character actors, Joey sprang to the top of it for everybody.

Once he contacted the famous character actor, Pantoliano was able to read over the draft and change what didn't fit his vision of the character. "He had so much fun with the idea," exclaimed Guest.

The Sopranos actor lives in upstate New York, but his character in Wonder Man has a massive mansion in Malibu, California. Guest quoted Pantoliano, who said, "My relatives are going to be calling, asking for money when they see this."

Guest went on to speak highly of the actor:

He’s got all these philosophies about acting, he’s written several books, he’s got so many stories. He’s just a legend, so it was such a special thing to work with him.

Pantoliano has a memorable and funny line in the show that somewhat breaks the fourth wall. He says, "If I were British, I would've been knighted." The line is said in front of Kingsley, who has been knighted in real life. When reminded of the comedic moment in the show, Guest is quick to point out that Pantoliano wrote that line. "He wanted to do it because of Sir Ben," he said.

The Goonies star wasn't the only actor playing a satirical version of themselves in the show. Frozen star Josh Gad appears in episode four, where he plays an evil version of himself. He pokes fun at his role as Olaf and at the Hollywood movie industry.

Wonder Man follows the story of Simon, an aspiring actor, who's trying to find his place in Hollywood. By a stroke of luck, he bumps into Trevor Slattery. That's when he learns a famed director is remaking the superhero film Wonder Man. As Simon pursues a role in the film, he's faced with a new challenge — he has superpowers.

In this MCU universe, actors are forbidden to have any supernatural abilities. Simon works hard to hide his new powers, but audiences will have to tune in to find out if he succeeds. Fans can catch Pantoliano in episode two and the finale. All eight episodes of the new miniseries Wonder Man premiered on Disney+ on January 27, 2026.