“Wonder Man ”creators explain finale's needle drop using “The O.C. ”theme song: 'It actually feels really tragic'
- - “Wonder Man ”creators explain finale's needle drop using “The O.C. ”theme song: 'It actually feels really tragic'
Sydney BucksbaumJanuary 30, 2026 at 1:26 AM
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 'Wonder Man'
Disney+
Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Wonder Man season 1 finale, "Yucca Valley."
Yes, Wonder Man's finale opening credit sequence is a direct reference to The O.C. Come on, how could it not be?!
Marvel's latest TV series borrowed The O.C.'s iconic theme song, "California" by Phantom Planet, at the beginning of episode 8, "Yucca Valley." Creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest, both fans of the early '00s teen drama that made Ben McKenzie, Adam Brody, Mischa Barton, and Rachel Bilson superstars, confirm it was an intentional needle drop.
"Particularly the opening credits of The O.C., I remember watching and just thinking was so incredible," Guest says. "It was a great show and really, I got excited about the idea of using another show's theme song as our theme song for one episode, because it's where our credits play."
Guest adds that they used that song with the goal of viewers recognizing it and remembering The O.C. "Hopefully there are some audiences out there who will have their heartstrings pulled as they connect with that theme," he says.
The creators also loved how the lyrics perfectly line up with Simon's (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) situation at the start of the finale, having just accidentally destroyed the Wonder Man set — and any chance he had at Hollywood success — with his no-longer-secret powers.
"To me, the theme works because of the placement of it," Cretton says. "It is almost scoring the facade that this dreamer, in that moment, is never going to reach. That song just has come to represent so much of what the dream of this place feels like, but in that moment, it actually feels really tragic."
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 'Wonder Man'
Courtesy of Marvel Television
After a flashback to Simon's childhood when he saw the original Wonder Man in theaters, the finale jumps back to the present as he reels from losing control of his powers on the set of the Wonder Man remake. As Simon drives through Hollywood, the unmistakable opening piano notes of Phantom Planet's hit that became best known as The O.C.'s theme song start playing.
The lyrics kick in as Simon's best friend and Wonder Man costar Trevor (Sir Ben Kingsley) arrives on set, shocked to see the damage that could have only been wrought by Simon's powers. As the Wonder Man opening credits flash onscreen, Simon continues driving through Hollywood, grappling with the thought that he not only just exploded his once-promising acting career, but also that he's about to be arrested and locked up by the Department of Damage Control, who are already on their way to investigate the incident.
Simon is angry, regretful, and disappointed at his lack of control. He hits his steering wheel repeatedly as he makes his getaway, while DODC agents arrive on the scene. Simon finally arrives home by the time that news reports announce a manhunt is underway.
He, of course, assumes he's the one being hunted, but he's unaware that Trevor already filmed and released a manifesto video, becoming the Mandarin once again, publicly taking credit for what he calls a terrorist attack on Hollywood, all so he can save Simon.
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By the end of the finale, Trevor was fired from the Wonder Man remake, and his role was recast with Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano. The movie was a success, launching Simon's career as an A-list actor. But he can't stop thinking about Trevor, who was locked up by the DODC.
Simon ultimately stages a jailbreak, busting Trevor out of the top-secret desert prison and flying them both away to safety.
California, here they come.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
