The WONDERfools Review: A Quirky 90's Superhero Comedy That Overpowers Marvel Fatigue
- Jun 15
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
"The fate of all mankind, I see, is in the hands of fools"
- King Crimson
Title: | The WONDERfools |
Platform: | Netflix |
Release Date: | May 15,2026 |
Episode Count: | 8 |
Genre: | Superhero Comedy |
MDL Rating: | |
Parental Guidance Rating: | TV-14: Violence (Not as much as Moving, but there are superhero fights that cause some damage), Bloodshed, Substances, Smoking, Language, Some darker themes (aka child abuse) |
Staring: | Park Eun Bin as Eun Chae Ni (Female Lead/FL) Cha Eun Woo as Lee Un Jeong (Male Lead/ML) Choi Dae Hoon as Son Gyeong Un Im Sung Jae as Kang Ro Bin |
The Cast:
Synopsis: Eun Chae Ni’s heart is failing, and to add insult to injury, she is flat broke. Determined to spend her waning time on earth abroad, she convinces her two friends to stage her kidnapping in hopes of pocketing the ransom money. However, it gets real awkward when she accidentally dies. And then wakes up. Her two fellow misfit conspirators also find themselves with extraordinary abilities, and seek out the help of City Hall's, Lee Un Jeong, to master their newfound powers, avoid being kidnapped, find useful employment, and become someone their loved ones can be proud of. Set in 1999, the Wonderfools is a time capsule for the turn of the Millennium with a superhero twist.
***Spoilers are blurred.***
What Made the Fools Wonderful
I went into this with subsoil expectations and I was wonderfully delighted by The Wonderfools. It's hard to do a contained superhero show that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be Marvel or spawn a multiverse, but Koreans know best when it comes to standalone storytelling (looking at you Moving). The drama felt akin to Netflix’s Umbrella Academy in its excessive quirkiness, dark, satirical tone, and city level scope. I was surprised this wasn’t based on a Manga, because the characters felt like caricatures that walked straight out of one. The grittiness was balanced nicely with the comedy, and I liked that the team wasn't made up of shiny Clark Kents out to help humanity—they were less than average Joe’s who were strapped for cash and had a lot of room to grow. The storyline is light on romance but makes up for it with the camaraderie between the band of fools and my favorite Korean grandma. That woman is straight up G and I love her.
The Less Than Wonderful
Fair warning: I thought the first two episodes weren’t the strongest, and it takes the drama a minute to find its flow. The characters also don't start out as being overly likable, but the show reveals their qualities as it goes on.
I didn’t love the villains. The main big bad was villainous for unbeknownst villainous reasons and the other bad guys felt like throwaway antagonists. I would have liked to spend more time with them and with the mysterious church.
The Fools in WONDERfools:
 | Park Eun Bin (Extraordinary Attonery Woo) As Eun Chae Ni | Park Eun Bin has found her niche in character-driven roles, but I kind of felt like the eccentricism of Eun Chae Ni crossed into overacting as certain points-- I don't know if this was due to the script or the actor's choices but we quirked a bit too close to the sun at times. |
 | Cha Eun Woo (True Beauty) As Lee Un Jeong | For being the Male Lead, Cha Eun Woo wasn't present on screen nearly as much as I thought he'd be. I saw some rumors that his screentime was cut down due to his tax controversy. I would have liked more with his character but he nailed the brooding. |
 | Choi Dae Hoon (When Life Gives You Tangerines) As Son Gyeong Un | Choi Dae Hoon is always a good time-- his character was the most unlikable at first, but he grew on me. Despite the character landing in many sticky situations (lolz), he |
 | Im Sung Jae (Newtopia) As Kang Ro Bin | Kang Ro Bin was the comedic relief and a loveable character but the most forgettable of the bunch. I did enjoy his take on super strength though. |
 | Sun Hyun Joo (Reborn Rookie) As Ha Won Do | Ha Won Do was highly underdeveloped but Sun Hyun Joo did a great job with what he had. |
 | Bae Na Ra, Jeong E Suh, and Choi Yun Ji As The Superpowered Baddies | A grudge, a crush, and a zealot. Wish we could have gotten to know these guys more. |
 | Kim Hae Sook (Literally everything) As Kim Jeon Bok | This granny served mafia and I ate it up. |
Y2K Makes A Guest Apperance As The Apocalypse
The fact that the year 2000 was 26 years ago feels both aggressive and and offensive. But the (historical?! ***cries in old***) setting worked seamlessly into the storytelling, leaning into the real life fear of the apocalypse, which though cartoonish, was aligned with actual events: Enter the Y2K Scare.
"The term Year 2000 problem,[a] or simply Y2K, refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after the year 2000. Many programs represented four-digit years with only the final two digits, e.g. 1985 as 85, making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900. Computer systems' inability to distinguish dates correctly had the potential to bring down worldwide infrastructures for computer-reliant industries." -Wikipedia
Essentially, people were bugging because they thought it was the end for computers, meaning power grids, banking systems, and transport would shut down. This led to mass stockpiling and some believing it would be the biblical fulfillment of the end times..
The WONDERfools used this historical hysteria to its advantage as it supplied a "grounded" reason for people to seek out a megachurch and added a layer of unease to the environment.
Megachurches, AI Data Centers, And Gen Z
Another reason the 1990's was the perfect setting for the story was the rise of megachurches. The superhero baddies hide their lair (hilariously) in a megachurch and use the devotees to shield them from prying eyes. Megachurches found success in commercialization in the 90's and capitalized on accessibility and self-help. This was a revolutionary move away from rigid rituals and rules, with Megachurches presenting themselves as a one stop shop: daycares, sports facilities, community centers, and salvation. The Megachurch as the cover for the evil hideaway was a callback to a time when churches like Scientology and the Gateway Church were allegedly bustling (and ripe with scandals) and extrodinarily sus. The kids today will never know the sinister chokehold of Tom Cruise and co. at its peak. If they had set the show in the present I think the lair would be beneath an AI data center, the new big bad of our time lol. Megachurches couldn't handle Gen Z; they are so unserious that they are doing speed runs of Scientology Centers with groups of little people or they dress as minions, and I love that for them. These kids are chaos. I am both afraid and excited for the future.
Final Thoughts
The ending points toward a season 2, but if Cha Eun Woo is officially "cancelled" (I think he was cleared? Maybe?), I don't know where that would leave the possibility of another season. It would be great to see the story build out since the ending left plenty of material for the show to explore.
The Wonderfools is a fun superhero comedy that successfully dodges the fatigue of the genre with its contained scope and loveable misfits. The characters were a little silly but their lack of conformity turned out to be their strength as they rolled with what came their way and showed that sometimes it is wonderful to be a fool.
RBTS Overall Rating: 8.2-- I Recommend! | ||
Story: | 8 | A little spooky and quirky with a shaky beginning but a satisfying finish |
Acting: | 7 | Could have been toned down on the hero end and toned up on the villain end. Let me see that mustache twirl |
Production Quality: | 9 | Great 90s sets and excellent superpower fight sequences |
Ending: | 9 | Wrapped up nice and quirky |
Enjoyability: | 8 | I don't think I skipped at all but I would have liked more romance (but I know that is a me thing) |
Trailer:
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