The Wonderfools () is a 2026 South Korean superhero comedy action adventure television series created by Kang Eun-kyung, written by Heo Da-joong, directed by Yoo In-shik, and starring Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Seong-jae, and Son Hyun-joo. The series focuses on the experiences of "flawed superhumans", who are unable to control their abilities and end up using them unintentionally.
The series entered development as early as 2018 under the working title The B-Team and was originally conceived as an adaptation of an original story idea by Stan Lee, before transitioning into a completely new original story. Co-produced by Kakao Entertainment and Fantagio, principal photography took place from October 2024 to May 2025. It was released globally on Netflix on May 15, 2026.
The Wonderfools received generally positive reviews for its warm-hearted humanism, late-1990s nostalgia, and cast performances. Commercially, the series debuted at number six on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Shows chart after three days of tracking and ranked eighth among Nielsen's most-watched streaming originals in the United States during its first full week of availability, becoming the only non-English-language series in the Top 10.
Synopsis In late 1999, as the impending arrival of the new millennium fuels widespread Y2K panic and apocalyptic doom-mongering, the fictional city of Haeseong becomes the epicenter of an unusual supernatural phenomenon. The city is home to a trio of social outcasts: Eun Chae-ni, a cynical, hot-tempered 27-year-old suffering from a severe congenital heart condition that leaves her facing sudden death; Son Kyung-hoon, a notorious public nuisance who constantly files petty civil complaints at city hall; and Kang Ro-bin, an overly timid man frequently treated as a neighborhood pushover.
Desperate to travel the world before her illness claims her life, Chae-ni concocts a hare-brained scheme to stage her own kidnapping alongside Kyung-hoon and Ro-bin in order to extort ransom money from her wealthy, overprotective grandmother, Kim Jeon-bok. However, the plan goes disastrously wrong when Chae-ni suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack. Panic-stricken, Gyeong-hun and Ro-bin attempt to dispose of her body near a local facility, unaware that illegal, toxic wastewater is leaking from a hidden laboratory. Exposure to the chemical waste unexpectedly resurrects Chae-ni and grants all three misfits erratic, uncontrollable superpowers. Chae-ni acquires the ability to teleport whenever her heart rate spikes; Kyung-hoon is able to stick to surfaces whenever he tells a lie; and Ro-bin is endowed with superhuman strength that is unleashed only when something upsets him.
The entire incident is witnessed by Lee Un-jeong, a socially awkward, rigidly rule-oriented civil servant recently transferred to Haeseong City Hall from Seoul. Known by colleagues as an oddball, Un-jeong secretly possesses powerful telekinetic abilities. Recognizing his prowess, the newly empowered trio dubs him their "master" and pressures him into training them to control their unstable gifts. Un-jeong, who reluctantly complies, harbours his own dark secrets tied to a closed orphanage that once stood on the grounds now occupied by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Church of Eternal Salvation.
The source of the toxic pollutants is eventually traced back to the Wunderkinder Project, a brutal, covert human-experimentation program run by the ruthless scientist Dr. Ha Won-do. Decades prior, Won-do had subjected orphaned children to agonizing biological experiments in a bid to awaken superhuman abilities and discover the secret to eternal life. Having weaponized the surviving test subjects, Won-do returns to Haeseong City to track down a mythical "Child of Eternity" whose unique biology holds the key to a definitive cure for the side effects plaguing the survivors.
As Won-do's trio of altered enforcers, Kim Pal-ho, Seok Ju-ran, and Seok Ho-ran, begin terrorizing the city and staging abductions, the bickering "Team Wonderfools" is thrust into the center of a conspiracy. Despite their lack of superhero competence and personal struggles—including Kyung-hoon's attempts to reconcile with his estranged family and Chae-ni's coming to terms with her past medical history—the team must learn to sync their abilities. The citizens unite under Un-jeong's guidance to protect their neighborhood and stop Won-do's plans before the dawn of the new millennium.
Cast and characters Main Park Eun-bin as Eun Chae-ni Kim Si-on as young Chae-ni A resident who is known as the trainwreck of Haeseong City with a terminal heart condition who attempts to fake her own kidnapping to obtain travel money from her grandmother. After the plan results in her temporary death, she is resurrected and gains the ability to teleport whenever her heart rate spikes, eventually leading her to defend her hometown. Cha Eun-woo as Lee Un-jeong Han Ji-an as the young Un-jeong A reserved and rule-abiding civil servant who secretly possesses telekinetic abilities. While operating alone to find a person from his past and locate his birth mother, his plans are disrupted when he is forced to guide Chae-ni and her friends in mastering their newly acquired powers. Choi Dae-hoon as Son Gyeong-hun A chronic complainant at Haeseong City Hall Complaints Center who frequently files grievances regarding toxic runoff from a local dump site. He agrees to assist Chae-ni with her fake kidnapping scheme for a share of the money, but exposure to the chemical waste grants him the ability to stick to surfaces whenever he tells a lie, which only releases once he speaks the truth. Im Seong-jae as Kang Ro-bin A timid kitchen employee at Hearty House and Chae-ni's friend who acts as an accomplice in her fake kidnapping scheme. Following the incident, he develops superhuman strength and a degree of invulnerability that is triggered primarily when he feels insulted or hears profanity. Kim Hae-sook as Kim Jeon-bok Chae-ni's grandmother and the owner of Hearty House who secretly possesses significant financial influence. She was a former financier of Won-do's covert research laboratory and maintains a watchful eye over the facility's surviving test subjects. Son Hyun-joo as Dr. Ha Won-do A scientist who returns to Haeseong-si after serving a 20-year prison sentence for running the "Wunderkinder Project", a covert human-experimentation program that granted children superhuman abilities. Upon his release, he reunites with his surviving test subjects to locate a former patient whose unique biology he believes holds the key to discovering eternal life.
Supporting Bae Na-ra as Kim Pal-ho Shin Tae-yang as young Pal-ho A Wunderkinder who works closely with Won-do and has the ability to manipulate gravity. Jung Yi-seo as Seok Ju-ran Oh Ji-yul as young Ju-ran A Wunderkinder who views Won-do as a father figure and has the ability of brainwashing through telepathy. Choi Yoon-ji as Seok Ho-ran as young Ho-ran A Wunderkinder who has the ability to telepathically induce hallucinations. Cha Seo-won as Gu Jun-mo Jang Jae-ha as young Jun-mo A survivor of the Wunderkinder Project who lives a normal life thanks to Jeon-bok. as Go Sang-moo A former caretaker of kids for Wunderkinder Project. Kang Ki-doong as Yang Seok-u A senior civil servant at Haeseong City Hall Complaints Center. as Kim Na-yeong a junior civil servant at Haeseong City Hall Complaints Center. Jung Yeon as Moon Mi-hui Gyeong-hun's wife who runs a flower shop in Haeseong City. Park Ye-rin as Son Cheong Gyeong-hun's daughter. as Choi Yeong-jun The former director of Wunderkinder Project. Seo Woo-jin as the Child of Eternity as Elder Yoon One of the elders of the Church of Eternal Salvation. Hwang Eun-hoo as a church woman as Ha-na An employee at Hearty House. Jin Tae-yeon as Du-na An employee at Hearty House. Jin Mi-sa as Won-ju An employee at Hearty House. Hong Min-soo as Kim Bong-pal
Special appearances as Kwon Jun-bae, a doctor as a loyal subject Jeong Bo-seok as Nam Sun-gyu as Nurse Eom Jung Young-joo as Aurora madam Lee Il-hwa as Un-jeong's mother Lee Yong-yi as a cursing grandmother Lee Juck as a radio DJ
Episodes
Production Development In November 2018, the superhero drama series was initially based on Stan Lee's IP work titled The B-Team and is about a fight between B-rated superheroes and a mad scientist who created them. Lee's production company POW! Entertainment participated in the early stages of planning and development for the series, which was then being produced by Studio Invictus and JYP Pictures. Later in 2024, as the full-scale production began, the series would be developed as an original by the production company without the original work. Regarding this, the series' new production company Nangmancrew stated, "This is something that was agreed upon with the original author. The title would also be changed."
In December 2020, SBS held the "2021 SBS Showcase" introducing their drama, entertainment, and educational lineup for 2021 through its official YouTube channel and announced that it would launch the drama The B-Team, which was supposed to air on SBS TV in 2021. PD , who directed Giant (2010), Dr. Romantic series (2016–2023), and Vagabond (2019), helmed the megaphone, screenwriter Kang Eun-kyung, who is best known for writing Bread, Love and Dreams (2010), Dr. Romantic series (2016–2023), and Gyeongseong Creature series (2023–2024), participated as the creator, and Heo Da-joong, who is one of the writers of Extreme Job (2019), penned the script. Nangmancrew, Kakao Entertainment, and Fantagio would managed the production.
Casting Park Eun-bin and Cha Eun-woo were reportedly cast as the lead actors of the series in April and July 2024, respectively. Park and Cha's appearances were confirmed to appear along with Kim Hae-sook, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Seong-jae, and Son Hyun-joo in November 2024. Bae Na-ra joined the cast in June 2025.
Filming Principal photography began in October 2024 and wrapped up in June 2025.
The series made extensive use of coastal locations across South Korea, particularly for scenes featuring Eun Chae-ni's teleportation ability. Notable filming sites highlighted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries include Sam-bong Beach in Taean (where Chae-ni and Lee Un-jeong teleport together), Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Homi Cape Sunrise Square in Pohang, Geunpo Village in Geoje, as well as seafood markets in Ulleungdo and Pohang's Jukdo Market.
Release Netflix announced their confirmed 2025 Korean content lineup and The Wonderfools was not included. Netflix later confirmed that the series was scheduled for a second quarter of 2026 release. In February 2026, a premiere date of May 15 was reported by , but Netflix initially responded that the date was not finalized. By April 2026, Netflix officially confirmed that the series is set to be released on May 15, 2026, and released the official trailer and poster.
Reception
Viewership
The Wonderfools debuted at number 6 on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Shows weekly chart. In its first three days (May 15–17, 2026), it recorded 2.7 million views (25.3 million hours viewed) and entered the Top 10 in 25 countries. The series rose to number 2 in its second week with 7.9 million views, reaching the Top 10 in 64 countries. It remained at number 2 in its third week. By its fourth week it had reached a cumulative 16.8 million views (158.6 million hours viewed). In its fifth week (June 8–14, 2026) it placed eighth, bringing the total to 18.1 million views and 170.8 million hours watched globally.