Marvel Star’s Divisive Netflix Remake Is Dominating the Streaming War

A new Netflix remake starring Marvel’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has split television critics yet soared to the top of the platform’s viewership charts.

Man on Fire is trending very high on Netflix streaming

The seven-episode action thriller, released on April 30, 2026, has become a clear winner in the streaming war, according to FlixPatrol. By May 4, Man on Fire had climbed to the No. 2 spot on Netflix’s U.S. Top 10 list, trailing only Should I Marry A Murderer?, while claiming the No. 1 position globally ahead of titles such as Unchosen, Homicide Squad New Orleans, and Running Point.

This bifurcated reception extends to the reviews. Robert Lloyd of The Los Angeles Times lauded the Netflix show, writing, “Straightforward action entertainment, a traditional payback drama with generally clear-cut good guys and bad guys, once you sort them out.” Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote an entirely different assessment, describing the show as “a weirdly upbeat, disappointingly bland set-up for an ongoing series about a damaged mercenary and his unlikely, poorly developed Scooby Gang.” 

Man of Fire is the third screen adaptation of A. J. Quinnell’s 1980 book, following feature films released in 1987 and 2004. This version, developed by showrunner Kyle Killen, expands the source material into an episodic format and incorporates plotlines from Quinnell’s follow-up novel The Perfect Kill. 

Abdul-Mateen II stars as John Creasy, a former U.S. Army Special Forces Captain whose CIA contract work ended in catastrophe when his entire team was ambushed and killed in Mexico City. Four years later, Creasy is grappling with severe PTSD and alcoholism. After a failed suicide attempt, his friend Paul Rayburn, played by Bobby Cannavale, brings him to Brazil for a security assignment. A bombing kills Rayburn and most of his family, sparing only his daughter Poe, played by Billie Boullet. Creasy then goes on a revenge campaign that uncovers a larger conspiracy.

Man of Fire is currently streaming on Netflix. 

Source: Comingsoon.net