Set in 1999 during a time when fears about the end of the world were spreading everywhere, The Wonderfools (Original title: Do Won-do Pul-seu, 2026) is a South Korean superhero comedy action adventure series that follows a group of ordinary people whose lives suddenly change after they gain strange superpowers. Created by Kang Eun-kyung, written by Heo Da-joong, and directed by Yoo In-sik, the Netflix drama stars Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Seong-jae, and Son Hyun-joo. The K-drama series focuses on flawed superhumans who struggle to control their powers and often use them by accident. At the center of the story is the town of Haeseong, where friendship, chaos, comedy, and danger slowly come together as dark secrets from the past begin to surface.
Please note that the article contains huge spoilers ahead.
The WONDERfools (2026) Recap:
What is ‘The WONDERfools’ streaming on Netflix really about?
The story follows Eun Chae-ni, a 27-year-old woman who has earned the embarrassing nickname “Lady Trainwreck” in Haeseong because she is extremely clumsy and constantly finds herself in awkward situations. Even though people laugh at her, Chae-ni is kindhearted and full of dreams. She lives with her rich grandmother, Kim Jeon-bok, played by Kim Hae-sook. Jeon-bok deeply loves her granddaughter, but her love often feels suffocating because she controls nearly every part of Chae-ni’s life. The reason for Jeon-bok’s overprotective behavior is Chae-ni’s dangerous heart condition. Since Chae-ni was young, she has lived with the fear that her health could suddenly fail. Because of this, her grandmother watches over her constantly and tries to stop her from taking risks. But Chae-ni wants more from life than simply staying safe at home. She dreams about traveling the world, seeing the Northern Lights, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro someday. She feels trapped in Haeseong and frustrated that her life never seems to truly begin.
Eventually, Chae-ni becomes tired of waiting for things to change. In desperation, she comes up with a reckless plan. She convinces her best friend Kang Ro-bin, played by Im Seong-jae, and another local man named Son Kyung-hoon, played by Choi Dae-hoon, to help fake her kidnapping. Chae-ni believes that if they scare her grandmother into paying ransom money, she can finally escape Haeseong and travel the world. She promises to split the money with Ro-bin and Kyung-hoon. What begins as a foolish plan quickly turns into disaster. During the fake kidnapping, Chae-ni suddenly dies because of her heart condition. Ro-bin and Kyung-hoon panic immediately. Terrified and unsure what to do, they decide to secretly dump her body at a local dumping ground. What they do not realize is that the area has been contaminated by a mysterious chemical connected to hidden experiments in the town.
What is Ha Won-do hiding?
Something impossible happens there. Chae-ni suddenly comes back to life. Not only does she survive, but all three of them develop superpowers after coming into contact with the strange chemical. Chae-ni gains the ability to teleport from one place to another instantly. Ro-bin becomes incredibly strong. Kyung-hoon develops the strange ability to stick to objects and surfaces. Their lives completely change overnight. Chae-ni’s resurrection is witnessed by Lee Un-jeong, played by Cha Eun-woo from True Beauty. Un-jeong works at the local city hall and appears calm and distant compared to the chaotic group around him. However, he is hiding secrets connected to Haeseong’s past and knows much more about superpowers than he first admits.
As the story continues, the series slowly reveals that Haeseong is not the quiet little town it appears to be. Decades earlier, a terrible tragedy took place there. A man named Ha Won-do, played by Son Hyun-joo, secretly ran cruel experiments on children inside the Haeseong orphanage. Publicly, the orphanage looked normal, but in reality it served as a cover for Won-do’s attempts to create a super-serum capable of granting eternal life. The orphanage children suffered greatly under these experiments. Many of them died because of Won-do’s actions. Others survived, but developed strange supernatural abilities as a result. Among those children were Un-jeong, Pal-ho, Ju-ran, and Ho-ran. Un-jeong and Pal-ho both gained telekinetic powers that allowed them to move objects with their minds. Ju-ran developed the terrifying ability to control other people mentally. Ho-ran gained illusion powers that allowed her to trap people inside dreams and nightmares created by her mind.
The orphanage also contained another child known only as the Child of Eternity. This child possessed the horrifying ability to regenerate, even after death. Won-do became obsessed with testing the limits of this power. He repeatedly killed the child over and over again to study how his body recovered. The experiments were unbelievably cruel. Eventually, Un-jeong could no longer endure watching his friend suffer. In a moment of emotional breakdown, he unleashed a massive burst of telekinetic energy that caused a fire and destroyed the orphanage. Many of the children escaped during the chaos, while Won-do was later imprisoned for his crimes.
The WONDERfools (2026) Ending Explained:
How is Chae-ni connected to Won-do?
Years later, in present-day Haeseong, the site of the old orphanage has become home to a strange religious organization called The Church of Eternal Salvation. As the year 2000 approaches, the church gains followers by spreading fear about an upcoming apocalypse. The church claims that only faithful believers will survive the end of the world. It is eventually revealed that Won-do is secretly behind the church after being released from prison. He has returned to his experiments and is once again searching for a way to achieve eternal life. Helping him are his former child subjects Pal-ho, Ju-ran, and Ho-ran. Although they suffered terribly under Won-do’s experiments, they still see him as the only father figure they ever had. Their trauma keeps them tied to him even as adults.
Won-do begins exposing adults to the mysterious chemicals to observe what powers they develop. However, his true goal is much bigger. He desperately wants to recover the Child of Eternity, believing the child remains the key to perfect immortality. Near the end of the series, the truth about the Child of Eternity is finally revealed. The child did not survive the orphanage fire and was left braindead. However, his heart survived. Jeon-bok secretly arranged for the heart to be transplanted into Chae-ni when she needed a life-saving operation as a child. This revelation shocks Chae-ni deeply. She realizes her own survival is connected to the horrific experiments and suffering of another child. She becomes horrified after learning about the role her grandmother played in funding the orphanage alongside other wealthy benefactors. Although Chae-ni eventually forgives Jeon-bok, the truth seriously damages their relationship for a time.
How will Chae-ni stop the blimp?
When Won-do discovers that Chae-ni carries the Child of Eternity’s heart inside her body, he becomes obsessed with capturing her. Chae-ni’s body can now produce a serum that may finally allow him to achieve eternal life. Won-do sends his followers after her, placing Chae-ni and her friends in constant danger. Fortunately, Chae-ni is no longer alone. Ro-bin, Kyung-hoon, and Un-jeong stand beside her. Although Un-jeong initially kept his emotional distance from the group, their warmth and determination slowly break through his walls. Over time, he also develops romantic feelings for Chae-ni, making their bond even stronger.
As Won-do grows more desperate, he decides to infect large numbers of people with the chemicals in hopes of recreating the regenerative powers of the Child of Eternity. This leads to the dramatic final episodes of the series. The climax of The Wonderfools centers around a terrifying plan involving a blimp filled with chemicals and explosives. Won-do and his followers intend to release the chemicals over the entire town of Haeseong. During the final battle, Won-do, Pal-ho, and Ho-ran all die. Meanwhile, Ju-ran becomes overwhelmed by grief and rage. She believes the people of Haeseong abandoned the orphanage children long ago and deserve punishment. Using her mind-control powers, she forces the citizens of the town to gather beneath the blimp.
To stop the disaster, Chae-ni and her friends create a dangerous plan. Ro-bin will use his incredible strength to throw Chae-ni and Kyung-hoon onto the blimp high in the sky. Kyung-hoon will use his sticky powers to make sure they land safely. Afterward, he will jump back down while Un-jeong uses telekinesis to slow his fall. Finally, Chae-ni will teleport the blimp far away to prevent the chemicals and explosives from harming the town. Once she teleports back, Un-jeong will safely lower her to the ground.
Will Won-do Return In ‘The WONDERfools’ Season 2?
The plan almost works perfectly. Chae-ni successfully teleports the blimp away, but this time, something changes. Normally, whenever she teleports somewhere, she eventually returns to the exact place she left from. But after teleporting the exploding blimp away, she does not come back. Un-jeong waits desperately, staring into the sky, hoping she will return. She never appears. Weeks later, everyone believes Chae-ni is dead. Jeon-bok holds a funeral for her granddaughter. Then, unexpectedly, Chae-ni suddenly appears alive. Dirty and exhausted, she explains that she had teleported the blimp to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro and had to slowly travel home afterwards. Her friends and family break down in tears of relief after seeing her again.
After the battle ends, the people of Haeseong strangely forget everything that happened on New Year’s Eve. Nobody remembers how Chae-ni and her friends saved the town. The only person who remembers the truth is Kyung-hoon’s daughter, Cheong. Because she was wearing headphones during Ju-ran’s mind-control attack, she remained unaffected and kept her memories. For years, she believed her father was unreliable and disappointing, but now she finally sees him as a hero. The WONDERfools (2026) ends on a hopeful note. Chae-ni, Un-jeong, Ro-bin, and Kyung-hoon continue working together while keeping watch over Haeseong. They have become a strange but loving found family.
Still, not every problem has been solved. Earlier in the story, Won-do hinted that using superpowers comes at a serious physical cost. Pal-ho died after overusing his abilities. During the final battle, both Ju-ran and Un-jeong cough up blood, suggesting that their powers may eventually destroy them as well. Although there has been no official confirmation about a second season of The Wonderfools, the series clearly leaves the door open for more storylines. In a mid-credits scene, it is revealed that Ju-ran injected Won-do with one of the last remaining super serums before his death. The serum successfully brings him back to life. Won-do regenerates, proving that he survived once again. This final scene strongly hints that if The Wonderfools returns for season 2, Won-do will return as the main villain once more.
