Wonder Man is a long-standing character in the Marvel universe with a complex origin and set of powers that could easily tie into the MCU. It was recently announced that Wonder Man would be getting his own series on Disney+ from Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton and Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Andrew Guest. Created in 1964 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck, Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, appeared predominantly in the pages of The Avengers comics before getting his own solo title in the mid-90s.
Originally a villain, Wonder Man was put on ice by Stan Lee when DC complained over similarities to Wonder Woman, which were purely a name issue. Marvel decided to discontinue the character until DC created Power Girl (as Marvel already had Power Man), reviving him in the '70s as a hero, where he became a steady presence. That said, his tenure in the comics hasn't been smooth sailing.
While commonly known as a hero, Wonder Man is also portrayed as deeply critical of the Avengers, frequently fighting with them as much as joining them, making for a unique twist on his persona. Despite his uneasy relationship with the Avengers, the character has strong ties to Scarlet Witch and Vision, due to his brotherly friendship and brainwave connection with the latter and his infatuation with the former. He also has a close bond with Beast after their time working together. Here's everything you need to know about Marvel's Wonder Man.
Wonder Man Origin & History In Marvel Comics
Before he was Wonder Man, Simon Williams was the son of an industrialist who ran a successful munitions factory called Williams Innovations, a competitor to Stark Industries. Simon would eventually inherit the company, but was later sentenced to prison for embezzlement when trying to save it from ruin. He is broken out of prison by Amora the Enchantress and agrees to be experimented on by Marvel's Baron Zemo, who uses ionic rays to enhance Simon. The rays transform his body, giving him immense superhuman abilities, but the catch is that he must receive weekly serum treatments or he will die. Zemo brands him Wonder Man and sends him to infiltrate the Avengers so that he can gain access and eventually attack them. Wonder Man agrees to Zemo's plan, but later bonds with his fellow Avengers and is unable to betray them, eventually succumbing to his lack of weekly serum treatments. As it turns out, however, it merely put him in a coma rather than killing him, due to the nature of his now-altered genetics.
Wonder Man's brother, Eric Williams, is distraught over his brother's "death" and ends up taking on the mantle of the villain known as the Grim Reaper, lashing out against the Avengers in retaliation. After being frequently revived as a pawn for a villain's plan, Wonder Man is finally restored to his true self by the Living Laser and becomes a full-time Avenger. It's later revealed that his brainwaves were recorded when he was comatose and later stolen by Ultron, which he used to create Vision, whom Wonder Man comes to accept as his "brother." However, Wonder Man also has a deep infatuation with Scarlet Witch and the two share a romantic relationship for a time. Simon later helps form The West Coast Avengers with Hawkeye and begins working as a stuntman and actor on the side, seeing tremendous success in both endeavors.
At one point, Vision is reduced to White Vision, an emotionless robot, and the Avengers want to use Wonder Man's brainwaves (again) to help Vision be restored to his former self. Wonder Man refuses, due largely to his infatuation with Scarlet Witch and wanting to be with her himself. Eventually, Vision is returned to his former self, but not by way of Wonder Man's brainwaves, and the two awkwardly try to rebuild their relationship. Wonder Man faces more deaths and resurrections throughout his life, eventually settling back in California where he funds the non-profit charitable enterprise called Second Chances. He remains an on-again-off-again member of the Avengers, maintaining his close friendship with Beast while still carrying a torch for Scarlet Witch.
Wonder Man Powers Explained
Wonder Man's powers are derived of ionic energy, which was part of an experiment by Baron Zemo. Imbued with the power of the ionic rays, Wonder Man's abilities are vast, including enhanced strength and speed, flight, invulnerability, regenerative healing, shapeshifting, teleportation, and size alteration. In addition to those powers, Wonder Man is essentially immortal, as the ionic rays have affected his cells in a way that makes him immune to aging, disease, and infection. The ionic energy has also made Wonder Man self-sustaining. Essentially a living being of ionic energy, Wonder Man no longer needs food, sleep, water, oxygen to survive and can thrive in almost any extreme condition, including space, underwater, etc.
In addition to his powers, Wonder Man is also popular in Hollywood as a respected stuntman and actor. He is known to have a gifted intellect, which is one of the reasons he was initially chosen to take over his father's company before he became Wonder Man. Beyond that, Wonder Man is frequently known for his philanthropy via the Second Chances non-profit, which is meant to help those in need and is funded by his Hollywood royalties. In terms of weaknesses, Wonder Man frequently has doubts and fears about his abilities and constantly grapples with pacifism, due largely to his immense feelings of guilt after having been used as a pawn by so many villains throughout his life. This leads to clashes with the Avengers leadership on a regular basis.
Wonder Man Almost Appeared In Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
James Gunn attempted to introduce Simon Williams into the MCU initially in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Nathan Fillion was cast as Williams, embodying the character in his Hollywood persona. However, Fillion's scenes were eventually cut from the final film, but deleted screenshots and faux movie posters were later shared by both Gunn and Fillion. In a nod to the comics, Fillion portrayed Williams in his flagship Hollywood role of Arkon, which was the character's first big starring role in the comics.
James Gunn and Nathan Fillion shared additional fake movie posters for Simon Williams, which featured other roles the actor took on during his Hollywood days. One of the most meta of the posters was a Steve Jobs-like poster for a Tony Stark biopic with Williams playing Stark. Other posters included a Toxic Avenger nod with Toxic Janitor 2, a romantic comedy called Oh, Rebecca, a thriller called Dead Before Arrival, and a horror film called Haxan 2. The question has constantly arisen as to whether Fillion is now considered the MCU's Simon Williams/Wonder Man, even though the footage never made it into Guardians 2. Thus far, no casting has been announced for the Disney+ show, so it's anyone's guess who will play him.
Wonder Man's MCU Story: What Could It Be?
Working Simon Williams into the MCU will likely be fairly easy, depending on which direction the showrunners go. Many of Wonder Man's affiliated contemporaries have already been established in the MCU, including Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Baron Zemo, all of whom play a key role in his biography. Scarlet Witch's fate at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could prove to be difficult in tying the characters together at this stage, but the current state of the newly-revived White Vision goes hand-in-hand with Wonder Man's story from the comics. The MCU's Vision was created by Ultron without Wonder Man's brainwaves, but some retconning can help bridge that, especially since Ultron had access to every facet of digital information, which could mean he pulled early brainwave scans from a yet-to-be-disclosed database (Hank Pym originally recorded them in the comics) and used them in Avengers: Age of Ultron to create Vision.
Baron Zemo is another key to Wonder Man's introduction and his presence has been further developed in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. If a comics-accurate origin is to be used for Wonder Man, having Simon Williams introduced as running his father's munitions business, competing with Stark Industries, and eventually falling from grace due to embezzlement, could lead directly to him getting his powers from Zemo. Daniel Brühl's Zemo has shown to be every bit the crafty, conniving and cunning villain with big plans, so it would make sense that he play a role in helping to create Wonder Man in the MCU. It could see him once again seeking his revenge on the Avengers by using a pawn like Wonder Man, just as he attempted with the Winter Soldier in Captain America: Civil War. Essentially, there are a lot of established avenues to utilize in bringing Wonder Man into the MCU, which can honor the comic origins, while also condensing his rather convoluted journey on the page for the small screen.