The Marvel Cinematic Universe is returning to the small screen with its newest miniseries, Wonder Man (2026). In the series, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II makes his MCU debut as Simon Williams (aka Wonder Man). Abdul-Mateen’s Simon is a struggling actor who runs into the MCU’s other infamous actor, Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley). Slattery got on the Ten Rings’ bad side after posing as the terrorist persona The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 (2013). Wonder Man sees Williams and Slattery cast in a remake of the superhero film Wonder Man.
So far, Wonder Man is shaping up to be quite different from what the MCU has done before, thanks to its intriguing meta premise. It seems it will be poking fun at itself through the topic of superhero movie-making and franchise fatigue. Given the fairly ambiguous trailers, though, you may be wondering who Wonder Man actually is and if he’s real or another pseudo-Mandarin figure. Use our guide to find out who Wonder Man is and how he fits into the MCU.
Wonder Man’s Marvel Comics History, Explained
Wonder Man has been appearing in Marvel Comics since the 1960s, sometimes as a villain and other times as a hero. Simon Williams initially began his story as an average man with business aspirations. He inherited his father’s business, Williams Innovations, at just 20 years old. However, the company began struggling due to its much more successful competitor, Stark Industries. Williams went to desperate lengths to top the competition and ultimately landed in prison on embezzlement charges.
His prison tenure drew the attention of Baron Zemo and Amora the Enchantress, who decided to use him to accomplish their goals of taking down The Avengers. They paid his bail and got him out of jail; in return, he agreed to undergo an experiment to imbue himself with ionic energy. He came back from the experiment with his Wonder Man powers, including superhuman strength, durability, senses, and speed. However, the experiment came with a caveat: He would die if he didn’t receive regular treatments of Zemo’s antidote.
The antidote was Zemo’s way to ensure Williams’ loyalty, or so he thought. Williams attempted to take down The Avengers, but ended up inspired by them. Knowing he would die, he still chose to aid The Avengers, sacrificing his life. Although his death drove his brother, Eric, to become the villain, the Grim Reaper, Williams wasn’t entirely gone. His brain patterns were retained and later utilized as a template for Vision’s mind. Eventually, the Living Laser revived the true Williams, who emerged as a being composed entirely of ionic energy. He went on to become the hero Wonder Man, accepted Vision as a brother, and joined The Avengers officially.
Despite his stint with The Avengers, The Avengers were also sometimes the main villains he faced, aside from Zemo and Enchantress. Wonder Man had strong moral convictions and became disillusioned with superheroes, even forming The Revengers to oppose The Avengers. He later admitted that The Avengers did more good than harm, but he remained staunchly opposed to superheroes utilizing any form of violence in their work.
How Wonder Man Fits Into The MCU
As mentioned above, the Wonder Man show’s meta premise has definitely confused some fans, who question whether Simon Williams is Wonder Man or just an actor playing Wonder Man. As of now, it appears that Williams is an actor who, while preparing to play the role of Wonder Man, develops real powers and essentially turns into the real-life Wonder Man. It’s difficult to tell how Wonder Man fits into the wider MCU, as the show seems pretty self-contained. However, it will introduce Simon and Eric (Demetrius Grosse) and connect them with Trevor Slattery.
Given that Trevor was an original character created for the MCU, the MCU may take a more original route with Simon. In the comics, Simon was also an actor, though he took up his acting career after his resurrection. The MCU, though, seems to be retconning the source of his power, especially since there’s no evidence Zemo (Daniel Brühl), Enchantress, or The Avengers will be in the series. It seems Wonder Man will be the MCU’s spin on Williams’ origin story, potentially opening the door for him to appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026) or somewhere else in the MCU’s future.
Where To Watch Wonder Man Before His MCU Debut
In addition to the MCU’s new Wonder Man series, you can catch Simon Williams in a few other TV projects. All his television iterations have been unique. In his first animated appearance in The Avengers: United They Stand (1999), Williams (Hamish McEwan) is an established Avenger. The team-up more closely resembles the West Coast Avengers than the MCU Avengers lineup you’re most likely familiar with. As one of the first Avengers animated series, it’s a little dated, but the vibrant colors, fun characters, and Marvel lore are appealing.
If you’re looking for a little more sophisticated Marvel animation, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) is an excellent watch. The animation is gorgeous, though the biggest allure is the high comic book accuracy, as it even captures William’s (Phil LaMarr) stint with Zemo and Enchantress’s Masters of Evil, and his ultimate sacrifice.
For a more irreverent take on Williams, there is also Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (2021). The series is an over-the-top adult animation that follows the incompetent supervillain M.O.D.O.K. (Patton Oswalt). It also offers a more humorous take on Williams (Nathan Fillion) as a struggling actor who considers himself a “pending Avenger.” James Gunn once actually planned to have Fillion’s Williams crossover into live-action with a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). However, it ultimately didn’t make it into the final cut.
