Wonder Man was recently announced as an upcoming Marvel Disney+ miniseries. The famed actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be playing this mighty superhero after having already given an Emmy-winning performance as Dr. Manhattan in DC’s The Watchmen. Now, he brings that excessively high power level to the MCU as he is blessed by radiation once more to become Wonder Man.

The Disney+ series will follow the supervillain turned good guy as it tracks his origin from young inheritor to noticeable stunt actor to hero. Despite being a more secondary character in the Marvel universe, Wonder Man is one of its most powerful members and has had a significant impact on the universe as a whole.

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Wonder Man intends to follow the same story the comics had given the character, meaning, like always, there are several opportunities for this superhero to expand the MCU in new and interesting directions. Wonder Man was a member of the West Coast Avengers. His brain waves helped create the Vision. And he’s generally one of the most powerful beings on Earth. Along with a few new story arcs for the MCU, Wonder Man carries with him the potential to be a new central character in the upcoming phases of Marvel storytelling. This isn’t some throw-away superhero; Wonder Man is strong enough to shape the MCU.

Wonder Man’s Origins and Ties With the Avengers

     Marvel Comics

Wonder Man was once a young, bookish boy known as Simon Williams. Much like Tony Stark, he inherited his parents’ fortune and massive company when they died in his early adulthood. The story differs, however, when Simon was forced to do morally questionable things to keep his company afloat. His parents’ corporation was in competition with Stark Industries, and it was, unfortunately, failing. Desperate for answers, he relied on an embezzlement scheme from a mob boss. He was quickly discovered and jailed for his white-collar crime.

It was then that Baron Zemo managed to spring Simon from prison. Zemo believed that Simon blamed Tony Stark for his company’s failure and present misfortune, so it was his plan to use Simon to orchestrate a daring infiltration of the Avengers. Zemo gave Simon superpowers using a dangerous ionic ray treatment, which endowed Simon with superhuman strength and energy-manipulating abilities but also enslaved him to Zemo. After the ionic treatment, Simon Williams would be forced to go to Zemo for regular chemical treatment, or his powers would kill him.

Now that he was Wonder Man, Zemo used him to infiltrate the Avengers and act as his personal spy. But while he was among the Avengers, he admitted that his powers were killing him, and the group of heroes used all the means at their disposal to attempt to cure him. When Wonder Man led the Avengers into the planned ambush by Zemo’s Masters of Evil, he had a change of heart and decided to go against Zemo’s plan to help the Avengers.

Though he saved the team of superheroes, he could no longer get Zemo’s antidote and eventually died. But in true comic book fashion, Wonder Man was eventually revived by Voodoo priests and became a good guy, free of Zemo’s control.

Wonder Man Will Be a Mighty Force in the MCU

Technically, Wonder Man already exists in the MCU. In a sly Easter egg from James Gunn, Simon Williams appeared on a movie poster in the background of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. When Wonder Man eventually left the Avengers, he decided to become an actor. Since he thought his betrayal of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was so well acted out, he thought he might try his hand at it in movies.

There, while still a superhero, he performed a number of dangerous stunts. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it was Nathan Fillion’s face that appeared on the poster with the title of the movie and “Simon Williams” written as the star. Though it’s more likely that this new series will tell the story of Wonder Man from before he had his powers, you never know if the MCU will somehow change the story to make him a movie star in the present MCU.

If that were the case, it’s possible he could come into the story of the rumored Vision Quest series. There, he might prove to be some kind of strange resource to Vision if the government did, in fact, use Simon Williams’ brain waves to recreate this White Vision. His celebrity work in LA could also factor into the possibility of an MCU West Coast Avengers team. Wonder Man was a part of the team in the comics and could easily be recruited to found the team in the MCU.

At the end of the day, he’s a powerful hero with strength that rivals the Hulk. If it weren’t for his blasé attitude, he would rival Thor. Wonder Man is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but not one that rushes to reckon with others. In the future of the MCU, we may see him infiltrate the Avengers and possibly become an Avenger himself. Whatever might happen, we can rely on an outstanding performance from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.