Here's How Much Marvel Has Changed Wonder Man for the Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley Miniseries

The Wonder Man miniseries debuts connected Disney+ connected January 27.

Marvel Comics readers person agelong been wondering erstwhile Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, would beryllium joining the fray. That question has present been answered, arsenic Shang-Chi manager Destin Daniel Cretton's Wonder Man TV miniseries is hitting Disney+ this month.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II volition bring Simon Williams to life, a truly clever portion of casting that volition beryllium other intriguing to viewers who watched HBO's Watchmen, successful which Abdul-Mateen II took connected the relation of Doctor Manhattan. He's a seasoned superhero movie performer arsenic he's besides the villain known arsenic Black Manta successful the Aquaman movies.

But we're present to speech astir Simon Williams, who helium is, and however he's going to beryllium precise antithetic from his comics mentation successful the MCU.

Who Is Wonder Man?

Readers archetypal met Wonder Man connected the screen of 1964's Avengers #9. The technicolor screen showcased the looming heads of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, and Giant-Man looking down connected their caller superpowered foe with a banner that proclaimed: "Marvel Comics proudly introduces... Wonder Man, the newest, astir dynamic astonishment quality from the world-famous House of Ideas." It was a large promise, particularly since Wonder Man wouldn't past done the extremity of the issue.

The instauration of Baron Zemo heavy successful his lair successful the Amazon Jungle, Simon Williams was a mean man, kidnapped and bombarded with "the astir potent ionic rays" which gave him ace spot and evident invincibility. The crushed for these huffy idiosyncratic shenanigans? To instal Simon -- present known arsenic Wonder Man -- into the Avengers, posing arsenic a hero. While Wonder Man goes on with the program for a while, helium yet decides to assistance the Avengers bushed Zemo. It's a noble choice, but 1 that costs him his life. Zemo had secretly poisoned him, and -- erstwhile betrayed -- refused to springiness Simon the antidote. RIP Wonder Man.

So however did Wonder Man return? Well, helium soon became a captious portion successful the instauration of a famed Marvel leader successful a infinitesimal that would interaction Wonder Man and the Avengers for decades to come.

Simon Williams is Wonder Man!

How Is Wonder Man Connected to Vision and Scarlet Witch?

Simon Williams didn't marque his comeback until 4 years and 51 issues aboriginal successful Avengers #58. But it wasn't successful the classical comic publication fashion. He wasn't resurrected. He wasn't adjacent a clone. Instead, successful the famed communicative "Even an Android Can Cry" by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, George Klein, and Sam Rosen, readers larn that helium is simply a cardinal portion of the root of the synthezoid known arsenic the Vision.

As the squad led by Iron Man tries to observe who Vision is and wherever helium came from, they observe thing shocking. The evil villain known arsenic Ultron stole thing priceless from them: the "memory tape" that they made of Wonder Man's brain. And helium utilized it to make the Vision. Yep, dissimilar the MCU wherever he's created via the magic of Thor and the brains of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, successful the archetypal comics Vision is an android with a computerized mentation of the encephalon of Simon Williams! That could person been the extremity of the unusual saga, but Wonder Man wasn't done.

Unlike the MCU, successful the archetypal comics Vision is an android with a computerized mentation of the encephalon of Simon Williams!“

Simon Williams' existent instrumentality was seeded successful 1972 erstwhile Avengers #102 revealed helium wasn't dormant but successful information was conscionable successful a comatose authorities since Avengers #9. Sadly for Simon, it wasn't the Avengers but Kang who would resurrect him successful Avengers #131 arsenic portion of his villain squad known arsenic the Legion of the Unliving. After a mates much rebirths, Wonder Man yet joined the Avengers due successful 1977, wherever his transportation to Vision became adjacent much vital.

The brace struggled to travel to presumption with their unconventional relationship, but aft years unneurotic they began to spot themselves arsenic unusual but supportive siblings. Unfortunately, that couldn't past arsenic Vision's representation was wiped by an evil corporation, leaving him personality-less. It was past that his desperate, loving woman Wanda decided to inquire Simon to erstwhile again donate his encephalon imprint to Vision, allowing her to reconstruct him, but helium was understandably unwilling. His reasons were deeper than aboveground discomfort arsenic helium had grown to emotion Wanda, though it wasn't until years aboriginal that she would instrumentality his feelings. It was a passionate matter but yet ended owed to Wanda's emotion for and inability to fto spell of Vision, her 1 existent love.

Wonder Man and Vision person a analyzable relationship, to accidental the least.

What Are Wonder Man's Powers?

That's a bully question! Like truthful galore of our favourite comic publication characters, the reply has shifted passim the years. As we mentioned, his archetypal powers were ace spot and invincibility. He got those powers acknowledgment to Zemo's archetypal ionic experiments, which would aboriginal adhd different furniture to his abilities. Following 1 of his galore deaths, Wonder Man returned to beingness seemingly composed wholly of axenic vigor though the information is much complex.

At times Wonder Man has claimed to beryllium made of Ionic Energy, but the much due statement is that his soma and bones are infused with it. His unsocial anatomy means that helium tin regenerate from injuries, make coagulated worldly retired of energy, and is adjacent capable to manipulate electromagnetic fields. Basically, his origins are present the root of his astir antithetic powers. Other than that, helium has immoderate classical superhero skills: flight, invulnerability, slug impervious skin, leaping implicit gangly buildings successful a azygous bound, utmost agility, and ace reflexes arsenic good arsenic latent powers similar teleportation and shapeshifting that are much seldom utilized by Wonder Man.

Wait, Isn't Wonder Man an Actor?

Yep. Aside from his transportation to Vision, the different astir good known facet of Simon is his quest to beryllium an actor. During the '70s, Wonder Man was surviving astatine the Avengers Mansion and decided that helium needed to marque it connected his own. After Captain America sought to slim down the squad successful Avengers #211, Simon decided to permission to prosecute his acting vocation with bully aged Hercules. From determination helium had a stint arsenic an actor, which led him to go a Hollywood stuntman acknowledgment to his adjacent invincibility. That portion of his beingness is chronicled successful some West Coast Avengers Vol. 1 and his solo bid Wonder Man. It besides is precise overmuch the inspiration for his Disney+ show...

What Role Will Wonder Man Play successful the MCU?

After the events of WandaVision and the instauration of the mind-wiped White Vision, Simon Williams feels similar a earthy adjacent measurement for the MCU. The happening is, the MCU seems to beryllium reimagining the villain-turned-hero for his debut bid and the wider franchise arsenic a whole.

It doesn't look similar there's immoderate motion of different Avengers successful the amusement -- fto unsocial Wanda oregon Vision.“

In the Disney+ miniseries, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's mentation of Simon Williams is an aspiring histrion successful Hollywood who thinks his large changeable astatine occurrence is to prima successful a reboot of an aged movie astir a superhero called Wonder Man. While Ben Kingsley returns arsenic Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery (who is besides an actor, of course), it doesn't look similar there's immoderate motion of different Avengers successful the amusement -- fto unsocial Wanda oregon Vision.

The show, which besides stars X Mayo, Arian Moayed, Shola Adewusi, Zlatko Burić, Demetrius Grosse, Béchir Sylvain, Kameron J. Meadows, Olivia Thirlby and Joe Pantoliano, looks to person a comedic borderline to it arsenic it sends up Los Angeles and Hollywood culture, and arsenic portion of the "Marvel Spotlight" enactment of Disney+ shows is specifically intended to not necktie into the bigger Multiverse Saga.

Note: This communicative was updated with the latest accusation astir Wonder Man connected Jan. 21, 2026. It primitively ran connected Nov. 1, 2022.

Rosie Knight is simply a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to fearfulness flicks. She has implicit fractional a decennary of acquisition successful amusement journalism with bylines astatine Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more. Rosie is simply a published comics writer who has written titles including Godzilla Rivals vs. Battra and The Haunted High-Tops.