Top 10 Things To Know Before Watching Wonderman

#10: Tony Stark Kinda Created Wonder Man

In the MCU, Tony has had a hand in creating several villains, either directly or indirectly. This includes Baron Zemo, Mysterio, and Ultron. Well, main-comics Tony can relate to his counterpart as he created Wonder Man in 1964. Simon’s family owned the munitions firm, Williams Innovations. After he took over the business, it began to falter, which was made worse when Stark Industries transformed into a business powerhouse and eclipsed them. Desperate to save the family legacy, Simon is encouraged by his brother, Eric, to embezzle funds to avoid bankruptcy. However, it didn’t work, and Simon was arrested. This led to the Enchantress, working with the Masters of Evil, paying his bail and offering to give him superpowers, which Simon accepted.

#9: Death Debut

With Simon agreeing to the Enchantress’s offer, she took him to Baron Zemo, who had a dastardly plan. Desperate to get revenge on Tony Stark, Simon would get powers and then infiltrate the Avengers to bring them down. However, there was a catch. Zemo claimed the rays used to give Simon powers were fatal, and only he had the antidote. With the mantle of Wonder Man, Simon followed the plan. However, with the Avengers being all lovely and offering to save his life, Simon helped the heroes. However, he succumbed to the poisoning in the same issue in which he debuted, “Avengers #9.” Following his quick demise, beyond brief resurrections, Simon wasn’t returned to life until 1976.

#8: The D.C. Lawsuit

One of the reasons for Wonder Man being put on ice for so long seemingly stems from the fury of comic rival DC. According to Marvel legend Stan Lee, who helped create Simon, DC issued a lawsuit against the company for creating Wonder Man, believing it was infringing on their copyright with Wonder Woman. As such, Lee agreed to remove Simon from the playing field. Yet he was in for a surprise when DC debuted the character Power Girl in 1976, shortly after Marvel’s Luke Cage had taken on the name of Power Man. As such, Wonder Man was brought back into the 6-1-6 fold with no retaliation from DC.

#7: Trevor Slattery's Involvement

While fans hated the reveal that The Mandarin was actually performed by actor Trevor in 2013’s “Iron Man 3,” the character has since become beloved in the franchise. The MCU achieved this by morphing Trevor into a comedy role as a parody of an unsuccessful actor when he returned in 2021’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” With Simon having a long history in the same industry – more on that later – Trevor is set to be a focal point in the new “Wonder Man” series as the duo become allies in the acting arena. We have all our fingers and toes crossed that Morris follows Trevor to Hollywood.

#6: Pacifist Man

Typically, superheroes are all about fighting baddies with surreal powers, fists, or whatever they have lying around. Yet not Simon. At least, not modern Wonder Man. Following a mental health crisis when he believed the Avengers were causing more problems than solving them, Simon decided he would be a pacifist. Despite this, he still accepted the offer to join the Avengers Unity Division, which was a PR team showing mutant and Avenger togetherness. It was an interesting dynamic to read how the comic creators would deal with a character in a team that doesn’t fight. Instead of attacking, Simon would use his vast powers to play defence as he preached pacifist ideals by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

#5: Villanous Brother

Considering Eric’s advice in stopping their family business from going under was to convince Simon to do crime, probably shows that he’s not a good egg. And he isn’t. Instead, Eric was involved with a crime syndicate and took on the villainous alter ego of the Grim Reaper following Simon’s first demise. With most of his abilities coming from technology and later getting some mystical ones, Eric, best known for his trademark scythe arm, was a thorn in the Avengers’, Simon’s, and Vision’s sides. Yet that hasn’t stopped him from perishing and coming back to life as much as Simon. We might get to see the live-action scythe when Eric is portrayed by Demetrius Grosse in the “Wonder Man” series.

#4: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Comic History

Live-action adaptations of comic books can take some time for actors to get used to. Thankfully for “Wonder Man,” Simon is played by Abdul-Mateen, who has vast experience in the genre. Before he crossed the Rubicon to Marvel, Abdul-Mateen was at DC playing the villain Black Manta in 2018’s “Aquaman” and its 2023 sequel, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Abdul-Mateen reportedly described his “Aquaman” role as “clown work” when comparing it to more dramatic roles, something which he had to “get over” when taking on the role. Yet, regardless of that, it didn’t stop him from signing on to play Cal Abar in the 2019 TV show “Watchmen,” where he was later revealed to be Doctor Manhattan.

#3: Vision Connection

While in the MCU, Vision was created with Tony’s AI J.A.R.V.I.S.; in the comics, it was a different story. Ultron used computer programming and human brain patterns to form Vision’s core being. The human sample turned out to be Simon's. This is what triggered the failure of Ultron’s plan to use Vision to destroy the Avengers, as the android joined the heroes instead, just like Simon. However, this fact caused Eric to despise Vision, who saw the hero as an imposter to his brother. Simon, on the other hand, while it has been frosty between them, essentially sees the Vision as his brother. This connection has led to speculation that Simon may be involved in fully restoring the MCU’s Vision.

#2: Movie Star

As the 2026 “Wonder Man” show will depict, Simon is an actor. Yet as we’ve mentioned already, the comics version wasn’t initially a Hollywood star. In 1978, after being dropped as an Avenger, Simon decided a new venture was needed. Inspired by going to the cinema with Beast, he decided to try acting. Slowly but surely, Simon began rising up the acting ranks, finding work on a children’s TV show and as a stunt performer, all during stints in the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers. It wasn’t all great, though, as Wonder Man’s ego grew rapidly. Yet eventually, he managed to achieve A-List status after publicly admitting to his embezzlement. Apparently, in this circumstance, crime can pay off in the long run.

#1: Ionic Energy Powers

Simon might be one of the underdog powerhouses in Marvel. Rogue made the error of underestimating Simon when she borrowed his power and accidentally killed Eric. Filled to the brim with ionic energy, Simon is one of the strongest around. After all, his strength is often compared to Thor's. Alongside superhuman speed, stamina, and reflexes, Simon has been known to fly and fire off energy blasts. Yet one of his most impressive powers is that he’s essentially immortal. As such, he doesn’t require food, water, sleep, or even oxygen to survive. Other powers Simon once used include teleportation, shapeshifting, size alteration, and the ability to make energy constructs. If the “Wonder Man” series even scratches the surface of his abilities, we’re in for a treat!

Which other obscure Marvel character do you think desperately needs some live-action content? Let us know below!