One of Marvel’s most surprisingly successful strategies, in adapting its comics to the screen, is pulling lesser-known characters from its sprawling universe and breathing new life into them. Way back in 2008, people were surprised that Iron Man was kicking off the newborn MCU—but Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark became one of the most beloved MCU characters of all time. More recently, Moon Knight wowed viewers with Oscar Isaac’s groundbreaking portrayal of Marc Spector and his alters. Now, Marvel has announced the next hero to come to Disney Plus: Wonder Man. But who, you’re probably asking if you found your way to this article, is Wonder Man? What’s the story behind this character we’re all going to fall in love with in a couple of years? Here’s what you need to know!
Wonder Man’s Origins
Wonder Man’s real name is Simon Williams, and he’s the son of a successful weapons manufacturer. Simon inherits the family business at a young age, but it turns out that he doesn’t have the business acumen that his father did, and things start to go south. When his brother Eric convinces Simon to embezzle money to keep things afloat, Simon gets caught and goes to trial, where he blames Stark Industries for edging his company out of the market.
Baron Zemo gets wind of Simon’s exploits, rescues him with the help of Amora the Enchantress, and convinces him to undergo an “ionic ray” treatment that gives him his superpowers (more on that in a minute). After the treatment, Zemo orders Simon to attack the Avengers, but Simon eventually defects to their side. After a period of stasis during which he heals from the wounds he incurred in the battle, Simon is reborn as Wonder Man and goes on to help found the West Coast Avengers.
He also ends up in a love triangle with Scarlet Witch and Vision, as his brain waves were used to create Vision’s consciousness. Simon is then briefly romantically involved with Wanda—though it doesn’t last, as she is still in love with Vision.
Wonder Man’s Powers and Weaknesses
Zemo’s experiment infused Simon with ionic energy, which enhances him in many ways. Simon has superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, and stamina, along with the ability to heal his own wounds. He also has enhanced senses, with the ability to hear beyond the normal human range, and see beyond the visible light spectrum.
And those aren’t even his coolest powers. At various points in his comics history, Simon has been able to fly, manipulate energy, teleport, and shapeshift.
But it’s no fun to have a superhero who’s effectively an omnipotent being, so Simon has some weaknesses as well. Most significantly, he’s susceptible to energy attacks that disrupt his unique ionic energy pattern, effectively disintegrating him until he’s able to reform in a safe place.
Are you a Wonder Man fan? What aspects of this character do you hope Marvel will bring to the screen? Sound off in the comments!
(featured image: Marvel)
