Recently news broke that a Wonder Man series is in development over on Disney+ with Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest attached. Guest, known for his work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community, would be the head writer of the series with Cretton set to exec produce.
Having Cretton attached to the Wonder Man series already ups the excitement, because of the amazing work and direction he brought to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The series itself is still at least a few years away, but what if Wonder Man is set to appear in the MCU before then? I think it’s not only possible but probable with one of the next year’s Marvel blockbusters – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Wonder Man in the MCU
It’s may not come as a shocker, but Marvel Studios want Wonder Man in the MCU and have for a while. Back in 2017, James Gunn released posters of Nathan Fillon as Simon Williams that were cut from Guardians of the Galaxy. They were supposed to appear in some scenes on Earth, which would have been an awesome Easter egg for the superhero. Check out some of the posters below!
Fast forward a few years to WandaVision, where in a behind-the-scenes look with head writer and executive producer Jac Schaeffer, a blurred-out, but still recognizable Wonder Man is on a board with other ideas for the series.
The character didn’t make it in that show either, but both examples indicate that Marvel Studios has been eagerly looking for ways to introduce him into the MCU.
You may be wondering how Wonder Man could factor into Quantumania before his spin-off series as I’ve previously suggested. The theory is tied to his origins and rumors of one of the villains of the Ant-Man threequel. That’s right. If the rumors are true that M.O.D.O.K. is appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, then it’s entirely possible that is the film where we may get our first look at Simon Williams in the MCU.
Wonder Man, M.O.D.O.K., and his comic origins
In the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Simon Williams’ powers stem from ionic energy, an element in Marvel lore that is extremely powerful and incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. So naturally, A.I.M. and M.O.D.O.K. use this element and through experimentation give Williams his abilities.
As the only experiment to survive, Williams becomes develops a new form of pure ionic energy. In the comics, Williams gets his powers from Zemo instead of M.O.D.O.K., however, the power set remains the same. Regardless of how Wonder Man comes to be, he starts off working for the Masters of Evil, manipulated by Zemo into cooperation. Eventually, Wonder Man affiliates himself with the Avengers, becoming a hero.
As The Ronin reported back in September 2021, Marvel Studios registered an Ionic Productions LLC for an upcoming project, which they theorize is either Rogue or Wonder Man. Both characters have Ionic-based powers, however, Christopher Marc of The Ronin believed it to be the Wonder Man series more so than a Rogue solo project.
The registered LLC name alone may mean nothing, but combined with this latest news about a Wonder Man series in development, Ionic seems most likely to be the proper LLC attached to it. And if that is correct, it certainly hints that Williams could have a similar origin story to that of A: EMH or to the comics.
While his comic origins begin with Zemo, where Daniel Bruhl’s adaptation left off at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it doesn’t seem as likely he will play a part in Wonder Man’s origin. At least it seems difficult to conduct Ionic experiments while in the Raft prison. But Wonder Man would pair exceptionally well with the larger-than-life M.O.D.O.K. and his experiments at A.I.M.
M.O.D.O.K. and Williams’ introduction in the MCU
Back in December, The Direct reported that M.O.D.O.K. is set to make his appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The report indicated that this film is set to embrace the ‘weird and wacky,” which M.O.D.O.K. definitely fits the bill.
Introducing him and A.I.M. in this film means that all the makings are there for an MCU introduction of Wonder Man as well. He could start off as M.O.D.O.K.’s henchman, an experiment used as the initial villain of the film. Williams could have a change of heart as the story nears its end, propelling him into his own series.
I think that introducing Wonder Man before his individual series makes a ton of sense for a character like this. He isn’t a super well-known character, such as Moon Knight or Ms. Marvel, which could make a solo series as his first appearance difficult viewership. With an origin tied so closely to characters either already established or rumored to be coming, an appearance in an earlier show or film seems a better and safer idea.
But what do you think? Could Wonder Man be appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania along with M.O.D.O.K.? Or will the first time we see him be in his individual series? Let us know over on Twitter!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is expected in theaters on February 17, 2023.
