Mutants have yet to make a definitive arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They could be on the horizon with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Namor’s appearance. But even then, he’s only part mutant, so it would only be a glimpse into the world of homo sapiens superior. Another half-measure mutant will be appearing on Disney+ in the near future – Wonder Man. That is if they stick to his original backstory.
Radiation was the battered old Toyota Camry of the 1960s Marvel Comics; Stan Lee and company got a LOT of mileage out of it. Wonder Man is one of many 1960s radiation-enhanced beings, along with Spider-Man and the Hulk. Despite this similarity, Wonder Man’s backstory does come with some key differences to make him unique from his irradiated counterparts. To be portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man has fought for both the good and bad guys but has been firmly established in the former for most of his time on the page.
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Wonder Man’s Origins and Link to Zemo
Marvel Comics
Wonder Man’s real name is Simon Williams, and he was born to a wealthy industrialist family headed up by his father, Sanford Williams. Head of the munitions empire Williams Innovations, Sanford leaves the company to Simon upon his death, leaving the young heir in charge of a massive operation in direct competition with one Tony Stark and Stark Industries.
With the company flailing in the face of this rivalry, Simon turns to mafia-related embezzlement to get Williams Innovations in the black. The foolhardy scheme is cooked up by his older brother Eric. He’s caught, convicted, and later bailed out by Amora the Enchantress, a regular Thor antagonist. She also uses her manipulative abilities to ensure the criminal justice system doesn’t come sniffing around Williams again. She performed this task at the behest of Baron Zemo.
Harnessing Williams’ hatred for Tony Stark and his empire, Zemo plans to use the disgraced war baron to destroy the Avengers. Zemo convinces Simon to volunteer for his untested ionic ray experiment, promising superhuman strength as a result. The procedure is successful; it is here that Zemo sics his new puppet on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It’s not a direct assault but an infiltration.
A Friend and Foe of the Avengers
Now named Wonder Man by Zemo, the human mutate is informed of the true devil’s bargain he has entered. Without a regular antidote treatment, the alteration of his body by the ion experiment will eventually kill him. This further manipulation of Williams results in a staged battle with the Masters of Evil, earning him the confidence of the Avengers, as well as a spot among their ranks.
The deception is successful, as Wonder Man convinces the Avengers to use their unlimited scientific resources to cure him of his looming death. The team is then duped into fighting the Masters of Evil once again, fulfilling his purpose to Zemo. Wonder Man, however, can’t go through with it, and fights alongside the team, eventually “dying” from the aforementioned ailment.
Wonder Man is later revived by voodoo priests but into a lumbering zombie-like state. After an encounter with the Living Laser, Wonder Man regains his consciousness while also shedding the ill effects of the ion experiment. He later leaves the Avengers and goes on to join the West Coast Avengers and later the Avengers proper once again.
This is the basic history of Wonder Man. As with all comic characters, we could write a phonebook-thick opus on the complete Wonder Man story arc, so we’ll leave it at this.
Wonder Man’s Incredible Powers Could Rival Hulk
Zemo’s ion treatment didn’t just give Wonder Man superhuman strength but made him a composite of some of the most powerful beings in Marvel Comics. Gauging his base ability, his strength is not far off from the Hulk. Like the big green guy, no one knows the limits of Wonder Man’s brawn for sure. The experiment also granted Wonder Man superhuman speed. His movement isn’t off the charts like his strength, but his feet carry him at speeds well above those of a normal being.
On top of this, Wonder Man also checks off an obscene number of boxes in the powers department – enhanced stamina, agility, senses, healing, invulnerability, energy manipulation and flight, and a very big “etc.” Add to this a genius-level intellect and unarmed combat training under Captain America, and you have one of the most powerful beings in Marvel Comics. Oh, and he’s immortal.
Will Wonder Man boast this absurd arsenal of abilities in his leap to Disney+? This cache would effectively make him the most powerful being the MCU has ever introduced, and a no-brainer Avenger once it comes time to take on Kang the Conqueror and whoever is pulling the strings in Avengers: Secret Wars. Whatever form he takes, Marvel Studios’ version of Wonder Man will make for a powerful Disney+ series.
