Marvel has many household names in their media franchise of superheroes and villains. While some have confusing names reminiscent of some of DC Comic’s similar named heroes, and vice versa, the companies have done an excellent job of differing them otherwise. Recently, Marvel announced that Wonder Man would be getting brought into the MCU through an effort with Disney+ that’ll likely be a show if the past has been anything to trust. Below, we’ve detailed the character of Wonder Man from Marvel Comics, as well as the history that the character already has in the MCU, as well as what the possible future for the character could look like.
Wonder Man
Like many characters throughout not just Marvel comic books but the overall history of comic books, Wonder Man has a complicated back-and-forth backstory and origin. Wonder Man was a character created by Stan Lee as an actor and stuntman before eventually gaining his powers, with an ionic ray, but with a risk of death without constant treatment. Wonder Man and his willingness to become a test subject for Zemo, and his ionic ray, came from The Enchantress rescuing Williams from prison, for which he was sentenced for embezzling money for his family’s business and had nothing else to lose. From earning his powers from the ionic ray, with the new name Wonder Man, Williams, under the control of Zemo and The Enchantress, joined the Avengers as a secret agent. Although brought into the Avengers as an agent of Zemo, Wonder Man eventually told the Avengers of the actual plot at hand, hoping that the Avengers could help him from the need for Zemo’s ionic ray treatment. Unfortunately, the Avengers could not help Wonder Man, as he succumbed to the effects of the ionic ray but was revived by The Enchantress, and under her control gain, in which he found the Avengers. Overall, Wonder Man has bounced between the Avengers, West Coast Avengers, a sole hero and villain, and everything in between to find himself. Marvel’s Wonder Man and his story have been altered in nearly every new storyline the character has been introduced into, with tie-ins to Scarlet Witch, The Enchantress, and Vision already apparent.
credit: @nathanfillion
In the MCU So Far
As nothing in the MCU could ever be considered an accident, the joke of the inclusion of Nathan Fillion as a version of Williams in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Arkon, another character within the Marvel Comics Universe but not yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to an Instagram post from the actor, friend of James Gunn, has hit some fans of the MCU especially, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was not only released in 2017, but a third film in the series has been getting prepared for release sooner than later. While the character never officially appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, or the MCU, as stated above, Marvel doesn’t do anything by accident. With the announcement of Wonder Man on Disney+ in the future, Nathan Fillion will likely fill the role. So while we didn’t get Nathan Fillion as Marvel’s Wonder Man in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the hint of the character, even one percent, could imply everything.
credit: Marvel.com
Wonder Man MCU Future
Looking beyond the joke that was almost Wonder Man in the MCU, played by Nathan Fillion, Wonder Man has a history with the Avengers, mainly Captain America and Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, The Vision, and even The Enchantress. While there were rumors that Nathan Fillion had been set to portray the character, Marvel’s Wonder Man would have fit best in WandaVision. With the fate of White Vision in the air after the series finale, the character may take up an iteration of Wonder Man, but that would be a true gamble to attach the character to such a storyline. Still, it would align with the different storylines of the character well. With Iron Man used as more of a backdrop for stories, inspiration, and jokes, there has also been the possibility that Iron Man could be used as a backstory for Wonder Man as Iron Man’s Stark Industries was the competitor blamed for the actions Williams took for the family company that ended up with him in prison in his original arc. Overall, with the various storylines and adaptations that Marvel has created for Wonder Man throughout the years, the fate the character could have in the MCU has remained unknown. Still, with Nathan Fillion behind the role, the character could see his entire origins played out, from villain to hero and back, as often as his story may require to create an accurate MCU version of Marvel’s Wonder Man.