Does Wonder Man introduce the MCU‘s latest mutant? It’s been seven years since Disney purchased Fox and with it, the rights to the X-Men. Marvel quickly announced plans for a full reboot of that team, but has taken its time with it. We’ve had Deadpool & Wolverine, and the original X-Men are coming back in Avengers: Doomsday, but the MCU’s own version from Earth-616 will seemingly have to wait until Phase 7. That doesn’t mean there aren’t already mutants, however.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Ms. Marvel was confirmed to have a “mutation,” all but confirming she is what we traditionally know as a mutant in the Marvel sense. Other mutant characters, like Namor and Mr. Immortal, have also been introduced. And now there is Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. The character is one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel Comics, and that seemingly translates to the screen to some degree, although discussing them gets into SPOILERS for Wonder Man.
The TV show gradually reveals the extent of Wonder Man’s powers in the MCU: he has superhuman strength and durability, he can create energy blasts and control ions, and at the very end of the series, as he breaks Trevor Slattery out of the Department of Damage Control’s facility, he can seemingly fly (or leap astonishingly high). What’s even more interesting, though, is what we don’t see about his powers.
How Wonder Man Gets His Powers & Why He Might Be A Mutant In The MCU
The Disney+ TV show, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t reveal how Wonder Man got his powers. We see plenty of Simon’s backstory, but nothing regarding what led to him gaining his abilities, which is unusual for a superhero. In the comics, Wonder Man was given powers by Baron Zemo, who conducted experiments on him using ionic energy, intending to use Simon to infiltrate the Avengers. Zemo actually ended up making him stronger than he’d even imagined, with power equal to Thor. Wonder Man eventually ended up becoming a hero and joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
It seems safe to say that Zemo isn’t part of Wonder Man’s origin in the MCU. The villain has been used before, but there’s seemingly little planned for him right now, so it’d be rather odd to suddenly make him part of Simon’s origin. It also wouldn’t really make sense with their pasts, given Simon develops powers as a teenager, at a time when Zemo was presumably still living in Sokovia. Given we’ve also seen the character’s plan to tear apart the Avengers, it again seems very unlikely he created a superpowered being to go against them.
That leads back to the idea of Wonder Man being a mutant in the MCU instead. His powers seemingly started to manifest when he hit puberty, which would fit with many mutants from the comics and is when the X-Gene typically kicks in. This could also connect to the Department of Damage Control’s role in the story. They’re investigating Simon’s powers, and previously investigated Kamala Khan, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it ultimately ends up being an anti-mutant force in the MCU’s future. Wonder Man does have connections to the X-Men in the comics, too, as he’s often best friends with Beast on the page.
In an interview with The Direct, showrunner Andrew Guest was asked about Simon potentially being a mutant. He understandably didn’t give too much away, but did confirm it’d been talked about, and left the door wide open for the possibility:
“You know, it’s a very good question. It’s one we discussed, and it’s one we decided we weren’t gonna answer. So I’ll leave up to the kind of people who make those kind of mutant questions.”
If not a mutant, there’s also the possibility that Wonder Man’s powers come from Roxxon. The company has been present in the MCU ever since Iron Man, and been featured or referenced in TV shows ranging from Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter to Loki and She-Hulk. Black goo from Roxxon chemicals give Doorman his powers in Wonder Man, and something similar gave Cloak abilities in Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. If true of Simon, though, you’d think they might just show it, which is maybe why they’re saving for a potential mutant reveal, if Wonder Man Season 2 happens.
Wonder Man is now streaming on Disney+.
What do you think of Wonder Man? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video -
Image Courtesy of A-1 Pictures
