The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made lots of changes to comic book villains, and that remains true for an upcoming MCU release. Since the start of the MCU, the studio has made some significant changes to villains, including the most popular of them all, Loki, who was made more sympathetic in the comics after his changes in the MCU. Villains like Klaw, The Mandarin, The Leader, and Grandmaster have also received monumental changes to their characters, some for the better and some that made them that much worse. For every positive change like that of Killmonger, there is a terrible one, with Malekith as a great example.
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It remains to be seen if the latest change will be positive or negative for the MCU. According to the Winter 2025 issue of Disney’s D23 Magazine (via The Direct), significant changes are coming to the character of Eric Williams in the upcoming Wonder Man Disney+ series. As Marvel Comics fans know, Eric is Simon Williams’ brother, and while Simon becomes the superhero known as Wonder Man, Eric becomes the villain known as the Grim Reaper. In the comics, Eric was often overlooked by his parents, and he ended up developing violent tendencies. According to Disney’s D23 Magazine, that is not the case in the MCU.
According to Marvel Studios’ Director of Production and Development, Brian Gay, Simon will return to his childhood home for one episode, and that specific episode will introduce his family. “We will meet several members of the Williams family, including Simon’s mother, Martha, and older brother Eric, as well as a few cousins,” Gay said. “We will learn how Simon’s relationships made him the person he is today.” Interestingly, Gay then said this was to show how Simon got to where he is today, and said, “Eric is the stable one, while Simon went into the arts.”
Wonder Man Will Clearly Change the Comic Book Characters
The first trailers for Wonder Man clearly show that the Disney+ series is making some drastic changes to the character. It looks more like She-Hulk than other Disney+ shows, and that is a good thing for fans who like originality in their MCU releases. The trailer shows that Simon is an actor trying out for the role of Wonder Man, a classic sci-fi hero from the fictional world of the MCU. Simon is an actor in the comics, but the series’ early trailers make no case that he will have powers in the MCU.
That said, the show is based in the MCU, so there are superpowered heroes and villains around. Even if Simon doesn’t look like he has powers, it doesn’t mean that the show won’t lead to that over the season. As for Eric Williams, he is not only “stable,” but he also works in insurance. This doesn’t sound like the Grim Reaper from the comics, but just because someone looks stable from the outside doesn’t mean he is hiding his darkness. Working in insurance is not as positive an occupation as one might think in today’s society, and there is a good chance that he is a bad person, and one who might go over the edge if Simon suddenly becomes a world-famous actor.
From the outset, it seems that Wonder Man is a low-key meta series that looks to poke fun at the superhero fatigue that people claim exists. Wonder Man added Tervor Slattery (Iron Man 3, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) to the cast, which compounds that since his entire character arc is poking fun at the acting industry. However, expect it to have a little deeper meaning, as She-Hulk did, and to add some superhero/villain action to the series. Whether that includes Eric Williams turning into the Grim Reaper or not remains to be seen.
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