| Wonder Man | |
|---|---|
.png) Cover art ofAvengers Two: Wonder Man and Beast - Marvel Tales #1 (January 2023) by Nick Bradshaw. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #9 (October 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) Don Heck (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Simon Williams |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Avengers Williams Innovations West Coast Avengers Defenders Force Works S.H.I.E.L.D. Lethal Legion Masters of Evil Legion of the Unliving Revengers |
| Notable aliases | Mr. Muscles Hal Canutt[1] |
| Abilities |
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Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerStan Lee and artistsDon Heck andJack Kirby, hefirst appeared inThe Avengers #9 (October 1964).[2] The character, who was initially introduced as asupervillain imbued with "ionic" energy, fought theAvengers, and, after a series of events, was reborn as asuperhero, joining the team against which he originally fought.
Wonder Man has appeared in various media outside comics, including animated series and video games. The character made his live-action debut in theDisney+original seriesWonder Man (2026), set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and portrayed byYahya Abdul-Mateen II.[3]
Wonder Man debuted in thesuperhero-team titleThe Avengers #9 (cover-dated October 1964), and appeared to die in that issue.[4] Four years later,The Avengers #58 (November 1968) revisited the events of #9, explaining that the Avengers had electronically saved Wonder Man's mind in a computer. Wonder Man was not seen again untilThe Avengers #102 (August 1972), where he made a cameo appearance in a comatose state. Wonder Man's body is revived by the villainKang inThe Avengers #131-132 (January – February 1975), and then again by theBlack Talon inThe Avengers #152 (October 1976), and finally by theLiving Laser inThe Avengers Annual #6 (1976). After this last encounter, Wonder Man finally recovers his faculties and joins the Avengers in a full-time capacity inThe Avengers #160 (June 1977). Wonder Man and his fellow AvengerBeast were cast as friends, and lovers of nightlife, which would become a fan-favorite dynamic ofThe Avengers and continue to be used after the two characters left the series.[5]
Marvel Comics' then-publisherStan Lee said in 1978, "You know, years ago we brought out Wonder Man, and [DC Comics] sued us because they hadWonder Woman, and... I said okay, I'll discontinue Wonder Man. And all of a sudden they've gotPower Girl [after Marvel had introducedPower Man]. Oh, boy. How unfair."[6]
Wonder Man later appeared as a founding member of the spin-offWest Coast Avengers first in a four-issueminiseries (September – December 1984), and continuing as one of the primary characters in the series' 102-issue run. After that team disbanded, he joined the teamForce Works in a series that debuted with a July 1994 cover-date. After that team splintered, Wonder Man rejoined the Avengers inThe Avengers (vol. 3) #4 (May 1998). After the collapse of the team inThe Avengers #503 (December 2004), Wonder Man joined a new splinter group called theMighty Avengers, co-starred in that team's series, which premiered with March 2007 cover-date.
Wonder Man starred in a self-titledgraphic novel in 1986. He then starred in a 29-issue series,Wonder Man (September 1991 – February 1994), and then the three-issue miniseriesAvengers Two: Wonder Man and the Beast (2000). In 2007, he starred in the five-issue miniseriesWonder Man: My Fair Super Hero.
Wonder Man appeared sporadically throughout the 2010-2013Avengers series, but played an important role in the "End Times" storyline in issue #31 (December 2012) through its final issue #34 (January 2013).
Comic book writerRick Remender revealed in an interview that Wonder Man would be a member of theUncanny Avengers, starting with issue #5.[7]
Simon Williams is the son of rich industrialist Sanford Williams, owner of Williams Innovations. Simon inherits the munitions factory after his father's death, but the company's profits fall due to its biggest competitorTony Stark and his companyStark Industries. On the advice of his brotherEric, Simon tries to embezzle funds from his company, but is caught and incarcerated. Simon, desperate and blaming Stark for his predicament, accepts an offer fromHeinrich Zemo.Enchantress pays his bail, so Simon agrees to become a pawn in Zemo's plan to infiltrate the Avengers. As a result, Simon is transformed into an ion-powered superhuman. His powers are tested, and he is shown to have great superhuman strength and durability, even defeating the Executioner. Called Wonder Man by Zemo, he is sent to meet and join the Avengers, with instructions to betray them at a critical moment so that Zemo'sMasters of Evil can destroy the Avengers. Zemo ensures Wonder Man's loyalty by advising him that as a result of the treatment his body now requires periodic doses of a serum to survive—a serum that only Zemo can provide. The Avengers are lured into a trap and captured. The plan fails when Wonder Man decides to save the Avengers and aid them against Zemo, apparently at the cost of his own life. Hank Pym records Wonder Man's brain patterns in the hope that he can eventually be revived.[8] Unbeknownst to the Avengers, Wonder Man has entered a catatonic state rather than dying.[volume & issue needed] Eric Williams becomes distraught over the apparent death of his sibling and, blaming the Avengers, assumes the identity of theGrim Reaper in an effort to destroy them.[9]
Wonder Man remains in suspended animation for years, and it is during this period thatUltron, the evil robot creation ofHank Pym, steals his recorded brain patterns for use as a template for the synthezoidVision.[10] Additionally, Wonder Man is briefly revived byKang the Conqueror to battle the Avengers as part of hisLegion of the Unliving,[11][12] and later "resurrected" as azombie byBlack Talon and the Grim Reaper to attack the Avengers.[13] Wonder Man is fully restored to life by theLiving Laser and joins the Avengers in a full-time capacity.[14][15] Wonder Man is later revealed to have become a being of ionic energy.[16]
For several months after his resurrection, Wonder Man suffers from slight claustrophobia and a fear of dying in battle, as he did once before. He finally overcomes his fear of death during a battle withKorvac.[17] Developing an interest in acting, Wonder Man stars in minor roles before moving to Hollywood, where fellow AvengerHercules uses his contacts to establish Wonder Man's career.[18] Wonder Man also works for a time as a stuntman, an ideal vocation since he is invulnerable to virtually all conventional weapons.[19]
Wonder Man helps form theWest Coast Avengers,[20] and with his newfound confidence he becomes arrogant. He develops a serious rivalry with Iron Man, but sees the error of his ways after a brutal battle with theAbomination.[21] Wonder Man eventually accepts Vision as his "brother", but there is a setback when Vision is dismantled and rebuilt as an emotionless machine by a global conglomerate. TheScarlet Witch—Vision's wife—asks Wonder Man to provide his brainwaves once again to rebuild the foundational personality matrix of the original Vision, but Wonder Man refuses, having feelings for her himself.[22]
When Avengers West Coast disbands after a dispute, Wonder Man becomes a founding member of its successor groupForce Works. However, he is disintegrated in an explosion during their first mission.[23] Many months later, the Scarlet Witch accidentally resurrects Wonder Man in an ionic form.[24] Several months later, the Scarlet Witch is able to fully revive Wonder Man and he now exists in an independent, more human form.[25]
Wonder Man is blackmailed into working forS.H.I.E.L.D. during theCivil War storyline. Due to charges of misappropriation of funds in his non-profit organization, Wonder Man is pressured to work for the pro-registration side. In addition to capturing renegade vigilantes and criminals, Wonder Man creates televised messages to educate the public and yet-unregistered superhumans about the specifics of the Registration Act.[26] Wonder Man later joins theMighty Avengers.[27]
Following the events ofSecret Invasion,Norman Osborn creates anew team of Avengers, effectively forcing Wonder Man into retirement. He later appears on television, where he laments his tenure as an Avenger. He claims that his efforts were a waste of time, and that using violence to uphold justice has caused nothing but heartache and death. Wonder Man ends his speech by admitting that having Osborn in charge is exactly what the country deserves.[28] Wonder Man joins theLethal Legion, which is opposed to Osborn, to keep the group from hurting civilians.[29]
During theHeroic Age storyline, Simon is approached byCaptain America to join the new team of Avengers. Simon refuses stating that the Avengers have caused more problems than they have solved and implies as Captain America leaves that he will make sure his old allies realize the mistake they are making. Simon is also mentioned as having been in jail until Steve bailed him out.[30] After learning that Captain America had disregarded his advice, Wonder Man attacks the new team causing some damage to their base before inexplicably disappearing.[31]Thor and Iron Man later contact him to try and reason with him, but Simon refuses to listen to their arguments, stating that the dead heroes that have resulted from the Avengers working together should be a clear sign that the concept is doomed, departing as Thor and Iron Man try to argue that all heroes are aware of the risks when they begin. Significantly, Iron Man notes that Simon is 'leaking' ionic energy, suggesting that his current mental condition may relate to his powers rather than being simply a matter of choice.[32]
Wonder Man assembles theRevengers to stop the Avengers, believing they have done more harm than good. He blames them for Ultron's existence, the damage caused by Scarlet Witch andHulk, the Civil War, and Osborn's Dark Avengers. His team defeats theNew Avengers before moving on to attackAvengers Tower,[33] stating that the tower will be destroyed unless the Avengers disband. The Avengers manage to defeat the Revengers, with Iron Man trapping Wonder Man in a prison designed to contain his energy. However, the Revengers' efforts have successfully spread doubt about the merits of the Avengers as a concept.[34]
Wonder Man later escapes prison and visits Captain America, telling him that he regrets his past actions and is trying to redeem himself. Before he can accept help from the Avengers, Wonder Man is attacked by theRed Hulk. He manages to take him down and looks at Avengers Tower, claiming that he will "earn his way back".[35]
At Wasp's urging, Simon joins theAvengers Unity Squad. During conversations with Wasp andSunfire, he makes it clear has no intentions of fighting, and only wants to help use his PR skills to win over skeptical citizens.[36] He and the Scarlet Witch rekindle their relationship. During a confrontation with the Celestial Executioner, Wonder Man allowsRogue to absorb him to give her the power to oppose the Celestial.[37] Wonder Man's essence remains in Rogue after Scarlet Witch expels the other absorbed powers from her,[38] leaving Rogue with Wonder Man's powers.[39]
When the Avengers Unity Squad travels toCounter-Earth to find Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Rogue is captured by theHigh Evolutionary's right-hand man Master Scientist, who removes Wonder Man's consciousness from her body.[40]
Simon Williams gained his superhuman powers due to chemical and radiation treatments with "ionic" energy byBaron Zemo, giving him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes.[41] The process unexpectedly enlaced Pym Particles in the ion ray bombardment.[42] While Zemo's initial aim was to use ionic rad supplemented treatments to make Wonder Man at least "the equal of any Avenger," his treatments surpassed his expectations and endowed Wonder Man with strength comparable to that ofThor.[8][43] InAvengers: The Children's Crusade #3, Captain America described Wonder Man as having "Sentry-level" strength. Zemo's treatments also granted Wonder Man virtual invulnerability, immortality, enhanced physicality likened to greater stamina, agility, speed, and instantaneous reflexes. Zemo also outfitted Wonder Man with a rocket pack in his belt to achieve flight.[8]
When the Scarlet Witch resurrected him duringKurt Busiek's tenure as head writer, Wonder Man was able to transform into a state of pure ionic energy at will and back again.[44] Following his resurrection and metamorphosis, Wonder Man eventually relearned he is capable of a great many prospects he was not aware of beforehand.[45] Due to his self-regenerating ionic energy,[46] Simon has the ability to go without air, food, or water. His eyes also glow a bright red and he usually wears sunglasses to conceal the effect but has since realized he can normalize their appearance as well.[44]
Before his "death" at the hands of the Kree,[23] Wonder Man discovered new abilities. In his beginning years, Williams sometimes wore an ionic energy powered apparatus which allowed him simulated flight.[47][48] Over the course of his career he would gain true flight without need of a thrust system as well as energy projection.[49] Other abilities begotten from manipulating his own ion energies include: emitting force or flame beams from his hands and eyes.;[50][51] alternating his physical shape in undiscovered ways either changing his size (enabling him to grow taller than his adversary Goliath) and morphing his hand into a sickle or transforming into a more demonic semblance;[51] and withholding the energy in hand to increase the impact force of his physical blows.[51] He could potentially even give superpowers to non-powered individuals by imparting his ionic force onto them and can just as easily reabsorb it back into himself as this somewhat weakens his superhuman abilities.[52]
Since his resurrection, he has rarely used most of these powers but can still shift between human and energy states at will.[53] It is later shown that Wonder Man continuously emits energy in his ionic form, allowing Iron Man to track him via his energy signature.[34] In later appearances, he appears to have increased in strength and power, having also learned to teleport at will.[34] Wonder Man has some limited effect on electromagnetic phenomena, allowing him to absorb radiological and ionic energy.[54][55]
Simon is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, having received Avengers training in unarmed combat from Captain America. He has an advanced degree in electrical engineering, is an experienced stuntman, and a talented actor. He is also exceptionally wealthy, being the owner of his own private weapons company as well as a successful movie star.
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man from Earth-818 appears inAvengers Forever. This version is a member of a resistance against theBlack Skull, who has conquered Earth. Following Black Skull's defeat, Wonder Man andInfinity Thing are tasked with leading recovery efforts.[67] The two are later shown to have joined the Multiversal Avengers.[68]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears inExiles. This version was transformed into a Hulk-like creature after being caught in the blast of a gamma bomb that Iron Man intended to use to kill the Hulk. Following his transformation, Wonder Man lives in isolation with the Scarlet Witch andDoctor Strange. Eventually, the Weapon X team traps Wonder Man and an alternate She-Hulk in theNegative Zone.[69]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears in the seriesGuardians of the Galaxy. Having survived to the 31st century and become known as Hollywood, he becomes an ally and eventual member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.[70]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man from a pocket universe created byFranklin Richards appears inHeroes Reborn. This version is a member of theEnchantress'Lethal Legion.[71]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears inHouse of M.[72]
A zombified alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears inMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness.[volume & issue needed]
InMarvel Zombies: Dead Days, Wonder Man is depicted as having survived the zombie plague.[volume & issue needed]
In theMC2 universe, Wonder Man is never revived after his initial death, with robotic copies of him being utilized instead.[73][69]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears inOld Man Logan, in which he is killed byCrossbones.[74]
An alternate universe version of Wonder Man appears in theUltimate Marvel imprint. This version is a member of the West CoastUltimates and a bodybuilder who acquired superhuman strength, but developed mental instability as a side effect.[75]
Wonder Man received a solo miniseries set in a possible distant future, in which he is goaded into rehabilitating the supervillain Lady Killer.[76]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: How The West Was Won |
| February 2021 | 978-1302928193 |
| Avengers Epic Collection: Operation Galactic Storm |
| May 2022 | 978-1302946869 |
| Wonder Man: My Fair Super Hero | Wonder Man (vol. 3) #1-5 | July 2007 | 978-0785119951 |
| Wonder Man: The Early Years Omnibus |
| 12 Dec 2023 | 978-1302953522 (Arthur Adams cover) 978-1302953539 (Jack Kirby DM cover) |
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