Despite presenting itself as something different from a traditional Marvel superhero story, Wonder Man confirmed a major truth about its lead character's abilities in the MCU. The Disney+ series follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he chases his dream of becoming a successful actor rather than embracing a typical superhero path. Much of the story revolved around his Hollywood ambitions and his two-sided friendship with Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley). Still, as the series unfolded, it became clear that Simon's powers are not only real but far more formidable than the show initially lets on.
Speaking with Empire, Wonder Man showrunner Andrew Guest confirmed that Simon Williams is far more formidable than the series initially lets on. Guest revealed that the character is actually "one of the most powerful characters in the MCU," a surprise considering the lack of focus on his abilities throughout Season 1:
"There's something really fun about one of the most powerful characters in the MCU being somebody who's never going to use those powers the way people want him to."
However, fans did see an explosion in Episode 7 of Wonder Man, when Simon unleashes his abilities while filming the in-universe Wonder Man movie after learning about Trevor's relationship with the Department of Damage Control (DODC).
The outburst destroys the set and offers the clearest look yet at the scale of his powers. These abilities were teased throughout the series, most notably when Simon destroyed the kitchen island at his family's house, further straining his relationship with his brother.
Guest then discussed with TheMovieReport.com that the character's powers were not always a guaranteed part of the plan during the show's early development. This was at a different stage of the creative process, as Guest explained how the creative team realized a "competing" Wonder Man series with a similar premise was already in development:
"They started getting more and more serious and started talking to people over at Marvel and learned that there was a competing project that Stephen Broussard and Brian Gay were planning on doing a Wonder Man series set in the entertainment industry and they felt like they couldn't do two of those shows. And at a certain point, they were like, 'Maybe it's the same show.'"
As those concepts merged, the show began taking shape, though he admitted the direction for Simon had not yet been finalized. "We didn't know who or what he was going to be like:"
"So that's when I got involved. Destin Daniel Cretton was involved, Sir Ben Kingsley was involved. We knew there was this Simon Williams character, but we didn't know who or what he was going to be like."
Most notably, they even debated whether the character should have superpowers at all:
"Did he have superpowers? Did he get superpowers? Maybe he never gets superpowers. They wanted to do a show that felt different and was about the entertainment industry."
Speaking with Black Girl Nerds, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II discussed the balance they struck with Wonder Man, explaining that the series gave him the chance to explore "a love for acting, a love for craft, and to show passion and vulnerability:"
"This was an opportunity to show a love for acting, a love for craft, and to show passion and vulnerability. We did it in a style with excellent writing and other actors that supported working in a way that felt, to me, like it was a little indie project."
At the same time, the actor noted that the show never completely abandoned the larger Marvel framework. Abdul-Mateen said the series found a satisfying middle ground "within the large scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:"
"And at the same time, Simon is balancing like having these superpowers. But yeah, it was a really nice balance and an opportunity to showcase this within the large scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Fans really got to see this balancing act unfold in the finale, when Simon breaks Trevor out of the DODC prison, going full superhero mode. After posing as a trainee named Alfonso, Williams uses his Avengers-level powers to blast a hole through the roof of Trevor's cell. The two men escape the desert complex by flying into the horizon, leaving Agent P. Cleary (Arian Moayed) in the dust.
The Future of Wonder Man's Powers
A potential Season 2 of Wonder Man would be the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into Simon Williams' surprisingly massive power set. Guest even told The Direct that the only organization that truly understands the extent of Simon's abilities is the DODC.
That leaves Simon in a fascinating position: the public can still see him as just another rising star actor after being in Wonder Man, while a government agency seeks to capture him or maybe even make a deal with the actor.
What makes that dynamic especially compelling is that Simon himself doesn’t seem particularly interested in becoming a superhero, let alone an Avenger. Acting is clearly his passion, even though his ionic-based abilities put him in a different league compared to street-level heroes in the MCU.
His connection to ionic energy grants him superhuman strength, durability, flight, and the ability to generate force fields or unleash destructive shockwaves, powers that can level buildings if he loses control. That's a lot of power for a guy just trying to win an Oscar.
