Marvel Studios quietly broke one of its longest-standing villain traditions with Wonder Man, the eight-episode binge series that premiered January 27 on Disney+. The series stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, an aspiring actor auditioning for the lead role in a fictional reboot of the Wonder Man film, while secretly possessing superhuman abilities. His primary antagonist is Agent P. Cleary from the Department of Damage Control (DODC), played by Arian Moayed, who reprises his role from Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel.
Marvel Studios confirmed Cleary and the DODC as the main villains through SFX Magazine. Showrunner Andrew Guest explained that Marvel wanted to avoid giving fans homework for this series, focusing instead on Williams and Trevor Slattery’s story.
In the Disney+ series, Cleary recruits Slattery (Ben Kingsley) to work undercover and monitor Williams, whom the DODC considers an extraordinary threat. Cleary manipulates Slattery by threatening him with prison time for his past crimes as the fake Mandarin. The villain’s goal is to apprehend Williams before he can fully realize his powers.
The finale of Wonder Man delivers on this setup, with Cleary orchestrating Williams’ capture. Williams later rescues Slattery from DODC custody, blasting through the roof of the facility. But in all eight episodes, Cleary never throws a single punch or engages in any physical combat with Williams, Slattery, or any other character.
This marks the first time a main villain in a live-action Marvel Studios Disney+ series avoided all fight scenes. Every previous series featured at least one physical confrontation between hero and villain, but not this one.
Cleary also claims another distinction: he’s the first live-action series villain with zero superpowers or superhuman abilities, if one excludes Kingpin from Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. Kingpin may not have superpowers, but he's a brute force who possesses peak human physicality, characteristics Cleary has none of.
Other Non-Powered Villains Featured in the MCU
Justin Hammer
Iron Man 2 introduced Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s jealous business rival who runs Hammer Industries and supplies weapons to the US military. Rockwell’s portrayal of the arms dealer made him memorable despite lacking any powers, playing him as a wannabe Tony Stark without the genius or charisma. Hammer breaks Ivan Vanko out of prison and attempts to replicate Iron Man’s technology for his own profit and glory.
His incompetence becomes his downfall when Vanko betrays him at the Stark Expo, using the Hammer drones to attack civilians. The FBI arrests Hammer after the incident, though his company continues operating in the background of the MCU. He reappeared in All Hail the King, though his appearance is brief. The short film features Hammer in Seagate Prison, where he encounters Trevor Slattery.
Alexander Pierce
Captain America: The Winter Soldier featured Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, secretary of the World Security Council and Nick Fury’s friend, while secretly leading a HYDRA cell within SHIELD. Redford brings gravitas to the role of a man wielding enormous political power at the highest levels of government. Pierce masterminds Project Insight to eliminate millions of potential HYDRA threats through helicarriers programmed to kill designated targets. Pierce is the ultimate infiltrator, having spent decades building trust while pursuing HYDRA’s agenda.
His calm demeanor masks his willingness to kill anyone who stands in his way, including his own housekeeper. Nick Fury shoots him after Captain America exposes his plans and prevents Project Insight from launching. Pierce positions himself as one of the most realistic MCU villains, showing how corruption at the top can nearly destroy everything from within.
Baron Zemo
Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo proves that ordinary humans can destroy the Avengers through careful planning across Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. A Sokovian intelligence officer whose family died during the Battle of Sokovia, Zemo uses manipulation and the Winter Soldier’s programming to fracture the team. He frames Bucky Barnes for a United Nations bombing, knowing it would trigger Captain America’s protection instincts and Iron Man’s desire for justice.
His masterpiece comes when he reveals that the Winter Soldier killed Tony’s parents, causing the Avengers to fight each other while he watches. Zemo later appears in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, continuing his crusade against super soldiers from his prison cell. His purple mask from the comics finally appears in the series, though his methods remain grounded in psychology and strategy.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine made her MCU debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, though she was originally intended to appear first in Black Widow. She approaches John Walker after he’s stripped of the Captain America mantle, offering him a new identity as US Agent and buying his homemade shield. Valentina operates with mysterious authority, presenting business cards with no contact information and making cryptic references to her plans.
She tells Walker that things are about to get weird, hinting at larger machinations that eventually come to play in Thunderbolts*. The series positions her as a power broker operating outside traditional government channels, using charm and opportunity to manipulate vulnerable people.
Eleanor Bishop
Vera Farmiga plays Eleanor Bishop in Hawkeye as a successful businesswoman running Bishop Security while secretly working with Kingpin and hiring Yelena Belova to kill Clint Barton. Her character becomes one of the series’ primary antagonists, driven by a desire to protect her family’s wealth and her daughter, Kate, from the consequences of her criminal partnerships. Eleanor made deals with Kingpin after her husband, Derek, died, leaving the family in financial trouble and in too deep to escape.
Tyler Hayward
Josh Stamberg plays Tyler Hayward, the acting director of SWORD in WandaVision, a bureaucrat willing to use extreme methods to neutralize perceived threats. Hayward reconstructs Vision into a sentient weapon called White Vision using technology salvaged from the Battle of Wakanda. He frames Wanda Maximoff for Vision’s resurrection and sends soldiers to attack her family inside the Westview Anomaly.
Hayward’s motivations stem from his time during the Blip, where he grew increasingly paranoid about enhanced individuals and their unchecked power. Though he attempts to shoot Billy and Tommy Maximoff with a gun, his primary role remains administrative and manipulative rather than physical.
He keeps Monica Rambeau out of the loop and lies to his superiors about Wanda stealing Vision’s body. The FBI, however, arrests him for his crimes after the Westview incident ends.
Baron von Strucker
Thomas Kretschmann’s Baron von Strucker leads HYDRA’s experiments with the Mind Stone in Avengers: Age of Ultron, creating Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver’s powers through illegal human experimentation. He appears briefly at the film’s opening during the Avengers’ assault on his Sokovian research facility. Strucker surrenders to Captain America after a brief confrontation in which he attempts to use a HYDRA weapon but fails.
His scientists experimented on volunteers from war-torn regions, with only the Maximoff twins surviving the process. Ultron kills him off-screen in his prison cell early in the film, writing "PEACE" on the wall with his blood. The murder makes his role one of the MCU’s most underwhelming villain appearances, despite his significance in the comics as a founding member of HYDRA.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
