Wonder Man is coming to Disney+ with the latest MCU series, although it is a slightly different take on the character than people might know from Marvel Comics stories. Simon Williams made his debut in Avengers #9 in 1964 as a young man who was put into a position of power in his father’s company before he ended up in jail for embezzlement, thanks to his brother. He ended up being betrayed by the Masters of Evil, was given superpowers, and then sent to betray the Avengers before sacrificing himself for the sake of good. However, that origin story was only the start, and Simon Williams’ life and career have taken many twists and turns in the years since.
Here is a look at seven Wonder Man stories to help new fans learn more about the next powerhouse MCU hero.
7) Avengers #9 (1964)
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Wonder Man’s first appearance came in Avengers #9 in 1964, making him one of the first villains in the Avengers first year as a team. However, Wonder Man was only a villain because he had no other choice. When Enchantress bailed him out of jail, Baron Zemo put him in a machine and gave him his powers. However, there was a side effect where he would die without a serum given regularly by Zemo.
This is why he was forced to go to the Avengers as a double agent and betray them. However, this wasn’t only Wonder Man’s first appearance, but it was also the issue where he died. This was where his eventual face turn started, as he sacrificed himself to save the Avengers. After his death, the Avengers took his body back with them, and eventually, Ultron used his brainwaves to create Vision.
6) Wonder Man (1985)
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What makes the 1985 Wonder Man comic so important is that it was the first time that he had his own solo comic book storyline, allowing him to break out as more than just an Avengers member. This was just a one-issue story titled “Wonder Man,” and while it featured some Avengers members (Scott Lang, Captain America, Wasp, and Vision), this was about Simon and his life as an actor.
As a result, this might be one of the best Wonder Man stories to read before his television show, as it started with him auditioning for a soap opera. It was a quirky story, with Wonder Man first battling gnomes from another dimension and then being called away to stop Sandman, who was threatening a reactor meltdown if scientists couldn’t find a way to cure his cancer. There was a lot going on in this one issue, but it showed perfectly how Wonder Man balanced his life as an actor with his life as a hero.
5) Avengers #158-160
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Despite Ultron using Wonder Man’s brainwaves to create Vision, it turned out Simon Williams wasn’t really dead, and he was just in a death-like coma. When he returned, he no longer needed the serum, and Wonder Man began his superhero career. He joined the Avengers, which caused some serious problems when he and Vision confronted each other. This led Vision and Wonder Man to fight when Scarlet Witch asked Simon to help her stand up, and Vision attacked in jealousy.
After the fight ended and Iron Man had things under control, it led to a three-issue series where they fought one of Wonder Man’s greatest villains, Graviton, in his debut appearance. However, after finishing Graiviton, it was time for Wonder Man’s brother, the Grim Reaper, to attack, and it was Vision and Wonder Man who were his targets. This was a well-paced story that showed Wonder Man’s struggles with his “brother” Vision and his real brother, and the painful decisions he had to make.
4) West Coast Avengers #1-4
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Power Man has been a member of various Avengers teams over the years, including the original team. However, he was also one of the first members of the West Coast Aventers when the main team sent Hawkeye and Mockingbird to California to form the new unit. Hawkeye put out a call to several heroes, and one of these was Wonder Man.
At the time, Wonder Man was working in the movies as a stuntman, but this gave him a chance to get back into the superhero game, and it was nice to have him back in Avengers comics. This also tied directly into Wonder Man’s history, as one of the first villains was his brother, the Grim Reaper, who was part of the Lethal Legion. Things got even more personal when Scarlet Witch and Vision also joined, starting the love triangle up again.
3) Avengers Two: Wonder Man & the Beast (2000)
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Wonder Man had died again in the comics, but this time around, it was Scarlet Witch who resurrected him with chaos magic. However, Simon came back and had to deal with the trauma of his second death, something that made him question his entire existence. He eventually sought a second chance to be the hero that many people thought he could be.
This led to his 2000 series Avengers Two: Wonder Man & the Beast, which teamed the best friends up for more than just crimefighting escapades. He used the money from his acting career to start a non-profit foundation called Second Chances to help others overwhelmed by forces beyond their control, and with his best friend’s help, he finally found his confidence again.
2) West Coast Avengers #45
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While this is not a Wonder Man story, he plays a huge role in it. In West Coast Avengers #42, Vision disappeared. The U.S. government captured him and then stripped him of all his memories, erasing him, and then returned the vacant synthazoid body to the West Coast Avengers. Hank Pym then went to work to fix him, and this ended up only half working.
In West Coast Avengers #45, Hank presented the new Vision, now all white without any of his memories and also without Simon Williams’ brainwaves, making him a completely different being. However, the big thing in this specific issue is that Scarlet Witch asked Simon to let them give Vision his brainwaves again, and he refused. This caused a breakdown between Simon and Wanda, one that would last for a long time.
1) X-Force #49-50
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Wonder Man eventually moved on to work on his acting career and became a pacifist. He avoided fighting and felt that the Avengers and teams like that caused as many problems as they fixed. However, when the Beast showed up and asked him for help, Wonder Man found himself pulled back into a deadly situation with X-Force. He had to stop another version of Beast, intent on taking over the world.
In Krakoa, Beast began to grow more and more evil, as he used X-Force for his own lethal means, believing that mutants had no choice but to show dominance. When X-Force realized he was out of control, they went after him, while also using the resurrection protocols to create a clone of Beast with his old Avengers-era memories. He went to his former best friend for help, and Wonder Man was the man who eventually caused the evil Beast to see the error of his ways, showcasing how important this friendship was.
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