Simon Williams is a weirdo. Honestly, there isn't a better way to put it. In a universe packed with literal gods, super-soldiers, and billionaires in flying tin suits, Wonder Man has always been the guy trying to figure out if he’s an Avenger or a C-list actor looking for a guest spot on a procedural drama. It’s a bizarre duality. For years, fans have been scouring the internet for news on tv shows with Wonder Man, and for a long time, the pickings were slim. We’re talking about a character who has been around since 1964 but somehow missed the live-action boat while even Howard the Duck got a movie.
He’s not your typical hero. Simon doesn't necessarily want to save the world every Tuesday; he’d much rather be at a premiere. This internal conflict—the "superhero as a celebrity" trope—is exactly why Marvel Studios finally pulled the trigger on a dedicated series. But if you think this is just another cookie-cutter origin story, you’ve probably been reading the wrong comics.
Why Marvel Took So Long with the Wonder Man Series
The path to getting Simon Williams on screen has been messier than a Hollywood divorce. For decades, the only way to see tv shows with Wonder Man was to tune into animated offerings like The Avengers: United They Stand or Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In those shows, he was usually just a guy made of purple ionic energy who hit things hard. It was fine, but it lacked the "soul" of the character.
The real Simon Williams is a failed industrialist turned ionic powerhouse who eventually becomes a pacifist actor. That’s a lot to pack into a 22-minute cartoon. It took the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) onto Disney+ to create a space where a meta-commentary on Hollywood could actually work. Reports from trades like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Destin Daniel Cretton, the mind behind Shang-Chi, was the one to finally shepherd this into reality.
He's a complicated guy to cast. You need someone who can look like they could bench press a semi-truck but also look deeply insecure during a table read. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was eventually tapped for the lead role, which was a huge signal that Marvel wasn't playing around. They wanted gravitas. They wanted someone who could handle the absurdity of being an "ionic man" in a world that just wants to know who he’s dating.
The History You Probably Missed in Animated TV Shows with Wonder Man
Before the big live-action push, Simon was a bit of a journeyman in the animation world. He popped up in The Avengers: United They Stand (1999), which, let's be real, most people have blocked out of their memory. In that version, his "death" and subsequent return as a ghost-like entity were handled with about as much subtlety as a sledgehammer. It wasn't great.
Then came The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. This was a massive step up. The show actually touched on his connection to Baron Zemo and his initial betrayal of the Avengers. It showed his transformation into ionic energy, though it still leaned heavily on the "angry muscle" trope.
You also had a brief, somewhat hilarious appearance in M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu. While that show wasn't strictly MCU canon, it captured the vanity of Simon Williams perfectly. He was the "hot guy" hero that M.O.D.O.K.’s wife, Jodie, found attractive, which played into the long-standing comic gag that Simon is basically a specimen of peak physical perfection who is also a bit of a ditz.
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The Nathan Fillion Cameo That Almost Happened
We have to talk about the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 situation. James Gunn actually "cast" Nathan Fillion as Simon Williams for a series of movie posters that were supposed to appear in the background of a scene on Earth. The posters showed Simon in various movies like Arkon and a Tony Stark biopic.
It was a meta-joke.
Gunn eventually cut the scene for pacing, meaning Simon’s "debut" was relegated to deleted scenes and social media posts. For years, this was the closest thing we had to tv shows with Wonder Man in a live-action format. It teased fans with the idea that Simon existed in the MCU as a famous actor, long before he ever put on a costume.
What Makes the New Series Different?
If you're expecting Captain America: The Winter Soldier levels of political intrigue, you're going to be disappointed. The upcoming Disney+ show is leaning hard into the "satire" angle. It’s rumored to be a comedy-forward look at the film industry through the lens of a guy who just happens to have god-like powers.
Think Entourage but with more purple lasers.
Ben Kingsley is returning as Trevor Slattery. This is a brilliant move. Slattery, the failed actor who played the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, is the perfect foil for Simon Williams. It suggests that the show will spend a lot of time in the "fringe" of the MCU—the parts where people are just trying to get a job and pay rent, even if they live in a world where aliens invaded New York.
The Connection to Vision and Scarlet Witch
One thing people often get wrong is Simon’s importance to the Vision. In the comics, Vision’s brain patterns were literally based on Simon Williams. They are, for all intents and purposes, brothers. When Simon died, his mind lived on in the synthozoid.
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This creates a weird dynamic.
If the MCU ever decides to lean into this, the tv shows with Wonder Man could get very emotional, very fast. Imagine Simon meeting White Vision. It’s a meeting of two beings who share the same soul but none of the same memories. While WandaVision didn't explicitly name-drop Simon, the groundwork for his "ionic" nature and the concept of digital or synthetic consciousness is already there.
Is Wonder Man Actually Immortal?
Sort of. It’s complicated. Simon is made of "ionic energy." He doesn't eat, he doesn't breathe, and he doesn't age in the traditional sense. In the comics, he has "died" and come back more times than most people change their oil.
This makes him one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel roster, yet he’s often sidelined because he’s a pacifist. He’s scared of his own strength. He’s seen the damage he can do, and he’d rather be on a soundstage than a battlefield. That’s the tension that makes for great television. It’s not about whether he can win a fight—he can—it’s about whether he wants to.
Breaking Down the "Super-Actor" Trope
We’ve seen the "celebrity hero" thing before with Homelander in The Boys, but Simon is the "nice" version of that. He’s not a sociopath. He’s just a guy with a massive ego who also happens to be a genuinely good person.
The struggle of Simon Williams is the struggle of identity. Is he the man his father wanted him to be (a business mogul)? Is he the man Zemo made him (a weapon)? Or is he the man he wants to be (an artist)?
When you look at the landscape of tv shows with Wonder Man, the reason there's so much hype is that he represents a different kind of masculinity for the MCU. He’s vulnerable. He goes to therapy. He has panic attacks about his career. He’s incredibly relatable for someone who can fly through a building.
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Real Talk: Why You Should Care
- He’s a bridge to the West Coast Avengers: Simon is a founding member of that team. If Marvel wants to move the action to Los Angeles permanently, he’s their guy.
- The Power Level: He’s in the same tier as Thor and Sentry. Seeing that kind of power used in a non-combat setting is a fresh narrative hook.
- The Meta-Humor: With Deadpool & Wolverine breaking the fourth wall, a Wonder Man show can poke fun at the MCU from the inside.
What to Watch While You Wait
Since the live-action series is the main event, you might want to brush up on the history.
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Season 1, Episode 9, "Everything is Wonderful"): This is the best distillation of his comic origin. It shows the deal he makes with AIM and his initial transformation.
- Iron Man: Armored Adventures: He shows up here as a more villainous figure, which is a cool "What If" style take on the character.
- West Coast Avengers Comics: Specifically the John Byrne run. This is where Simon really finds his voice as an actor and deals with the fallout of his "brother" Vision being dismantled.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of tv shows with Wonder Man, don't just wait for the Disney+ drop.
Start by tracking down Avengers #9 (1964). It’s his first appearance. While a pristine copy will cost you a kidney, lower-grade copies are still attainable for serious collectors and are likely to spike in value once the trailer for the show hits.
Keep an eye on the "Wonder Man" trademark news. Marvel has been very protective of the name lately, which usually indicates long-term plans beyond a single season.
Lastly, pay attention to the supporting cast announcements. The inclusion of characters like Beast (Hank McCoy) is a long shot, but their "bromance" in the comics is legendary. If Beast shows up in a Wonder Man show, it will be the definitive proof that the X-Men are fully integrated into the MCU's TV division.
The wait for Simon Williams has been long. Too long. But as the MCU shifts toward more character-driven, experimental storytelling, it seems like the perfect time for a hero who’s more worried about his IMDb credit than his kill count. Keep your eyes on the trades, because once the ionic energy starts glowing, the MCU is never going to look the same.