Wonder Man’s MCU debut and his comic-book origins

Polygon reports Marvel Television’s Wonder Man, now streaming exclusively on Disney Plus, is an eight-episode MCU series following struggling actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he secretly possesses superhuman abilities while pursuing a remake of the pulp superhero movie Wonder Man alongside washed-up performer Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley).

That TV setup departs from Wonder Man’s original comics history: created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 (1964) as the son of a wealthy arms manufacturer who was transformed into Wonder Man by Baron Heinrich Zemo using ionic energy after being recruited by the Enchantress.

In the comics he infiltrates the Avengers, is seemingly killed when denied an antidote, and later reappears multiple times — Hank Pym recorded his brainwaves (later used by Ultron to create the Vision), Kang resurrects him in The Avengers #131, the Grim Reaper revives him as Black Talon, and after further manipulations he ultimately joins the Avengers and pursues acting, helping found the West Coast Avengers.