Simon Williams Stars in… “Wonder Man!”
Wonder Man: “An actor plays many parts, but I have a special part to play… as part of the West Coast Avengers!”
West Coast Avengers #35 (1987)
A man runs for his life. An army of robots is shooting at him while a maniacal villain monologues. The man sees an opportunity, draws a ray gun, and shoots a controller the villain was holding. The robots deactivate, giving him plenty of time to punch out the villain. The man frees a captive princess. Music swells as they kiss.
“CUT!”
The princess walks away as the man helps the villain to his feet. The director wasn’t impressed with the kiss. It needed more passion, more romance! The studio shakes, and a light operator shouts that a monster is attacking the city. The man runs for the door. Simon Williams plays an on-screen hero, but it’s time for Wonder Man to save the day.
Wonder Man is a forgotten superhero. He is one of The Avengers’ most important members, but always left in the shadows so that more popular heroes can shine. No more. Who is he? How did he become a superhero? Let’s find out.
Cat’s Paw: Wonder Man’s Backstory
Simon: “Are you saying I won’t be human anymore?”
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes “Everything is Wonderful” (Season 1, Episode 10)
M.O.D.O.K: “Human? Why would you want to be human?”
Grim Reaper: “M.O.D.O.K…”
M.O.D.O.K.: ”…Yes, I suppose humanity is relative. You will retain everything that makes you Simon Williams.”
Wonder Man debuted in The Avengers #9 in 1964. He was created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck
Simon Williams was an arms dealer and the CEO of Williams Industry. Older brother Eric convinced him to embezzle money when the company started struggling against Stark Enterprises. Simon was arrested and sent to jail, blaming Stark for his own actions.
The Masters of Evil freed Simon and offered him a chance to strike back at Stark by killing his bodyguard, Iron Man. He agreed and underwent an experiment that transformed him into an energy being called Wonder Man. The Masters of Evil revealed that his new form relied on a serum that only they could make and faked a battle to ingratiate him with The Avengers.
Wonder Man was dying and asked for The Avengers’ help, but their best technology couldn’t save him. He betrayed them to survive, but realized his mistake and sacrificed himself instead to save them. Iron Man revealed that he had recorded Simon’s brain patterns and hoped that he could someday be revived.
Superhero Fatigue: Wonder Man’s History
Wonder Man: “I’ve encountered something you never can, Vision. Something you never will. Death.”
Wonder Man #9 (1992)
Eric Williams blamed The Avengers for getting his brother killed. He became The Grim Reaper and stole Simon’s corpse. Grim Reaper discovered that Wonder Man was in a coma as his body adapted to the energy.
Wonder Man woke up and was convinced to attack The Avengers after discovering that Vision had been created from his brain patterns. He accused the android of stealing his life and violating his mind. Wonder Man eventually calmed down and realized that Vision was innocent, but they still butted heads over his attraction to Vision’s wife, the Scarlet Witch.
Years of heroics wore on Simon. He quit to become a famous actor, but decided he didn’t fit into sleazy Hollywood culture. Wonder Man was a founder of the West Coast Avengers alongside other second-string heroes. He quit again and tried to destroy The Avengers, and now seeks redemption so that he can rejoin them. It’s complicated.
Star Power: Wonder Man’s Powers and Personality
Wonder Man: “You made one mistake, Eric. You thought it would be poetic to use us as your puppets, but we’re Avengers. We’ll fight you to the bitter end… and beyond!”
Avengers #11 (1998)
Wonder Man is no Wonder Woman, but he can hold his own. He has standard superpowers and can fire ion blasts while in his energy being form. The Avengers have clocked him at Thor and The Sentry’s level, but Wonder Man often seems weaker when he’s getting beaten up to hype new threats.
Immortality is Wonder Man’s blessing and curse. Energy can’t be created or destroyed, so he has no need for food, water, air, and doesn’t age. Simon Williams is also an expert martial artist, stunt performer, and tolerable character actor. He started out as a buffoonish strongman on a variety show, but later played the villain in a Schwarzenegger flick.
Simon is also brash, fun-loving, and resentful. He often blames others for his own screw-ups and looks out for himself, but always makes amends after cooling down. Wonder Man knows that he’s screwed up a lot and often tries to leave The Avengers behind. He always returns because he knows that hero is the part he was born to play.
The Actors Who Play Him
Hamish McEwan – The Avengers: United They Stand
Phil LaMarr – The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Superheroes
Nathan Fillion – M.O.D.O.K.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – Wonder Man
Didya Get All That?
An Avenger torn between good and evil.
Image: Simon Williams/Wonder Man (Yahya Adbul-Mateen II) in Marvel Television’s WONDER MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2025 MARVEL.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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