‘Wonder Man’ makers creatively shape Simon Williams | The Express Tribune

Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man takes a fresh approach to Simon Williams, with creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Young reimagining the longtime comic character for the MCU.

The duo confirmed they were given broad creative freedom to shape his story without being tied to a specific comic run.

Simon Williams, portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, debuted in Marvel Comics in 1964’s Avengers #9. Despite his long history, the creators say the series is not directly adapting any specific comic run. Instead, Marvel encouraged them to focus on a character-driven story centered on the entertainment industry.

Andrew Young explained that there was no mandate to follow established comic arcs, allowing the team to explore Simon’s complicated relationship with Hollywood and his superhuman abilities. In the comics, Williams is both a superhero and a successful actor, a dual identity that inspired the show’s more grounded and unconventional tone.

Rather than presenting a traditional superhero narrative, Wonder Man emphasizes Simon as an artist who happens to possess extraordinary powers. That perspective is further reflected in the show’s focus on Simon’s dynamic with Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley, positioning the series as a character study rather than a spectacle-driven MCU entry.

One major question left intentionally unresolved is the origin of Simon’s powers, which appear to trace back to his childhood. This ambiguity has sparked speculation about whether Simon Williams could be an undisclosed mutant within the MCU. When asked directly, both Cretton and Young declined to clarify, suggesting the mystery remains open for future storytelling.

Cretton has emphasized that viewers expecting a conventional superhero series may be surprised, but believes the emotional depth and character exploration will resonate over time. According to the creators, the genre is used as a framework to explore internal conflict rather than constant action.

All eight episodes of Wonder Man premiere January 27 on Disney+.

While working on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), director Destin Daniel Cretton and Marvel Studios producer Jonathan Schwartz discussed creating a television series centered on the character Trevor Slattery,[31] and discussed this with the actor who plays the character, Ben Kingsley.[4] Around the same time, Marvel Studios producers Stephen Broussard and Brian Gay were beginning early development on a project centered on the character Simon Williams / Wonder Man. Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television, and animation Brad Winderbaum said both ideas were conceived around an “actor’s journey” narrative and working in Hollywood and naturally merged to create a “two-hander” between Simon and Slattery.

In December 2021, Cretton signed a multi-year deal with Marvel Studios and Onyx Collective to develop television projects for Disney+,[32] with a comedy series already in development at that point.[32][33] Cretton would produce the series through his newly created production company, Family Owned. This was in conjunction with Cretton returning to write and direct the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[32] In June 2022, the series was revealed to be in early development and titled Wonder Man, with Andrew Guest joining to develop the series and serve as head writer; he was previously a consulting producer on the Marvel Studios series Hawkeye (2021).