Posted in: Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: Wonder Man

Wonder Man: Is MCU Hollywood's Super Powers Ban a Set-Up for X-Men?

In Wonder Man, we learn that Hollywood has banned those with super powers. Could "The Doorman Clause" be an early set-up for the X-Men?

Earlier today, we passed along some new preview images for Marvel Television and Disney+'s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley-starring Wonder Man. However, for this go-around, we're taking a trip back into the show's universe for a very important piece of intel that impacts the entire MCU. It seems "The Doorman Clause" was enacted, banning super-powers in Hollywood productions. Actors are required to sign a waiver confirming that they are not superhuman. How could this impact Von Kovak's (Zlatko Burić) "Wonder Man" reboot? Will Simon (Abdul-Mateen II) be able to keep his powers a secret? But we have a broader question regarding the future of the MCU. We know that the X-Men will be making their way into the MCU, and that a core theme in the X-Men comics universe is how they are often discriminated against and oppressed, frequently on the receiving end of a plan to exterminate them. Could we be seeing the start of a growing movement to separate those with powers from those without?

From what we've seen so far, it appears we're in for something that leans just as much towards Apple TV+'s The Studio as it does the MCU. Based on what Abdul-Mateen had to share with Empire, it seems he feels the same way. "We're doing something that, tonally, feels much different than really any other Marvel show, or any other films," the actor shared. "We're doing something that's fresh, and a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit self-aware." Considering the premise of the show is that "Wonder Man" is a fictional film franchise hero who's getting a reboot, and Abdul-Mateen's Simon Williams is working his butt off to win the part, you can see where he's coming from.

That said, the series won't lose sight of the collective and respective journeys of Simon and Trevor. "The show is self-aware, without looking directly into the camera. There'll be commentary about superhero fatigue and things like that, but to me, it's just dressing. That's not really the aim of the show. The focus of the show is about an actor's journey. It's about a journey of friendship," Abdul-Mateen explains.

Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck & Jack Kirby, Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, first appeared in The Avengers #9 in October 1964. Originally a supervillain who targeted The Avengers, Wonder Man would end up not just becoming a hero but joining the team he had previously fought. Over the decades, Wonder Man would become a fan-favorite Avenger, in large part for two reasons (though there are many). First, he served as a founding member of the West Coast Avengers, appearing in the four-issue miniseries in 1984 and then as a continuing character over the course of the comic's 102-issue run.

But the other reason might also turn into something fans will want to see in the live-action series. To say that readers took to the dynamic between Wonder Man and his fellow Avenger, the Beast, aka Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, would be an understatement. Whether tag-teaming the local nightlife or being each other's best bros, it was a combination that worked (and a combination we're sure viewers will want to see on the screen).

With Destin Daniel Cretton executive -producing & directing and Andrew Guest serving as showrunner, Wonder Man stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (HBO's Watchmen, "Aquaman" franchise), Sir Ben Kingsley (Trevor Slattery), Lauren Glazier (Mindhunter), Demetrius Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead), Ed Harris (Westworld), Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me), Byron Bowers (Lady in the Lake), and Arian Moayed (Succession).

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