70 Wonder Man Easter Eggs And References: Mandarin, Avengers, Real-Life Actors, And More

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s Wonder Man episodes 1-8

Marvel’s Wonder Man is shaping up to be one of the most character-focused shows in the MCU so far. It’s also packed with subtle references, hidden details, surprise appearances, and connections to both the comic books and the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside some fun nods to the world of Hollywood.

Marvel’s new series, Wonder Man, stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams and brings back Sir Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery. The show follows their adventures in Los Angeles as they try to make it big in Hollywood – all while Simon secretly deals with having superpowers. It’s shaping up to be one of the most original projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

With that said, here’s a rundown of all the Easter eggs, references, and interesting connections we spotted throughout the eight episodes of Wonder Man.

The Biggest And Best Easter Eggs, References, Cameos, And MCU Ties In Marvel’s Wonder Man

  • Sanford Williams — The premiere of Wonder Man gave us our first look at Simon’s father, Sanford. In the comics, Sanford was a major muntions industrialist (though that’s not the case in the MCU).
  • Vision-Inspired 80s Suit? — Taking Simon to see 1980’s Wonder Man, the titular fictional hero is shown wearing a suit with similar colors to The Vision. This may have been an intentional callback, seeing how The Vision’s brainwaves were patterned off of Simon Williams’ in the original comics.
  • The Rogers Musical Theatrical Release — Having made its debut in Hawkeye, it’s revealed in Wonder Man that the recurring MCU Easter egg that is Rogers: The Musical is getting its own theatrical release, continuing the clear parallels to Hamilton.
  • American Horror Story/Castle Rock, Sons of Anarchy — Before filming an episode of American Horror Story, Simon praises the director for her past work on Castle Rock and Sons of Anarchy, confirming all three shows’ existence in the MCU.
  • Twilight’s Ashley Greene — Before Simon loses his role, actress Ashley Greene cameos as herself, as she was meant to be Simon’s scene partner before he offered too many notes (Simon also praised her work in the Twilight movies).
  • Ryan Murphy – American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy is referenced and called just before Simon loses his role.
  • Midnight Cowboy — Simon watches Midnight Cowboy starring Dustin Hoffman and John Voight, where he ultimately meets Trevor Slattery for the first time (similarly becoming their own unlikely duo).
  • Pizza Gate/Illuminati — Having posed as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, Trevor denies any involvement in Pizza Gate or The Illuminati (not to be confused with the superhero team of the same name seen in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multivese of Madness).
  • Kingo Movie Poster — An in-universe movie poster starring the Eternal/actor Kingo is shown outside the small theater (his posters have been a recurring MCU Easter egg since Eternals’ release in 2021).
  • The Zaniac! — We also see another movie poster for The Zaniac!, the fictional in-universe movie starring actor Brad Wolfe, formerly Hunter X-05 of the TVA (as seen in Loki season 2).
  • Young Frankenstein — The final poster is for 1974’s Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks (a real-life movie).
  • Von Kovak Should Look Familar To Superman Fans — Von Kovak is revealed to be a highly accomplished director in the MCU seeking to reboot 1980’s Wonder Man. Kovak is played by actor Zlatko Burić, who also played the President of Boravia in 2025’s Superman.
  • The Fly — Kovak cites David Cronenberg’s work on The Fly as a prime example of finding inspiration from a pre-existing movie and still making something new and spectacular, in this case 1980’s Wonder Man.
  • “Already Talking To Leo” — Simon’s agent claims that the studio behind Kovak’s new movie has already been talking to “Leo”, who is presumably real-life actor Leo DiCaprio.
  • Deadline is MCU Canon – Simon mentions a Deadline article about the studio looking for new faces, confirming that the major Hollywood news site exists in the MCU.
  • A Doorman Waiver — Simon has to sign a form confirming he doesn’t have powers known as the “Doorman Waiver”, a reference to the Marvel character of the same name who appears later on in the series.
  • “Pretty Sure He Used To Be A Terrorist” — This is a callback to Trevor Slattery’s MCU debut in Iron Man 3 as the false Mandarin, playing the role of a terrorist leader on behalf of AIM.
  • King Lear (“The Toast Of Croyden”) — Trevor’s time playing King Lear in Croyden was first mentioned in Iron Man 3.
  • DODC – Trevor is revealed to be working for the Department of Damage Control, the organization that first debuted in Spider-Man: Homecoming and has since appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk.
  • The Chinese Theater — Simon is shown looking at the Hollywood stars near the Chinese Theater. While a major location on Hollywood Blvd, the theater was also one of the Extremis explosion sites in Iron Man 3, something AIM had their Mandarin (Trevor) take credit for as a targeted attack.
  • Trevor’s Mom — Trevor talks about his mother as his original inspiration for acting. We first learned about her in the Marvel one-shot All Hail The King.
  • Joe Pantoliano – Real-life actor Joe Patoliano is revealed to have allegedly stolen the lead role from Trevor on a medical drama they both starred in called South Shore Hospital.
  • DODC Agent Cleary — Agent Cleary returns as the DODC agent running point on the Simon Williams case, having made appearances in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel.
  • Megan 3.0 — Unlike in real-life, Megan 3.0 seems to have already been greenlit in the MCU based on a comment from Agent Cleary.
  • The Mandarin’s Glasses — It’s revealed that Trevor still has the sunglasses he wore in Iron Man 3 and All Hail The King as part of his Mandarin role.
  • The Matrix & Midnight Run — Simon praises Joe Pantoliano’s past roles, referencing his steak monologue in The Matrix and work with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in Midnight Run.
  • Art Linkletter — Pantoliano claims “It’s not enough to make a living, make a killing!” was something Art Linkletter once told him, inspiring the actor to get into real estate.
  • Matthew McConaughey — Joe also claims he stole McConaughey’s chef.
  • Louis B Mayer — “The most important thing about acting is sincerity. Once you learn to fake that, you’ve got it made.” Another piece of wisdom from Pantoliano, this time from the co-founder of MGM.
  • “Sloppy Joes With Sarah Paulson” — Janelle references Sarah Paulson, a real-life actor well known for her work on American Horror Story.
  • Joe Pantoliano’s Movie Posters — Posters for Baby’s Day Out, Monsignor, and the original Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief can be seen on the walls (the last one being absolutely hilarious).
  • DODC Supermax Prison — The supermax prison run by the DODC is featured, having first appeared in 2022’s She-Hulk.
  • The Manning Brothers — Janelle reveals she’s working on a project with Peyton and Eli Manning.
  • Simon and Trevor’s Monologues — Trading monologues, Trevor recites from King Lear, to which Simon responds with lines from The Grapes of Wrath, ending with Trevor reciting from Amadeus.
  • Belinda Carlisle’s “Our Lips Our Sealed” — After Trevor references the song, “Our Lips Our Sealed” plays while Trevor and Simon head to his mother’s birthday party.
  • Martha & Eric Williams aka Grim Reaper — Simon’s mother and brother make their MCU debuts. Simon’s mother Martha has the same name from the comics, as does his brother Eric. However, Eric does not appear to be the major supervillain known as The Grim Reaper.
  • Captain America (A Regular Dude) — Sam Wilsons’ Captain America is referenced at the party as “the full package”, though Simon feels as though he’s just “a regular dude who can throw a shield.”
  • Simon’s Criterion Collection — Martha reveals that Simon had his own Criterion collection of classic movies, the sign of a true cinephile.
  • DeMarr “Doorman” Davis — Simon confirms that the Doorman Waiver was named after DeMarr “Doorman” Davis, a classic superhero from the original comics.
  • Josh Gad (“Olaf Crowd Surfing”) — real-life actor Josh Gad plays himself in Wonder Man’s Doorman episode, revealed to have effectively discovered DeMarr after receiving his powers and his potential for Hollywood. By the end of the episode, Gad is revealed to have gone missing after he went through DeMarr and didn’t come out the other side, having been still inside Doorman when his powers stopped working, hence Hollywood’s resulting superpowers ban.
  • Roxxon — The black goo that gives DeMarr his (temporary) doorway powers is revealed to have come from Roxxon, an evil corporation that has had a recurring background role in the MCU since 2008’s Iron Man. Roxxon was also behind the similar teleportation powers given to Tyrone Johnson’s Cloak in Cloak and Dagger.
  • Mario Lopez’s Hot Goss — Various reports about DeMarr’s rise and fall in Hollywood come from Mario Lopez and his fictitious show Hot Goss.
  • LeFou/Gaston – Lopez references Gad’s past role as LeFou in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast with a few eye-roll-worthy puns.
  • The Doorman’s Mask — DeMarr’s black-and-white mask worn in Josh Gad’s Cash Grab movie mirros the superhero’s mask in the original comics.
  • Michael Strahan — Revealed to have chronic constipation, Michael Strahan is chosen to replace DeMarr for future Expellax commercials.
  • Hulk — DeMarr calls a taller member of Gad’s entourage the “Incredible Hulk”
  • “Stunts Like Cruise” — DeMarr tells Gad he’s willing to do all his own stunts for Cash Grab 2, just like Tom Cruise.
  • Rogers Musical Movie (Again) — Another billboard for Rogers: The Musical movie is shown on Hollywood Blvd. in Wonder Man’s fifth episode.
  • “Ohana Means Family” (Lilo Stitch) — Disney’s Script Ads from their 2024 ad campaign for Disney+ can be also be seen in the background of Hollywood Blvd.
  • “Friend of Mine From A Pocket Dimension” — Trevor lies to Simon about who’s calling him with a reference to Shang-Chi an the Legends of the Ten Rings’ Morris.
  • Cher/Chaka Khan — Trevor references attending a Cher concert at the Hollywood Bowl, while also claiming more than once how big of a fan he is of Chaka Khan.
  • “Just Wrapped A Chris Nolan Project” — One of the other actors called back for Kovak’s Wonder Man revealed he just wrapped a Chris Nolan project, confirming the iconic filmmaker’s existence in the MCU.
  • Van Kovak’s Wall — Kovak’s “wall of inspiration” features several exciting Easter eggs, including pictures of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, both Black Panthers, and the movie poster for the first Alien movie.
  • Pretty Woman — Rather than being spontaneous in the callback auditions, Simon first recites lines from Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts.
  • “Enhanced” — Trevor refers to Simon as “an enchanced“, a term for powered people in the MCU first heard in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
  • Simon’s Glasses (Modern vs Accurate) — Simon’s desire for greater accuracy with Wonder Man’s glasses feels like a commentary about superhero costumes in general and striking the balance between more modern designs and comic accuracy.
  • Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix Project — Simon’s team tells him he’s being offered a spot in Shonda Rhimes new Netflix project. Rhimes is behind major shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Bridgerton.
  • Kathy Friedman’s Past Interviews — Real-life actors Joseph Gordon Levitt & Glenn Howerton are both revealed to be subjects of past interviews by Kathy Friedman of The New York Times.
  • “Next Season of Severance” — Simon’s ex-girlfriend Vivian reveals she has a role on the next season of Severance (how cool would it be if actress Olivia Thirlby actually does?)
  • Planet of the Apes Poster — Trevor has a poster of Planet of the Apes, connecting to his story in Shang-Chi about how the original movie inspired him to start acting.
  • Ten Rings Logo — The Ten Rings logo first seen in 2008’s Iron Man opens Trevor’s brand-new Mandarian video he makes to clear Simon of suspicion.
  • “Taking Credit For Some Accidental Explosions” — Once again, Trevor takes credit for accidental destruction just as he did for AIM in Iron Man 3.
  • “You Never Saw Me Coming” — Trevor uses his classic Mandarian line on Agent Cleary, who isn’t quite buying it despite the public being convinced and it being good enough for his superiors.
  • Same Pair of Glasses From 1980’s Wonder Man — Simon is given the same exact pair of red glasses from the 1980 movie, perfectly striking that aforementioned balance between moden and original accuracy.
  • Wonder Man’s Super-Suit — While it does have its own style, Simon’s Wonder Man super-suit does look like Wonder Man’s more modern suits in the original Marvel Comics.
  • Simon’s Red Premiere Suit — The red suit Simon wears for the movie’s premiere is pretty comic-accurate to the Simon Williams we see on the page as well.
  • “Ionic Energy” — Agent Cleary reveals he had the destroyed soundstage re-scanned on the ionic level and found that everything in the room’s ions had been disrupted, confirming that Simon’s powers in the MCU are also ionic-based.
  • Simon Williams: Threat or Asset? — Agent Cleary suggesting that Simon could become a DODC asset could be a reference to the comics’ Simon Williams, who joined the pro-registration side in the first Civil War event, becoming a sanctioned SHIELD agent.
  • “Brosnan/De Niro/Banderas?” — Trevor wants to know who replaced him in the movie, though Simon doesn’t have the heart to tell him it was Pantoliano.
  • “Everybody’s Talkin’” — The classic song from Midnight Cowboy ends Marvel’s Wonder Man, the perfect callback to Simon and Trevor’s first meeting while watching the movie in the show’s premiere.

Real-Life Actors/Figures In The MCU (As Confirmed By Wonder Man)

  • Ashley Greene
  • Ryan Murphy
  • Dustin Hoffman & Jon Voight
  • David Cronenberg
  • Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Joe Pataliano
  • Charles Grodin & Robert De Niro
  • Art Linkletter
  • Matthew McConaughey
  • Louis B. Mayer
  • Sarah Paulson
  • Peyton and Eli Manning
  • Josh Gad
  • Mario Lopez
  • Michael Strahan
  • Tom Cruise
  • Cher & Chaka Khan
  • Christopher Nolan
  • Julia Roberts
  • Shonda Rhimes
  • Joseph Gordon Levitt & Glenn Howerton
  • Pierce Brosnan & Antonio Banderas

All episodes of Marvel’s Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+.

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2026-01-28 06:07