Marvel Producer Confirms That Wonder Man Being a Mutant In the MCU Got Officially Discussed By Marvel Studios (Exclusive)

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The creator of the upcoming Wonder Man series has revealed that Marvel considered a surprising twist for the character: making him a mutant with ties to the X-Men. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will play Simon Williams, a super-powered actor who’s also known as Wonder Man in the comics. While Williams already possesses at least four powers, including the ability to control ionic energy, he won’t be actively fighting major crime – at least not initially. He’s currently known in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an actor who plays a superhero, and has only dealt with minor criminals so far.

TopMob’s Russ Milheim had an exclusive interview with Andrew Guest, the showrunner of Wonder Man. Guest discussed the unexplored origins of Simon Williams’ superpowers in the Disney+ series. While he didn’t confirm how the superhero got his abilities, Guest revealed that Marvel Studios did consider the possibility of him being a mutant.

When directly asked if Simon Williams in the MCU could be a mutant, the writer confirmed they had considered the question but ultimately chose not to answer it. They’ve left it to other MCU storytellers to decide that aspect of the character.

Okay, so during the Q&A, someone asked if the character, Milheim, might be a mutant. The guest speaker admitted it was a smart question, one the team had talked about. But, cleverly, they’ve chosen to stay tight-lipped and let the audience speculate! It’s a classic move – keep people guessing, and let the theories run wild. Honestly, I appreciate them not giving everything away; it adds to the mystery!

When asked directly about it, Guest confirmed that there’s a clear answer to the question of Williams’ family history.

Milheim: “The answer’s out there, though, isn’t it?”
Guest: “It is.”

You know, when people asked about how much of the characters’ histories we decided to share, the director explained it all came down to Williams’ story. Everything we showed, every little detail, was about making his journey make sense and resonate with the audience. It was all about serving his character.

Milheim noted that the show intentionally doesn’t explain the origin of Simon’s powers, even suggesting Simon himself doesn’t fully understand them – a rare approach for Marvel stories. He asked about the creative process behind developing those powers, figuring out their source, and deciding how much information to reveal to the audience. The guest responded that a key goal was to ensure Simon’s powers felt connected to and supportive of his character.

The original X-Men movie from the 2000s seems to have influenced Wonder Man, particularly in how the characters’ abilities felt deeply connected to their minds. Beyond that, it was crucial to portray his powers as something that simply happened to him, similar to the way mutants gain their abilities.

Looking back at the first X-Men movie, I always felt the characters’ powers represented the emotional and psychological challenges of growing up. For Simon, his abilities weren’t something he embraced or even tried to understand. He didn’t feel any curiosity about them; they were just obstacles in his life.

Surprisingly, around seven or eight actors who appeared in the X-Men movies are expected to return in Avengers: Doomsday. This adds to the growing focus on mutants within the Marvel Cinematic Universe this year, likely building towards the planned reboot in Phase 7.

I really appreciated how Wonder Man smartly avoided showing Simon Williams’ initial foray into superpowers. It was a clever choice, allowing the story to explore his journey “through a different lens,” as the filmmakers put it. This approach immediately establishes that Williams isn’t just a guy with powers; it’s about who he is as a person first, and that’s a refreshing take within the MCU.

We wanted to tell Simon’s story in a specific way, so we deliberately avoided showing his superpowers happening for the first time when he was a child. Instead, we approached it from a different angle, focusing on building his character before revealing his abilities. We didn’t want his powers to define who he was.

Although the Disney+ series Wonder Man didn’t explicitly mention mutants or the backstory of Simon Williams, it likely paved the way for the X-Men to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show seems to be establishing a growing distrust of superpowered individuals on Earth-616.

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2026-01-29 02:05