- Wonder Man is out now in full on Disney+
- The Marvel TV show ends without addressing its biggest mystery
- Its head writer has said that it didn’t need to be explained
Wonder Man showrunner Andrew Guest has explained why the Marvel TV show doesn’t provide an answer its biggest mystery.
In an exclusive chat with TechRadar conducted before all eight episodes of Wonder Man dropped on Disney+, Guest outlined his reasons for leaving this particularly big plot point unresolved.
Full spoilers immediately follow for Wonder Man, up to and including its finale. Turn back now if you haven’t watched it all yet.
As I point out in my Wonder Man ending explained article, aside from The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Spider-Man’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Captain America: Civil War, this is the only time that we don’t see how a character acquires their abilities.
However, unlike Marvel’s First Family and the webslinger, whose origin stories have been covered in other live-action and animated projects, Williams is someone who most viewers have never met. Revealing how he came to possess superpowers in the Disney+ show, then, seemed like a sure thing.
And yet, Wonder Man doesn’t deliver the goods. Sure, references are made to his backstory and familial history, such as his dad dying when Simon was young. There’s also the insinuation that his father perished during a fire at the family home, which Simon might have accidentally caused.
Those tidbits notwithstanding, the MCU TV Original refuses to show us when and/or how its eponymous character got his superpowers. So, I couldn’t help but ask Guest what were the reasons behind that storytelling decision and here’s what he had to say.
“It’s interesting because, in the comics, Simon Williams has had different and complicated iterations throughout the years,” the Marvel Phase 6 project’s co-creator replied.
“When Marvel were thinking about this project, there wasn’t a particular comic book run they were looking at [for inspiration], so they were open to any interpretation.
“The more I understood Simon and figured out what the show was about, the more I felt like Simon doesn’t care about his powers,” he continued. “So, I didn’t want the show to be too focused on where they came from.
“As far as Simon is concerned, this is something that simply happened to him in the way you might grow up to be super tall or, you know, having really hairy legs. So, I didn’t feel the need to dive into Simon’s relationship to his superpowers and where it all started, and that was what I felt like the show’s relationship to them should be as well.”
Do you agree with Guest that Wonder Man didn’t need to spell out William’s superhuman origins? Or are you disappointed that we didn’t see more? Let me know in the comments.
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