"In an era of ardent fans finding any excuse to throw a tantrum, that's both a relief and rarity. However, it also speaks to how far under-the-radar Williams has flown since being created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck in 1964, when he perished after his very first appearance. (He would be resurrected for a cameo eight years later.) However, the D-lister's biggest weakness - his obscurity"
"The tale of a self-absorbed actor with an ego too big for the small jobs in which he's cast, the Wonder Man series follows Williams' journey to landing the movie role of a lifetime: Wonder Man, a fictitious staple of American pop culture, introduced to him by his late immigrant father. For Williams, playing a superhero is a way to belong, as a lonely outsider, and a way to satisfy his lofty ambitions, which have long since become tied up in complex notions of identity."
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, with notably little backlash. Simon Williams originated in 1964, died in his first appearance, and briefly returned eight years later. Williams' obscurity became an advantage, allowing Marvel Studios to reimagine the character on Disney+. The series centers on a self-absorbed, struggling actor whose ambition and desire to belong drive him to pursue the titular role introduced by his late immigrant father. Williams befriends Trevor Slattery, a pseudo-celebrity and former fake villain, who, as a secret informant, manipulates promises of an audition to expose Williams' frowned-upon superpowers.
Read at Inverse
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