How Did Wonder Man Get His Powers in Marvel Comics? Plus, How the MCU May Rewrite It

Wonder Man has always been a strange figure in Marvel lore. He’s powerful, complicated, and historically tied to some of the franchise’s biggest villains. With Marvel now developing a limited series centered on the character, longtime fans are revisiting an old question while asking a new one.

How did Wonder Man get his powers, and will that origin even work in the modern MCU created by the Disney Plus series?

The answer depends on which version you’re talking about. In the comics, Wonder Man’s powers came from a very specific chain of events involving revenge, control, and betrayal.

But the Disney series exists in a timeline where many of those pieces no longer fit, forcing Marvel to rethink how Simon Williams becomes Wonder Man. Let's dive in.

According to Marvel, Wonder Man, whose real name is Simon Williams, gained his powers through an experimental process orchestrated by Baron Zemo. Zemo targeted Simon because Stark Industries had destroyed his family’s business, leaving him bitter and desperate.

Zemo enhanced Simon with ionic energy, giving him superhuman strength, durability, and energy manipulation. The catch was control.

Simon needed regular doses of a stabilizing treatment controlled by Zemo, making him dependent and effectively owned.

Zemo used Wonder Man as a weapon against the Avengers, particularly Iron Man and Vision. Eventually, Simon turned on the Masters of Evil and sacrificed himself. He later returned, revived through ionic energy, and ultimately became a full-fledged Avenger.

That origin is deeply rooted in Stark Industries, Zemo’s influence, and early Avengers dynamics.

Those elements pose a problem for the MCU. Baron Zemo is no longer an active mastermind in the same way, and Stark Industries no longer exists as it did. That makes a direct adaptation of Wonder Man’s comic origin difficult, if not impossible, without major retcons.

Marvel has not confirmed how the series will handle this.

The Wonder Man series takes place in a Universe that has eliminated the forces that shaped Simon Williams in print. Reddit discussions among fans highlight this disconnect, noting that the traditional Zemo and Stark motivations no longer align with current canon.

The thread said, "Since Zemo and the Stark industries are no longer active in the MCU timeline, I wonder how he could get his powers. I wouldn't be surprised if they reconnected him as a mutant, just like they just did with Ms. Marvel."

Marvel already established a precedent with Ms. Marvel, signaling a broader integration of mutants into the MCU. While this is speculation, it would allow Marvel to bypass missing villains and modernize Simon’s powers without contradicting existing continuity.

Another option is a scientific or corporate experiment tied to a new antagonist rather than Zemo.

Wonder Man’s comic origin is inseparable from a Marvel era that no longer exists on screen. The Disney series has an opportunity to preserve the spirit of Simon Williams while rebuilding the mechanics of his transformation. Whether through science, mutation, or something entirely new, the question isn’t whether Marvel will change his origin, but how far it’s willing to go to make him fit the future of the MCU.