'Wonder Man' teaser drops a clue that has fans excited after subtle link to 'Thunderbolts*'
The upcoming 'Wonder Man' series is poised to shake things up at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The eight-part Disney+ show will present a significantly different take on a superhero character while simultaneously establishing his place within the larger universe of Earth 616. The series will kick off with Simon Williams, who is markedly reluctant to realize the extent of his superpowers, putting him in line with other similarly reluctant superhero characters, such as Bruce Banner and Peter Parker. Moreover, Williams is more interested in making it big as an acclaimed actor rather than saving the world.
This aspect of the character was explained by creator Andrew Guest in an interview with SFX Magazine, as featured on Cinemablend. "If you gave that person superpowers, he wouldn’t care. He just wants to be Daniel Day-Lewis, right?’ Once I figured that out, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s who Wonder Man is.’ He has powers, but he doesn’t want them. He doesn’t like superheroes. He likes art movies. He wants to be an artist. So how does being super-strong help you become an artist? It doesn’t."
As revealed by the recently released 'Wonder Man' teaser, Williams prepares for the role of 'Wonder Man' for an upcoming motion picture project, in a meta nod to the MCU. The Den of Geek reports that the teaser does a commendable job of establishing Williams' past while simultaneously building up his character, one that contains footprints of past trauma. Starring as Williams, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reaches the bottom of his emotions in front of the camera while trying to record an audition clip. During the course of this process, he makes an explicit reference that is bound to stir up a connection with the 'Thunderbolts*'.
Marvel Studios had previously posted an image of Williams's audition script on their Instagram page. Although the script features the line "Well, I've been to hell," for Williams talking about his past struggles, the superhero actually remarked, "Well, I've been to the Void." This snippet is likely to evoke visions of the Sentry's sinister alter ego, as it serves as a reference to the Void. Lewis Pullman played the character of Bob Reynolds, also known by that name before his transformation as the Sentry. For the sake of a quick recap of the plot of 'Thunderbolts*', Valentina Allegra de Fontaine organized a black ops mission involving Reynolds, which was later overturned by U.S. Agent, Ghost, and White Widow as the three of them rebelled against her when they refused to kill each other at her bidding.
The three of them then sought to rescue Reynolds, unaware that they were unwittingly playing into Val's evil design by making it clear to her that Reynolds had indeed survived the experiments. Instead of fully transforming into the Sentry, Reynolds was metamorphosed into the Void, replete with darkness from within. Marvel lore further reveals that the Void encapsulates the inherent negativity within Reynolds, spurred by his depression. In this connection, one might speculate that Williams was caught up in Void's attack depicted in the finale of the 'Thunderbolts*', thus causing him to venture into the darkness. 'Wonder Man' drops all eight episodes on January 27 at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.
