Wonder Man: Simon Williams' superpowers explained

Marvel's new Wonder Man streaming series is all about the dangerous potential of Simon Williams' superpowers. But what exactly is he capable of, and where do his powers come from? We have some answers to these questions, taken straight from the show, including how Simon's abilities relate to his powers in comics.

Before we go further, be warned we'll be getting into some spoilers for Wonder Man, so don't go any further if you haven't seen it and want to go in totally fresh.

In Wonder Man, Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has a whole range of superpowers. While they're never explained outright, we get quite a lot of information about exactly what he's capable of. We'll break it down right here.

What are Wonder Man's powers?

At the start of the series, Simon has trouble containing his abilities, which send energy exploding out of his body, damaging or destroying everything around him. He also displays super strength and some level of invulnerability, and in Wonder Man's final scenes, he's even capable of flying in a haze of what's described as "ionic energy."

That's not too far off from comics, where he's one of the strongest Avengers, nearly comparable to Thor and the Hulk. At first, that's just about all he has going for him, using a jetpack to fly. Later on, however, he develops the ability to return from the dead thanks to the ionic energy – there it is again – that infuses his body to give him his super strength.

This further evolves into full control of his expanding powers, allowing him to manifest as a being of pure ionic energy while also wielding the powerful force even in his human form.

How did Wonder Man get his powers?

The origin of Simon's powers isn't fully revealed in Wonder Man, though we do know that they first manifested when he was a child, when he survived a house fire unscathed. At the same time, he's tried to keep them secret for most of his life, not just because of the so-called Doorman Clause that prevents people with superpowers from starring in movies, but out of fear of judgment from others.

The early emergence of the MCU Simon's powers could indicate that he's a mutant with inborn abilities like the X-Men. But the show's creators, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Young, are staying coyly tight-lipped about whether Simon fits the bill.

In comics, Simon gains his powers from Baron Zemo, hated enemy of the Avengers, who imbues him with his signature ionic energy while manipulating him to battle his heroic nemeses. It's not too hard, as Simon despises Tony Stark, whom he blames for the loss of his family company.

However, Zemo's gifts come with consequences, as only he can prevent Simon's powers from expiring and killing him, a tool to control him. Nonetheless, Simon betrays Zemo, dying as predicted after aiding the Avengers in the villain's defeat. After just a few years away, Simon is resurrected for the first time, starting Simon's cycle of death and rebirth.

It's still unclear exactly where we'll see Simon Williams again after Wonder Man season 1, but given how powerful his ionic energy abilities seem to be, it's entirely likely he could find himself on a collision course with the MCU at large.

Wonder Man is streaming now on Disney Plus. For more, check out our Wonder Man review and stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are currently in the works.