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Warning: spoilers for the Wonder Man TV show are ahead. 

All eight episodes of Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+, and I hope that you've already watched all of them before coming to read this article. But you have been warned: we will be discussing Wonder Man spoilers while we dissect 5 ways that the MCU's version of the character and his comic book version differ from each other. 

It's time to put on your best red jacket and best red glasses and dive into the world of Hollywood and Simon Williams in Marvel Comics and beyond. 

How the MCU reimagines Simon Williams and his family for Wonder Man

In Marvel Comics, Simon Williams grew up in New Jersey and is the son of a weapons manufacturer named Sanford Williams. Comic book Sanford Williams is not a nice guy; he abused both Simon and his brother Eric when they didn't get perfect grades in school. Eric ends up pursuing a life of crime. 

Luckily, in the MCU, Simon Williams has a much different upbringing. He is the son of two Haitian immigrants, and he grew up in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. His father, Sanford, and his mother divorced when Simon was a kid, but Sanford remained a positive force within Simon's life. In fact, the car that Simon drives around on Wonder Man is Sanford's car. Simon's brother, Erik, fortunately, is a successful businessman in the MCU. While he and Simon have a tense, brotherly relationship, they ultimately love each other unconditionally. 

The MCU's Wonder Man turns Simon Williams’ powers into a dangerous family secret

Originally, in the comics, Simon Williams gets his powers from Baron Zemo, who fries him up with an iconic ray beam (which sounds like the hottest skincare treatment in Beverly Hills right now). However, on the Wonder Man show, the origins of Simon's powers are more ambiguous. We know from conversations with Simon's family that he survived a house fire when he was a boy, and it's an unspoken secret that his powers were responsible for the house fire. On the Wonder Man show, Simon's powers seem to erupt during moments of intense emotion and stress. 

The MCU reimagines Wonder Man as an actor first and a superhero second

Marvel Comics fans know Wonder Man is also an actor, but on the MCU show, Simon has no interest in joining Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In fact, he is so focused on being an actor that we never even see him express a desire to join the Avengers. For the MCU's Simon Williams, acting is his true calling, not being a professional superhero. This differs from his comic book counterpart, who decided to leave the Avengers and pursue a career in Hollywood. 

Why Scarlet Witch has no place in the MCU’s Wonder Man story

In the comics, Wonder Man has a romance with his fellow Avenger, Scarlet Witch. The Marvel Comics versions of Simon and Wanda have had a tense relationship, as after Vision was disassembled, Wanda wanted to use Simon's brain as the template for rebuilding her android partner, the latter of whom was cold and emotionless. Simon, understandably, wasn't comfortable with Wanda's request, but acquiesced after Wanda lost her children. However, Vision refused Simon's brain, noting that it would make him less like his former self and more like Simon. The drama! 

There is no mention of Scarlet Witch in the MCU Wonder Man show, and considering that the MCU's Simon Williams isn't an Avenger or has interacted with any other super-people, this makes sense. We've seen the MCU's Wanda interact with lots of people over the years, and none of those folks has ever been an actor from Pacoima named Simon, so it's safe to say that the two don't know each other. 

In Marvel’s Wonder Man, Simon Williams plays a superhero without being one

So this is where things get a bit meta. On the Wonder Man show, Simon Williams wins the lead role in the Wonder Man movie that Von Kovak is directing, and the movie goes on to be a smash hit. However, despite having superpowers himself and playing the Wonder Man character onscreen, Simon Williams in the MCU isn't Wonder Man the way that Simon Williams is Wonder Man in Marvel Comics. The public in the MCU still doesn't know that Simon Williams has superpowers. In other words, the MCU's Simon Williams just wants to be known as Simon Williams, Hollywood actor. 

Here's the Hollywood tell-all behind the MCU's newest hero, Wonder Man.

• Everything you need to know about Wonder Man
• Kevin Feige is worried Marvel Studios' Wonder Man TV series will be considered derivative of Apple TV's The Studio and HBO's The Franchise (but it wasn't, honest!)
• Marvel Studios' Wonder Man is "extremely different than anything" the MCU has done before says Kevin Feige