The Wonder Man television series got us excited to make a Wonder Man post. Geekly may have bitten off more than we could chew with a Wonder Man Starter Stories. I remember reading a lot of Wonder Man in West Coast Avengers—that’ll make an appearance on this list—but Wonder Man may be one of Marvel’s most sporadically published characters, especially in his early years. This is partially due to Wonder Man’s origin story (he died), but the character was a sore spot between Marvel and DC Comics. DC Comics had Wonder Woman as an established character and wanted the ability to write a Wonder Man character, but Marvel beat them to the punch. Lawsuits ensued. As a result, Wonder Man appeared in storylines but was rarely a key contributor until the mid-1970s.

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today we’re going to cover Wonder Man starter stories. Today’s post will differ from most starter stories. Wonder Man will have a ton of single-issue stories, so I’ll do my best to include Wonder Man Omnibuses that should collect many of these stories, and you may get several extra stories to boot. Yay! We’ll begin with single issues, and after the single comics, we’ll list which comic book collection includes the comic. Let’s begin.

Single Issues

“The Coming of The…Wonder Man” (Avengers #9; written by Stan Lee/art by Don Heck; August 1964)

“The Coming of The…Wonder Man” storyline may hold the secret as to why Wonder Man doesn’t show up that often in his earlier years. Spoiler alert: Wonder Man dies. And it’s a death that stuck for years, according to Stan Lee.

Brief Synopsis: Wonder Man (Simon Williams) gets arrested for embezzling Tony Stark’s money. The Masters of Evil break him out of jail, give him powers, and send Wonder Man to destroy The Avengers. Zemo ensures Wonder Man’s allegiance by poisoning him. Wonder Man gains The Avengers’ trust, but The Avengers do the same with Wonder Man, because they want to help him (get unpoisoned), even though they don’t know him. Wonder Man has a change of heart and sabotages Zemo’s plot.

Yeah! Wonder Man may die at the end, but he dies for a good reason. I can see why writers wanted to honor this sacrifice…for like three or four years.

“Wonder Man” (Wonder Man #1, One-Shot; written by David Michelinie/art by Kerry Gammill; December 1985)

The “Wonder Man” One-Shot shows Wonder Man at his conflicted best. By this point, Wonder Man has been an Avenger and an actor—we should see some of this play out in the Wonder Man television series—and he tries a new occupation: science tech trouble-shooter. What does that even mean? Wonder Man finds out in this action-packed one-shot adventure.

Omnibus Listing

Marvel-Verse: Wonder Man (March 12, 2024)

This recent comic book collection includes Wonder Man’s first appearance, his one-shot adventure, and a couple more issues (Marvel Two-In-One, 1974; Avengers #14, 1998).

Single Issues

“A Force of Two” (Marvel Premiere #55; written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton/art by Ron Wilson; May 1980)

While the Wonder Man one-shot above may be the flashiest Wonder Man solo adventure to date, “A Force of Two” (Marvel Premiere #55) was his first proper solo adventure. Michelinie pens this issue as well. “A Force of Two” explores Simon Williams’ corporate background, which includes a brief rivalry with Stark Enterprises. In fact, “A Force of Two’s” main antagonist is none other than Madame Masque, one of Iron Man’s greatest villains who hasn’t made their way to the MCU. (Quick note: There was a character named Whitney Frost, Madame Masque’s alter ego, who served as a Black Widow assassin in the Agent Carter series, but a proper Madame Masque has yet to make her MCU debut.) Wonder Man fights Madame Masque and her super criminal ring, Maggia, as she tries to take over Wonder Man’s company, Williams Innovations.

“…The Trial” (Avengers #160; written by Jim Shooter/art by George Perez; June 1977)

“…The Trial” features a major revelation: Simon Williams has a brother. Gasp! I’m cheating a bit with this entry. Honestly, this storyline goes back a couple of issues with Avengers #158, but fortunately, the collection I selected (listed below) includes the entire storyline. Spoiler Alert, I suppose, for an almost five-decade-old comic book. Lol. Antagonist Grim Reaper, one of the best Avengers villains to not yet make their MCU debut, has been a thorn in the Avengers’ side for years. We learn that Eric Williams (Grim Reaper) is Simon Williams’ (Wonder Man’s) brother. “…The Trial” also reminds us that Vision’s mind was originally built from Simon Williams’ brainwaves (like Simon’s consciousness was downloaded from the cloud). Hmm. I wonder if this could influence the MCU.

Wonder Man releases a year or two before VisionQuest. Could VisionQuest include at least a reference to Vision’s original comic book origin (and include Simon Williams)? The MCU has leaned into its darker characters, and Grim Reaper’s aesthetic matches this shift. Could we see Grim Reaper in the not-so-distant future? We’ll have to see. “…The Trial” is another iconic Avengers comic book and worth reading.

“On the Matter of Heroes!” (Avengers #181; written by David Michelinie/art by John Byrne; December 1978)

I mentioned the MCU a lot in previous entries—mostly because Wonder Man is around the corner—and “On the Matter of Heroes!” is yet another story that could factor into the MCU. In the comics, Wonder Man and Beast (one of the original X-Men) are close friends. “On the Matter of Heroes!” has the pair watching The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn. Wonder Man and Beast discuss the psychological role heroes play for the public. Beast and Wonder Man share a similar sense of humor and are plagued by self-doubt about their place in the Avengers. Beast questions his place because he’s a mutant, while Wonder Man struggles with his mortality. He’s afraid of dying again.

“On the Matter of Heroes!” muddies the water when Wonder Man and Beast return to the Avengers Mansion. Ultimately, due to government influence, Wonder Man is out of the Avengers, and Beast remains. I must mention it. Could Wonder Man introduce Simon Williams’s friend, Hank McCoy (Beast)? The X-Men near their MCU debut.

Omnibus Listing

Wonder Man: The Early Years Omnibus (December 20, 2023)

“A Force of Two,” “…The Trial,” and “On the Matter of Heroes!” are collected in Wonder Man: The Early Years Omnibus. Numerous other comics are also included. This collection is over a thousand pages. Yikes!

Storyline

West Coast Avengers Limited Series (West Coast Avengers #1-4; written by Roger Stern/art by Bob Hall; 1984)

West Coast Avengers began as a limited series in 1984. Eventually, it became a monthly title for over a decade. Vision wants to increase the Avengers’ reach, so he creates the Avengers’ first offshoot team, the West Coast Avengers. At this time, Wonder Man has a side hustle as an actor, so a Los Angeles-based Avengers made sense. Simon clashes with almost everyone on the team, especially Iron Man (James Rhodes during this series), as Williams struggles to balance crime fighting with an acting career. Wonder Man features Simon Williams as an actor; West Coast Avengers may play a role.

Single Issues without an Omnibus (as of this post)

“Even An Android Can Cry” (Avengers #58; written by Roy Thomas/art by John Buscema; September 1968)

While you get the gist of Vision’s origin in “…The Trial” (listed above), “Even An Android Can Cry” is the first telling of this origin story. Somehow, Ant-Man recorded Wonder Man’s brain patterns before he died during his debut (in Avengers #9). Ultron finds these brain patterns and uses them to create the perfect android in Vision. In a roundabout way, Wonder Man and Vision are brain brothers.

“New Faces” (West Coast Avengers #45; written and art by John Byrne; February 7, 1989)

“New Faces” explores the heartbreaking, bizarre, and fascinating relationship between Wonder Man and Vision. After the government dismantles Vision, the android is left a blank slate. “New Faces” is the comic that introduces a White Vision (like the one found at the end of WandaVision). Scarlet Witch asks Wonder Man to contribute his brain waves to bring back her husband, Vision. Wonder Man refuses.

Wonder Man didn’t have a choice the first time. Vision and Wonder Man shared a rocky relationship because Wonder Man has feelings for Wanda, too. “New Faces” packs an emotional punch and is well worth a read. And check out the top, right-hand corner of “New Faces'” cover: VisionQuest Continues. Yep. This is the comic book version of VisionQuest.

Those are the stories that made our list. Are there any you would add to the list? Let us know in the comments, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.