Shortly before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's debut, early teases and rumors pointed to Nathan Fillion playing Simon Williams/ Wonder Man. Some fake posters for movies featuring Williams posted online lent further credence to those claims, but in the end, Fillion's part got cut from the MCU film.
Surprisingly though, Fillion is portraying Wonder Man in another Marvel project. Disney has cast him as the hero's voice in Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. series. News of his casting comes alongside reports of Jon Hamm joining the project as Iron Man. Joining them are Bill Hader, Whoopi Goldberg, and Patton Oswalt as the titular villain.
What's of intrigue here is Disney bringing Fillion back for the part they initially meant for him to have. Granted, they're two different versions, one a live-action adaptation and the other an animated character, they're still essentially the same. And because the media giant has done so, perhaps there are still plans to make Fillion the MCU's Wonder Man.
Will Nathan Fillion Stick Around?
While it's still early to say, having Fillion join the live-action field fits perfectly into plot building in Phase 4. Zemo, in particular, is making a comeback and might assemble a team of supervillains as he did in the comics. His goals have yet to be revealed, though hints from The Falcon And The Winter Soldier promos show him donning the iconic Zemo mask, suggesting he'll be loyal to the comic's namesake. If true, the Masters of Evil sounds like a distinct possibility.
Wonder Man is especially significant because he might be Zemo's first recruit. The complex anti-hero still hasn't made his live-action debut, but if Zemo puts together a team the way we assume, he'll probably take Williams from his glamorous life as a movie star. Of course, it's also possible that he's retired since the Blip. In which case, he could be a miserable mess like Thor was in Endgame.
Then again, there's another route Disney may take with Williams' live-action debut, and that's as a member of the West Coast Avengers. They, too, are another super-team that isn't a part of the MCU. However, the building blocks are in place for them to do so.
Simon Williams And The West Coast Avengers
Characters like White Vision (Paul Bettany) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are prominent members of the California-based Avengers in the comics. And seeing as how their MCU counterparts have open-ended futures, they're in the prime position to helm the next Avengers initiative. Vision, in particular, stands to be the better candidate.
The reason Vision may be the one is he's a hero without a home or family. He's not the SWORD-controlled version or Wanda's former lover. The White Vision is an entirely new person. WandaVision EP Matt Shakman confirmed that the Vision who flew off at the end of the series isn't Wanda's former lover. He may have the android's memories, but he's not the same.
Because the White Vision is technically a new hero to the MCU, he'll need a purpose in the world. The Avengers aren't around, so he can't go back to them, but what he can do is put together a squad of his own, which is where Simon Williams fits in.
Nonetheless, there's a good chance Fillion will play Wonder Man in more than one medium. He's already playing the animated version. It only makes sense that he portray the live-action adaptation as well, especially when the actor was already set up for the role years ago.