When you think about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you might envision projects filled with big action set pieces, a supervillain trying to reign over the world, and a hero who manages to save the day thanks to their superpowers. Well, Wonder Man is anything but that in the best way possible. This self-contained story is a love letter to the magic that goes on behind the making of movies, and it also acts as a deep character study that proves a person is not defined by their conditions but by the experiences they have lived. However, above anything else, Wonder Man is the story of two lonely people who become friends and try to make it big in Hollywood.
While the latest Disney+ series may have low stakes at first, its ending certainly raises many questions about Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery's futures in the end. Given that the Department of Damage Control was already suspicious of Simon, how will the villainous organization react to learning that a hero infiltrated its maximum security prison? Where does the script go from here? Will our hero ever go back to starring in big-name movies? Well, to answer any of these questions, we first need to go over the ending of Wonder Man and explain the events of the series so far.
What is the Doorman Clause, and how did it almost ruin Simon Williams?
The Doorman Clause is the bane of every actor's existence... or at least those who have superpowers. See, in episode four of Wonder Man, audiences discover the full story of DeMarr Davis—a normal person with a happy life whose destiny was forever changed the day he came in contact with a mysterious chemical substance found in a Roxxon Corporation dumpster. Suddenly, DeMarr's days of acting as a bouncer for a club were over. His newfound abilities skyrocketed his Hollywood career, as he was quickly hired to be Josh Gad's personal assistant and then became a movie star capable of doing his own stunts.
DeMarr Davis, better known as Doorman, had the ability to act as a physical portal. Anyone could literally enter Doorman's body and come out somewhere completely different. This power not only helped movie studios save money on VFX shots, but also made action sequences feel more authentic (or at least that's what the actors involved in the scenes claimed). Furthermore, DeMarr's power initially gave him an advantage over other actors looking to make it big in Hollywood, even if that would later change. However, tragedy struck when Doorman was filming a scene for a movie, and Josh Gad went through his body, only to never come out. Josh's sudden disappearance was a big wake-up call for Hollywood and the people it hired.
The Doorman Clause was then approved, banning superpowered individuals from movie sets. This meant nothing but bad news for Simon Williams—a man with superpowers looking to make it big in Hollywood. Throughout the entirety of the Wonder Man series, we see Simon try to hide his powers to have a chance at achieving his big dream. However, his cover was blown the day he discovered his one and only friend, Trevor Slattery, was out to betray him.
What is the Department of Damage Control, and why did it recruit Trevor Slattery?
MCU fans are no strangers to the Department of Damage Control. The shadowy organization has previously appeared in projects such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: No Way Home. It has the sole purpose of cleaning up the mess made by enhanced individuals and trying to prevent more "accidents" from occurring by incarcerating those who may be a threat to the country. There's only one problem: this federal executive department is losing money, and it hasn't made enough arrests to justify the creation of its latest maximum-security prison.
With their hands tied behind their backs, members of the Department of Damage Control are looking to make progress in any open case, at any cost. As such, federal agent P. Cleary comes up with a unique plan not only to prove that Simon Williams is a dangerous superpowered individual but also to put him behind bars. Cleary recruits Trevor Slattery—a former actor who portrayed the fake Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and is trying to revive his acting career—to get close to Simon and gather any incriminating evidence.
Trevor had no option but to cooperate, or he would be sent to jail (after all, he technically didn't serve his entire sentence for the Mandarin incident, given that he was broken out of jail in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). But what started as little more than a job quickly blossomed into a beautiful friendship. Trevor did get close to Williams, and the two helped each other out in their auditions to land the roles of Barnaby and Wonder Man. But beyond that, they shared personal experiences and earned each other's trust. However, Simon eventually learned that his one and only friend simply wanted to bring his deepest, darkest secret into the light.
Driven by rage, Simon walked onto the Wonder Man set and let all his feelings out in the form of a big explosion that quickly gathered the media's attention. Fear grew as people began to suspect that the star of Hollywood's next big production had superpowers, directly going against the Doorman Clause. Simon began to fear his time in the spotlight was over before it could even begin, and even accepted his impending fate. However, in a surprising twist of events, Trevor took the blame for the events by filming one last video as the Mandarin and taking responsibility for the big explosion that shook the world.
How Simon Williams infiltrated a maximum-security prison
Trevor Slattery was put behind bars by the Department of Damage Control, and Simon Williams managed to carry on with his life and career. He eventually became a renowned Hollywood star with the release of Wonder Man, and his dreams of watching himself on the big screen finally came true. But what do you do after performing the role of a lifetime? Well, save the friend of a lifetime, of course.
Simon talks to a security guard at the Department of Damage Control and lets him in on a little secret: he's about to shoot a big movie for a renowned director. Simon claims that he needs to prepare for his upcoming role as a regular day-to-day person. To do that, he asks the guard if he can follow him around and take notes on his day-to-day life. The guard accepts and lets Simon follow his every move for a few days. Eventually, the guard takes Simon with him to work at the DODC's prison, and it is there that the stage is set for Wonder Man's next big act.
Simon makes his way to the cell where Trevor was being held and breaks him out in a heartbeat. Of course, this move doesn't go unnoticed by the Department of Damage Control, which will likely try to pursue both Simon and Trevor in the future. With a bit of luck, it won't be long before Marvel greenlights a second season of Wonder Man and we find out whether the iconic duo is able to go back to acting, or if they will live the rest of their lives as fugitives.
All episodes of Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+.