Commentary: ‘Wonder Man’ Continues The Trend of Making Heroes A Joke
by Frank Martin
Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to begin building its world with bigger name heroes like Iron Man and Captain America. but Marvel Comics is packed full of characters; it’s a truly incredible roster to choose from. And with the film universe over a decade old, it was only a matter of time before they started adapting lesser known and more obscure characters, some of which lean heavily into comedic territory. One such group is the Great Lakes Avengers — with bigger names taking up a lot of attention, these heroes were always going to be a joke.
This becomes apparent in Wonder Man. The show is about an actor named Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who has to keep his superpowers hidden because of DeMarr Davis — aka “Doorman” (Byron Bowers). Davis was a nightclub doorman who gained strange powers that allowed people to pass through him. He used these abilities to become a movie star, but due to an accident, actor Josh Gad (played by himself) went missing after entering Doorman and never coming out the other side. This led to a ban of all super-powered individuals from acting in Hollywood.
Doorman isn’t the first Great Lakes Avenger to show up in the MCU. Mr. Immortal also made an appearance in She-Hulk, where he was accused of defrauding his ex-wives. In this situation, Mr. Immortal wasn’t a hero at all. He was more of a con artist who appeared in a storyline largely for comedic effect. Doorman, in Wonder Man, is also portrayed as an incompetent individual rather than an actual hero. The Great Lakes Avengers are a comedic team, so it makes sense to use them this way. However, they are also heroes who try to do good, something their MCU counterparts probably won’t get the chance to attempt.
Wonder Man is now streaming on Disney+.