It's been widely reported that Marvel Studios intends to reboot the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars, making it so that Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man all exist in the same reality.
That's exciting, but what does it mean for current MCU mutants like Namor and Ms. Marvel? The reveal that they carry the X-Gene was clearly meant to tease the idea of mutants existing on the Sacred Timeline, but it's still hard to imagine Kamala Khan heading into action alongside Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Beast two or three years from now.
Wonder Man was shot quite some time before Marvel Studios' Secret Wars plans had solidified, but it seems Simon Williams is indeed a mutant.
The series establishes that Simon's powers emerged when he was 13. He inadvertently burned down the family kitchen and has been hiding what he can do ever since (the finale ultimately establishes that his powers are ionic, just like in the comics).
Simon doesn't really tap into his powers until much later in the series, but there was no accident or inciting incident that gave Simon his abilities. In the comics, he undergoes an experiment overseen by the villainous Baron Zemo, but there's nothing like that here. So, between that and the fact that Simon's powers developed at puberty, it seems safe to say the actor is a mutant.
This links him to the X-Men rather than The Avengers, a team he's been part of since first debuting in 1964. Wonder Man was best friends with Beast, so there's nothing to say that dynamic couldn't be explored in the X-Men franchise rather than The Avengers, of course.
The word "mutant" is never used in Wonder Man, and another character gains abilities by coming into contact with Roxxon chemicals. However, in Simon's case, there's good reason to believe he is another of the MCU's mutants...which could have major ramifications if and when he returns in the new MCU.
In our review of the series, we wrote, "Yahya Abdul-Mateen II steals the show in this delightfully original two-hander about friendship, acting, and being true to yourself. Wonder Man is the cure to superhero fatigue and the most original MCU TV series since WandaVision."
Wonder Man follows aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams, who is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns that legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film "Wonder Man."
These two actors, at opposite ends of their careers, doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.
All eight episodes of Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+.