Wonder Man ending explained: What happened to Simon Williams and what's next?

It's fitting that the creator of DC's Wonder Woman invented an early prototype of the lie detector, because Marvel's male counterpart, Wonder Man, is based almost entirely on lies. Or at least the MCU version of Simon Williams that's played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

There's the lies that Simon's tells himself, desperately trying to suppress his devastating ionic power. Then there's the lies he tells on set everyday, pretending to be just another ordinary man. Never mind that he's an actor whose stock and trade is artifice.

Yet despite all this, Williams is still devastated when it turns out that his new best friend, Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), has also been lying this whole time too.

Originally planted as a mole by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), the former 'Mandarin' quickly grew fond of Williams, developing a real friendship as they auditioned together for the Wonder Man movie. But by the end of episode seven, the jig was up.

"Hell of a performance," says Williams as he storms out, leaving Slattery behind, genuinely gutted by how the truth hurt his one real friend.

Fit to burst with rage, Williams finally snaps, unleashing all the ionic energy he's kept inside. It's a good thing he's in an empty studio or someone could have got hurt. Still, the Wonder Man crew who helped build the set sure won't be pleased the next day, and there's the little matter of a reporter from the New York Times who's still snooping around on the lot…

So what does all this mean for Williams? Is an Oscar on the cards? Avengers membership? Or how about prison?

Marvel's Wonder Man ending explained: Where does Simon Williams go?

The season one finale begins in the past, showing us again just how formative the '80s Wonder Man film was on Simon and his relationship with his father. These moments they shared are the driving force for everything Williams does, although we sort of got the message already a few flashbacks ago.

The next morning, news of the explosion he caused reaches Slattery and agents at the DODC. Realising that he's running out of time, Williams calls up his mum for a chat. Said chat is really a goodbye, but he doesn't want to worry her, even though a mother always knows when something's up.

Just as it looks like DODC agents are about to break into the apartment, Williams receives a call from Slattery: "I’ll never forgive myself for what I did to you, but I’m making it right," he says in what sounds like another thinly veiled goodbye. "Promise me you’ll live your life to the fullest."

And with that, we're suddenly shown a video confession recorded by Slattery in the role of the Mandarin. Yep, the same terrorist he pretended to be all the way back in Iron Man 3, 13 years prior.

"America, did you miss me?" asks Slattery as he takes responsibility for Simon's meltdown. Yep, those DODC agents were actually storming his apartment, not Wonder Man's.

It's a sad end for this kindly thespian who's worked so hard to get out from under the Mandarin's shadow, but it's the only way he feels he can atone.

The DODC seems happy enough with the arrest, even if it's "not the one we wanted." Never mind that they've apparently been hunting Williams down for years because of the incredible threat he poses? Nah, just let him carry on being a huge Hollywood movie star instead.

Slattery maintains to the arresting officers that he was actually The Mandarin all along, and that the acting career was just an act all along. How meta!

Wonder Man director Von Kovak asks Williams to channel this betrayal in his performance, but what really helps is the original retro glasses that Simon's given by the prop guy, the same ones worn in the 80s film that his Wonder Man is based on. And they just so happen to be the signature look of Simon Williams in the comics as well.

Joe Pantoliano ends up taking over the role of Barnaby from Slattery, which is a bit savage given how cruel The Sopranos star was to our so-called Mandarin prior.

We then cut rather snappily to the Wonder Man premiere, which everyone is absolutely loving, if conversations outside the theatre are to be believed.

There's already talk of a sequel and even Simon's asshole brother Eric is a fan. Everything's worked out perfectly for Williams, exactly how he wanted. Except, of course, for what happened to Slattery.

Simon's agent reveals that bigger projects are being sent his way now, and presumably, that's why we next find Williams out in the middle of nowhere, shadowing an average joe trucker. He must be studying for a new role, right?

A few scenes go by where Simon gets to know Chuck Eastman, an old acquaintance of Simon's from the industry, and his family. It's such an abrupt shift, not to mention a long-winded one, that you can't help but wonder what we're even doing here now that we're so close to the end of the show.

But then we find out that Chuck works security at the DODC and everything falls into place.

Nondescript agents discuss the true power Simon possesses as "an extraordinary threat… or asset" while he casually breaks into a highly secure government building with nothing more than a fake name and a dream.

It's not long until 'Alfonso' finds The Mandarin's cell and frees him using his powers, powers which he's suddenly seemed to master, despite suppressing them his entire life.

And it's not just super strength he uses here either. It turns out Simon can also fly, a skill he doesn't hesitate to use, rocketing up and through the ceiling without any help from the rocket jets that his '80s inspiration used on screen.

What's next for Simon? Is he going to eventually wind up joining the Avengers like his comic book counterpart? Given that the origin of Simon's powers were never explained, could he be a few films away from teaming up with the X-Men? Or could he even help found the Great Lake Avengers, a D-list superhero team that Doorman joins early on in the comics?

What's clear in the short term is that Williams and Slattery are on the run for committing crimes against the US government. Why they didn't just arrest Simon earlier when they had proof of his powers is anyone's guess, especially if he really is the huge threat that the DODC claims him to be.

Don't be surprised if answers for all this never come, however. Marvel has a habit of leaving their TV-based heroes on a cliffhanger, like Moon Knight or She-Hulk, for example. And the difference with them is that Disney actually invested a lot more time and promo into their stories.

With Wonder Man already being billed as a miniseries, one that Disney unceremoniously dumped all at once online, the chances of Abdul-Mateen II (or Williams) starring in a Wonder Man sequel seem close to none.

But when it comes to Marvel, never say "never".

Wonder Man is available to stream now on Disney Plus.

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