The Marvel Cinematic Universe threw a massive curveball to fans when Captain America and Iron Man took sides in Captain America: Civil War. This came after the Sokovia incident caused people to fear anyone with superhuman powers, and the government tried to pass laws to force all heroes to register or face arrest. Even though all the heroes, registered and unregistered, teamed to save the world in Avengers: Endgame, it seems that the fallout from Civil War ended, as it eventually did in the comics. In fact, the very next MCU release makes it look like the anti-superhero government response is still in effect.
In the first full trailer for Wonder Man, which hits Disney+ on January 27, it looks like the government taking action against all unregistered superheroes is still in effect. It also appears that the Department of Damage Control (DODC) is still in charge of dealing with “dangerous” superheroes, even those who aren’t trying to be heroes.
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Wonder Man at first appeared to show an actor who wanted to play Wonder Man in a new movie for an award-winning director who wanted to do something different to deal with “superhero fatigue.” However, the first full trailer shows that there is not all there is to it. This is Simon Williams from the comics, and he does have superhuman powers, as he does in the comics. However, he hides them, tries not to use them, and just wants to live his life as an actor.
However, Damage Control considers him a threat, and the trailer makes it look like they are hunting him down. Simon was also forced to sign a form that said he had no superpowers, meaning that the superhero segregation is still in effect. While She-Hulk revealed that the Sokovia Accords had ended, the government is still hunting down heroes. This is a curious sign heading into the upcoming events of Avengers: Doomsday, when brand-new heroes show up on Earth in The Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
Damage Control Could Play Into Upcoming X-Men Saga
Image Courtesy of Marvel
This isn’t anything new, either. Ms. Marvel showed that Damage Control and the government forces were still hunting down people with powers, even targeting children in schools who they thought had powers. What made Ms. Marvel so interesting was that the community rose and faced off with Damage Control, making the entire organization look bad. However, as Wonder Man shows, they are still hunting down people with powers, this time it being Simon Williams.
This could also be a big way to start the X-Men Saga after Avengers: Secret Wars reboots the MCU. The Fox X-Men movies didn’t do too much when it came to the public perception of mutants, with Days of Future Past coming the closest. However, one of the ideas spinning out of Wonder Man is that the government is still trying to control and restrain the superpowered community; an entire generation of people born with powers would have to become the main priority.
The best stories from the X-Men, with God Loves, Man Kills as the best example, show the general public fearing and hating mutants and the government playing off those fears. Damage Control has been the most significant sign of the government playing off the fear of superheroes since Spider-Man: Homecoming. Having them take the form of the mutant-hunting organization would work well, and Wonder Man shows they might be as dangerous as ever.
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