Marvel Studios is pushing out shows and films faster than you can say ‘I am Iron Man’. As a result of this frenzied production and premiere, announcements for new shows are going under the radar, One such upcoming show that has been quite overlooked is Wonder Man. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was announced as the lead in November 2022 and Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is developing the show. Now, a new rumor says that the show has found its scythe wielding villain.
Wonder Man Casting Its Villain The Grim Reaper?
As per film scooper Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios is apparently in talks with Demetrius Grosse for the role of the villain called Grim Reaper in the upcoming Wonder Man show. The actor has appeared in notable projects like 13 Hours, Straight Outta Compton, and Fear the Walking Dead. But who is the Grim Reaper? In Marvel comics, the titular Wonder Man is called Simon Williams and his brother, the Grim Reaper, is Eric Williams. So, his brother is his arch rival.
The two of them were born in New Jersey and from the beginning Eric was treated as the bad one in the family. Their mother only showered affection on Simon and their father only disciplined him. However, it was more abuse rather than disciplining and that affected Eric’s psyche. One day when Eric was tinkering with chemicals, he caused a massive fire that burned down the house. From that day onwards, Simon began holding himself responsible for Eric.
The former became studious while Eric honed his athletic skills and became rebellious, even trying to get Simon to become a part of his thefts. Eventually, Eric was consumed by gambling while Simon began overseeing William Innovations, the family business. But when the company began to sink, Simon went to Eric and requested that his brother use his mob ties to help bail out the business. Later on, Simon was arrested due to this.
In consequent events, Eric learned that his brother had possibly died and this made him mad with anger. As a result, he contacted someone called the Tinkerer and got his iconic scythe weapon. He took the weapon, adopted the name Grim reaper and defeated at least three major Avengers in the beginning- Hawkeye, Wasp, and Goliath. However, Wonder Man isn’t going to be the first time the villain will get seen on screen. The WandaVision show has already referenced the character in its episode 2, possibly because he has a connection to Vision.
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The Grim Reaper Reference In WandaVision
In Episode 2 of the Marvel Disney+ series WandaVision, there’s a frame where Vision is phasing through the ceilings and walls of his and Wanda’s house to reveal what’s inside it. In between the first two floors, there’s the helmet of the Grim Reaper. While there was no mention of the Grim Reaper in WandaVision, but the character can play a major role in the upcoming Vision Quest series.
After all, in the Vision comic book run by writer Tom King, the Grim Reaper attacks Vision’s home when he is working. He subsequently injures his children, Viv and Vin. This makes his wife Virginia attack the Reaper and during the scuffle she accidentally kills him. To keep the murder a secret from Vision, she buries his body in the backyard.
So it’s possible that the helmet of the Reaper was included as an Easter egg for the upcoming Vision Quest series. Whether that actually comes to fruition or not will perhaps be dependent on how Wonder Man handles the villain first.
Source: Daniel Richtman
