Nathan Fillion Still Wants To Be Simon Williams a.k.a Wonder Man in the MCU
As we all know now, Nathan Fillion was set to appear as Wonder Man aka Simon Williams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. There was originally a scene in the film set on Earth that featured a Simon Williams Film Festival. There were a bunch of fake movie posters designed for this scene that featured Fillion as actor Simon Williams. But, because of timing and pace, he had to be cut, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still want to play the part.
Recently in a radio interview, Fillion talked about his role in the now-deleted scene and expressed his desire to play it again in the future.
"If you know the Marvel Universe, Simon Williams becomes Wonder Man, becomes an Avenger. So, he’s part of that universe. It was a neat little Easter egg, it was a neat little piece of the universe.
"It didn’t get into the movie. That’s fine. That happens all the time. I still had the same wonderful experience. But moving forward, I don’t know, let me see what we can do with this opportunity. That’s just a cleverly disguised opportunity. Am I right?"
So Fillion definitely wants to return, and I think fans would be all for it as well. Marvel is working on moving the MCU in a new direction, and maybe having a character like Simon Williams could be an interesting direction to go. James Gunn has also talked about his own belief that Nathan Fillion is, in his mind, canonically Simon Williams now, even if his scene was cut.
"I really do love the character of Simon Williams/Wonder Man in the comics - a sometimes douchey actor/superhero - and could see Nathan clearly in that role (not because he's a douchebag but because he's great at playing one). But, of course, in a movie set 99.9% in space I didn't really have a place for him. So in a small flash to earth I decided to put a theater playing a 'Simon Williams Film Festival,' with six Simon Williams movie posters outside. Obviously, from the posters, he's had a run of B movies,
"Unfortunately, the small section of the scene where they appeared slowed down the movie and I had to cut the Easter eggs from the film (along with storefronts named after comic book luminaries Starlin, Mantlos, Annett and others). Yes, I think we can consider them canon for the MCU, and I hold onto hope that Simon Williams will rise again!!"
So there you go. It's a strong possibility we could see this character come to the big screen in the future. Maybe it will be one of Gunn's projects after he finishes the Guardian's trilogy. I'd watch a movie like that! A guy who plays a superhero in a movie, who wants to be a superhero in real life, but no one takes him seriously. Then, when a real crisis takes place, he has to step up and save the day. I would suggest not to even give him powers until the end of the movie. Have it be about an average guy in the Marvel Universe where the worst possible things exist, and you have this guy who plays a superhero in a film who is the only one who can stop it. BRILLIANT!
Via: CBR