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98-457: Count Nefaria debuted in The Avengers #13 (February 1965), created by Stan Lee and Don Heck . He appeared in the 2011 Moon Knight series. He appeared in the 2018 Marvel Action Avengers series. He appeared in the 2023 New Mutants Lethal Legion series. Luchino Nefaria is a wealthy Italian aristocrat and traditionalist that also desires greater wealth and power, driving him to join

196-590: A Free Comic Book Day preview. "And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then—for now, the Avengers Assemble!" —Prologue from The Avengers used in

294-479: A new team of Avengers , effectively retiring Wonder Man during the Dark Reign storyline. Wonder Man later appears on television, lamenting his tenure as an Avenger, claiming it was all a waste of time, and that using violence to uphold justice has caused nothing but heartache and death. He ends his speech by sadly admitting that having Osborn in charge is exactly what the country deserves. After this, Wonder Man

392-732: A "modern" version of the Guardians. In the pocket universe created subconsciously by Franklin Richards, following the sacrifice made by the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to defeat Onslaught, Wonder Man was drafted into the Lethal Legion by the Enchantress and sent to Avengers Mansion to distract them long enough to leave them vulnerable to the rest of the Lethal Legion. However, the Lethal Legion were easily defeated by

490-579: A 29-issue series, Wonder Man (September 1991 – February 1994), and then the three-issue miniseries Avengers Two: Wonder Man and the Beast (2000). In 2007, he starred in the five-issue miniseries Wonder Man: My Fair Super Hero . Wonder Man appeared sporadically throughout the 2010-2013 Avengers series, but played an important role in the "End Times" storyline in issue #31 (December 2012) through its final issue #34 (January 2013). Comic book writer Rick Remender revealed in an interview that Wonder Man would be

588-548: A July 1994 cover-date. After that team splintered, Wonder Man rejoined the Avengers in The Avengers vol. 3 #4 (May 1998). After the collapse of the team in The Avengers #503 (December 2004), Wonder Man joined a new splinter group called the Mighty Avengers , co-starred in that team's series, which premiered with March 2007 cover-date. Wonder Man starred in a self-titled graphic novel in 1986. He then starred in

686-707: A brainwashed minion of Krona . An alternate universe variant of Count Nefaria from Earth-807128 appears in Old Man Logan . An alternate universe variant of Count Nefaria from Earth-105709 appears in the What If? story "What If the X-Men Died on their First Mission?". Count Nefaria makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher . The Avengers (comic book) The Avengers

784-551: A comic book that features a team of superheroes?' Much like the Justice League, the Avengers were an assemblage of pre-existing superhero characters created by Lee and Jack Kirby . Kirby did the artwork for the first eight issues only, in addition to doing the layouts for issues #14–16. This initial series, published bi-monthly through issue #6 (July 1964) and monthly thereafter, ran through issue #402 (Sept. 1996), with spinoffs including several annuals , miniseries and

882-522: A genius-level intellect. He is a versed scientist, inventor, theoretical physicist, adept strategist and organizational leader with deep ties to the underworld through his own crime family, the Maggia . Such a taciturn criminal mastermind is he that upon his first appearance he easily turned the American public and the world over against the Avengers in their first meeting. It was not until being subjected to

980-485: A giant-size quarterly sister series that ran briefly in the mid-1970s. Marvel filed for a trademark for "The Avengers" in 1967 and the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the registration in 1970. Between 1996 and 2004, Marvel relaunched the primary Avengers title three times. In 1996, the " Heroes Reborn " line, in which Marvel contracted outside companies to produce four titles, included

1078-442: A hundredfold. After a long and protracted battle, Nefaria is finally defeated. Nefaria is then kept in isolation and under observation by the Avengers, and it is discovered that the process to empower him makes Nefaria immortal but vulnerable as his body reconfigures itself. Whitney Frost, also known as Madame Masque and the daughter of Nefaria, attempts to find a cure for what is believed to be his deteriorating condition. She hires

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1176-595: A little stronger". Simon lives in isolation with the Scarlet Witch and a legless version of Doctor Strange. When Weapon-X member The Spider threatened the Scarlet Witch, Simon "Hulked out" to gigantic size. Eventually the Weapon-X team trapped him and an alternate She-Hulk in the Negative Zone . In an alternate future, Wonder Man - now with snow white hair and using the alias "Hollywood" - reluctantly aids

1274-488: A member of the Uncanny Avengers , starting with issue #5. Simon Williams is the son of rich industrialist Sanford Williams, owner of Williams Innovations. Simon inherits the munitions factory after his father's death, but the company's profits fall due to its biggest competitor Tony Stark and his company Stark Industries . On the advice of his brother Eric , Simon tries to embezzle funds from his company but

1372-602: A new volume of The Avengers . It took place in an alternate universe , with a revamped history unrelated to mainstream Marvel continuity. The Avengers vol. 2 was written by Rob Liefeld and penciled by Jim Valentino , and ran for 13 issues (Nov. 1996–Nov. 1997). The final issue, which featured a crossover with the other Heroes Reborn titles, returned the characters to the main Marvel Universe . The Avengers vol. 3 relaunched and ran for 84 issues from February 1998 to August 2004. To coincide with what would have been

1470-590: A pivotal role in rescuing the Wasp from the Microverse . After this, Wonder Man is shown celebrating Jan's return alongside the rest of the Avengers at Stark Tower. At Wasp's urging, Simon later joins the Avengers Unity Squad . During conversations with Jan and Sunfire , he makes it clear has no intentions of fighting, and only wants to help use his PR skills to win over skeptical citizens. He and

1568-610: A plot to target the Catalyst. During the " Gang War " storyline, Count Nefaria arrives at the location where Hammerhead and his men are having a meeting. Having found out what happened to Madame Masque, Count Nefaria states to Hammerhead that he'll take the blame for what happened. He also tells Hammerhead that the crime lords will bow to the Maggia once again. At the Seat of Power, Count Nefaria meets with Silvermane where they talk about

1666-472: A process perfected by one of Baron Heinrich Zemo's scientists, Dr. Kenneth Sturdy, that he was granted the combined powers of the villains the Living Laser , Power Man , and Whirlwind , amplified a hundredfold. Count Nefaria gained superhuman attributes in consequence. He has toppled a 40-story building with little effort, withstood a blow from Wonder Man without flinching, and fought an enraged Thor to

1764-428: A rocket pack in his belt to achieve flight. When the Scarlet Witch resurrected him during Kurt Busiek 's tenure as head writer, Wonder Man was able to transform into a state of pure ionic energy at will and back again. Following his resurrection and metamorphosis, Wonder Man eventually relearned he is capable of a great many prospects he wasn't aware of beforehand. Due to his self-regenerating ionic energy, Simon has

1862-618: A sickle or transforming into a more demonic semblance; and withholding the energy in hand to increase the impact force of his physical blows. He could potentially even give superpowers to non-powered individuals by imparting his ionic force onto them and can just as easily reabsorb it back into himself as this somewhat weakens his superhuman abilities. Since his resurrection, he has rarely used most of these powers but can still shift between human and energy states at will. In later issues his ionic form has begun to "leak" energy, allowing Iron Man to track him by following his unique energy signature,

1960-578: A standstill with no apparent damage from strikes of his hammer , even stopping it with his bare hand. Count Nefaria aged until his body evolved, eventually shifting into pure ionic form. This increasing his already insurmountable abilities while granting him new ones, such as the creation and manipulation of ionic energy for teleportation, hand and eye blasts, ionic force punches, and/or controlling other ionic beings (and potentially gamma mutates) via parasitically siphoning their energies. Through this he can also convert others into ionic energy beings as well, in

2058-420: A sudden they've got Power Girl [after Marvel had introduced Power Man ]. Oh, boy. How unfair." Wonder Man later appeared as a founding member of the spin-off West Coast Avengers first in a four-issue miniseries (September – December 1984), and continuing as one of the primary characters in the series' 102-issue run. After that team disbanded, he joined the team Force Works in a series that debuted with

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2156-553: A time as a stuntman, an ideal vocation since he is invulnerable to virtually all conventional weapons. Wonder Man helps form the West Coast Avengers , and his new-found confidence begins to become arrogance. He develops a serious rivalry with Iron Man, but sees the error of his ways after a brutal battle with the Abomination . He also foils Doctor Doom's plot to control the world. His acting career rises, and he

2254-480: A title featuring a similar team of superheroes for Marvel. Lee recounts in Origins of Marvel Comics : Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [ sic ] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... 'If the Justice League is selling,' spoke he, 'why don't we put out

2352-407: A trap and captured. The plan fails when Wonder Man decides to save the Avengers and aid them against Zemo, apparently at the cost of his own life. Hank Pym records Wonder Man's brain patterns in the hope that one day he can be revived. Unbeknownst to the Avengers, Wonder Man's body has simply entered a catatonic state as it adjusts to the effects of the treatment. Eric Williams becomes distraught over

2450-553: A use for him. In the face-off in Central Park between the Maggia and Beetle, the Sinister Syndicate , Digger , and the gang members recruited by Beetle, Count Nefaria is seen under the same mind-control spell that Madame Masque placed on Shotgun and Silvermane. As the fight in Central Park begins, Count Nefaria and Silvermane are tackled by Digger. Spider-Man and his allies appear and stop Nefaria. Count Nefaria has

2548-452: A vampiric fashion, turning them into his superpowered thralls. As such, Count Nefaria is effectively immortal and virtually indestructible. He also has the power of flight, when before he could only leap great distances. He's also showcased a new power, creating energy constructs to surround his opponents in ionic energy and move them about telekinetically. He has withstood simultaneous attacks by multiple teams of superheroes at once. Although it

2646-399: A vast fortune, which he has used in conjunction with his intellect for the purpose of furthering his revenue and power. To that end he would use it for the hiring of super villains, scientists and expendable workforce in his organization branch for the creation of inventions that were far in the advances of modern science, give himself super powers or broaden the reach of his connections to both

2744-563: A weapon that disrupts Nefaria's ionic energy. As a head of the Maggia, Count Nefaria also has access to vast amounts of technology, munitions, and gadgetry developed by his Research and Development department. Much of this, he had a hand in crafting, such as the Electro-disc, Time Transcender Ray, Visio-Projector, Worldwide Electro-scanner, The Dream Master, and the Ionic Bomb. Being of Italian nobility, Count Nefaria has also inherited

2842-581: Is a comic book title featuring the team the Avengers and published by Marvel Comics . The original The Avengers comic book series debuted in 1963. In 1960, DC Comics launched a comic book series featuring a team of superheroes called the Justice League . Impressed by that book's strong sales, Martin Goodman , the owner of Marvel Comics predecessor Timely Comics , asked Stan Lee to create

2940-412: Is an experienced stuntman, and a talented actor. He is also exceptionally wealthy, being the owner of his own private weapons company as well as a successful movie star. On Earth-818 which was conquered by Multiversal Masters of Evil member Black Skull , a white-skinned version of Wonder Man is a member of the resistance against Black Skull that is led by Ant-Man (this Earth's version of Tony Stark). He

3038-488: Is blackmailed into working for S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Civil War storyline. Due to charges of misappropriation of funds in his non-profit organization, Wonder Man is pressured to work for the pro-registration side in the ensuing Civil War drama. In addition to capturing renegade vigilantes and criminals, Wonder Man is instrumental in creating televised messages to educate the public and yet-unregistered superhumans about

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3136-676: Is briefly revived by Kang the Conqueror to battle the Avengers as part of his Legion of the Unliving , and later "resurrected" as a zombie by Black Talon and the Grim Reaper to attack the Avengers once more. On the final occasion, the Living Laser hypnotizes a now-awake but still very weak Wonder Man, in an unsuccessful attack on the Avengers. After this encounter, Wonder Man was restored to true life and chooses to remain with

3234-559: Is cast as the villain in the fourth film in the successful Arkon franchise. Wonder Man eventually accepts the Vision as his "brother", but there is a setback when the Vision is dismantled and rebuilt as an emotionless machine by a global conglomerate. The Scarlet Witch —the Vision's wife—asks Wonder Man to provide his brainwaves once again to rebuild the foundational personality matrix of the original Vision, but Wonder Man refuses, having feelings for her himself. The Wasp further deduces that

3332-543: Is caught and incarcerated. Simon, desperate and blaming Stark for his predicament, accepts an offer from the master villain Baron Heinrich Zemo . Enchantress pays his bail, so Simon agrees to become a pawn in Zemo's plan to infiltrate the Avengers. As a result, Simon is transformed into an ion-powered superhuman. His powers are tested, and he is shown to have great superhuman strength and durability, even defeating

3430-478: Is imprisoned as a member of the new Lethal Legion . This group opposes the tyrannical efforts of Osborn; Wonder Man joins to try to keep them from hurting innocents. Wonder Man has been seen alongside his old West Coast Avengers teammates Ronin , Mockingbird , Tigra and War Machine in battle with a new version of Ultimo . During the Heroic Age storyline, Simon is approached by Steve Rogers to join

3528-467: Is in need. Several months later, the Scarlet Witch is able to fully revive Wonder Man and he now exists in an independent, more human form. It is also discovered later that the Grim Reaper - dead at the time - is also revived. Wonder Man becomes romantically involved with the Scarlet Witch, but ends their affair during the Kang Dynasty saga, due to her residual feelings for the Vision. Wonder Man

3626-486: Is possible to deplete Count Nefaria's ionic energy in combat by forcing him to expend it faster than his body can replenish it, Giant-Man calculated that it would take three weeks of constant combat – without even giving Nefaria time to pause for breath – for even the combined forces of the Avengers and the Thunderbolts to deplete his ionic energy reserves completely in that manner. However, Madame Masque has developed

3724-596: Is revived by the villain Kang in The Avengers #131-132 (January – February 1975), and then again by the Black Talon in The Avengers #152 (October 1976), and finally by the Living Laser in The Avengers Annual #6 (1976). After this last encounter, Wonder Man finally recovers his faculties and joins the Avengers in a full-time capacity in The Avengers #160 (June 1977). Wonder Man and his fellow Avenger

3822-536: Is stopped by the combined efforts of the Avengers, fellow superhero team the Thunderbolts and Madame Masque, Masque using a weapon she had developed to disrupt Nefaria's own ionic energy. He is next seen as an inmate of The Raft, a prison for supervillains, and escapes when Electro stages a mass breakout. Following the " Siege " storyline, Madame Masque sought out her father to help the Hood after Loki took back

3920-760: The Ani-Men to attack Avengers Mansion and free her father. While battling Iron Man, Nefaria's life-support system is severed and his weakened form is crushed by a stored Jupiter Landing Vehicle. Nefaria briefly reappears some time later as a corpse reanimated by the Grim Reaper . Grim Reaper directs Nefaria to attack the Avengers, but loses control soon afterwards and Nefaria dies once again. Nefaria eventually reappears, but in an ionic humanoid form, and constantly requires ionic energy to sustain his existence. He battles Iron Man and later Captain America and Ka-Zar in

4018-687: The Beast . For several months after his resurrection, Wonder Man suffers from slight claustrophobia and a fear of dying in battle, as he did once before. Wonder Man finally overcomes his fear of death during the final battle with Korvac . Wonder Man invaded his former plant which had been taken over by the Maggia , and fought Madame Masque and the Dreadnought . Developing an interest in acting, Wonder Man stars in minor roles before moving to Hollywood, where fellow Avenger Hercules uses his contacts to establish Wonder Man's career. Wonder Man also works for

Count Nefaria - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-597: The Guardians of the Galaxy . He also aids several other heroes, sometimes operating out of the still-standing Avengers Mansion . Hollywood eventually joins the Guardians, and later the "breakaway" team, the Galactic Guardians . In the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy series, he is shown as part of the Guardians in a potential 3009 AD. Here he fought under the direction of Killraven and was later allied with

4214-460: The Maggia criminal organization. The recently formed Avengers superhero team, however, thwart many of his plans and force a direct conflict, so Nefaria lures the Avengers to his castle on the pretense of a charity event, and places the group in suspended animation, using images which threaten to take control of America. After he releases them, the Avengers become suspicious of him after hearing they are wanted and they cannot remember what happened at

4312-573: The Norn Stones . The New Avengers capture John King (Hood's cousin) and use him to track the Hood and Madame Masque. After a battle with Count Nefaria, they capture the villains and bring all four of them to Maria Hill to place them under arrest. Nefaria returns in Moon Knight , having established himself as the new Kingpin of Los Angeles . He kills Echo in battle, and is later apprehended by

4410-641: The Revengers , a team of super-powered people to stop the Avengers because he believes they do more harm than good, blaming the Avengers for Ultron's existence, the damage caused by the Scarlet Witch and the Hulk, the Civil War, and Osborn's Dark Avengers. His team subsequently defeats the New Avengers in a quick attack on the mansion before he moves on to attack Avengers Tower , stating that he will destroy

4508-468: The Savage Land as he attempts to find sources of energy. Nefaria then plans to detonate an ionic bomb, which will transform millions of people into an ionic state which he can then control, perceiving it as the best way to guarantee that he receives the respect that he feels he deserves. Nefaria gains control of the ionic heroes Wonder Man and Atlas who he intends to use to kill the Avengers, but he

4606-631: The mutant X-Men team. Nefaria reappears several years later and attempts to take control of the United States base NORAD , but is stopped by the X-Men once again. Nefaria attempts to escape in a plane which is attacked by the X-Man Thunderbird . The plane then explodes, killing Thunderbird and injuring Nefaria. Now virtually destitute and discredited, Nefaria hires the supervillains Living Laser , Power Man and Whirlwind to form

4704-423: The superhero -team title The Avengers #9 ( cover-dated October 1964), and appeared to die in that issue. Four years later, The Avengers #58 (November 1968) revisited the events of #9, explaining that the Avengers had electronically saved Wonder Man's mind in a computer. Wonder Man was not seen again until The Avengers #102 (August 1972), where he made a cameo appearance in a comatose state. Wonder Man's body

4802-429: The " Spider-Geddon " storyline, Count Nefaria is engaging Superior Octopus , who counters his ionic abilities by having his tentacles charged with energy that disrupts ionic fields. Count Nefaria breaks free from the tentacles as Superior Octopus plans to spy on him and threaten his family. In the " Sins Rising " arc, Nefaria forms a new incarnation of the Lethal Legion with Grey Gargoyle , Living Laser, and Whirlwind in

4900-715: The 1970s In the first issue, the Avengers team began with Ant-Man ( Hank Pym ), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Iron Man (Anthony Stark), Thor , and the Wasp (Janet van Dyne). The roster changed almost immediately after the first issue; in the second issue, Ant-Man became Giant-Man, and at the end of the issue, Hulk quit the team. Issue #4 brought the title's first major milestone: the revival and return of Captain America (Steve Rogers). The creative team of writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema introduced new characters such as Arkon in issue #75 (April 1970) and Red Wolf in #80 (Sept. 1970). The team's adventures increased in scope as

4998-606: The 500th issue of the original series, Marvel changed the numbering, and The Avengers #500-503 (Sept.– Dec. 2004), the one-shot Avengers Finale (Jan. 2005) became the " Avengers Disassembled " storyline and final issues. Avengers vol. 4 debuted in July 2010 and ran until January 2013. Vol. 5 was launched in February 2013. After Secret Wars , a new Avengers team debuted, dubbed the All-New, All-Different Avengers , starting with

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5096-456: The Avengers and Wonder Man was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. He was later approached by Loki, who absorbed him during his bid for more power. In the House of M reality, Wonder Man is a famous actor who is rumored to be having an affair with Carol Danvers. In Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness , Wonder Man is one of the many zombies seen attacking Doctor Doom's castle. He is one of

5194-538: The Avengers from the outside as he has not been 'real' since his resurrection before he apparently disappears from his prison. Wonder Man later reappears to Captain America (Steve Rogers), telling him that he feels sorry for his past actions and that he is trying to redeem himself. Before he can accept help from the Avengers, he is attacked by the Red Hulk . He managed to take him down and looks at Avengers Tower, claiming that he will "earn his way back". He later plays

5292-457: The Avengers, aiding them against Attuma and Doctor Doom . He also fought the Vision, and helped the Avengers battle Graviton . He soon after defeats the Grim Reaper, who was intent on destroying the Vision as he was "artificial" and a "mockery" of his brother; Wonder Man at this point is revealed to have become a being of ionic energy. Wonder Man eventually joins the Avengers in a full-time capacity and becomes close friends with his teammate,

5390-652: The Avengers. Wonder Man battles old foes Goliath and the Enchantress, before meeting his would-be sidekick "Spider" and battling Gamma-Burn, resulting in wrecking his jet-pack. Wonder Man then battles the assassin Splice for the first time. Wonder Man takes part in the Kree/Shi'ar War, and had his powers altered when he and the Vision failed to prevent the Shi'ar Nega-Bomb from detonating. He battled Angkor, and then journeyed to Hades where he battled Mephisto , Blackheart ,

5488-540: The Avengers. Also in L.A., Daken attempts to kill him but fails. Later back in New York, he is summoned by Nightmare to destroy Squirrel Girl in dreams, but is bested at finger-counting, and leaves. During the " Secret Empire " storyline, Count Nefaria appears as a member of the Army of Evil and took part in the attack on Manhattan in retaliation for what happened at Pleasant Hill during " Avengers: Standoff! ". During

5586-409: The Beast were cast as friends and lovers of nightlife, which would become a fan-favorite dynamic of The Avengers and continue to be used after the two characters left the series. Marvel Comics ' then-publisher Stan Lee said in 1978, "You know, years ago we brought out Wonder Man, and [ DC Comics ] sued us because they had Wonder Woman , and... I said okay, I'll discontinue Wonder Man. And all of

5684-721: The Busiek and Pérez run. NB: The Avengers Assemble volumes and Avengers: Disassembled are oversized. Avengers Vol. 5, entirely written by Jonathan Hickman, is best read in tandem with his concurrent New Avengers Vol. 3 . As such, given below are the collected editions for both his Avengers and New Avengers series. Wonder Man Wonder Man ( Simon Williams ) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby , he first appeared in The Avengers #9 (October 1964). The character, who

5782-429: The Enchantress, and the Grim Reaper; he then learned that he was immortal. When Avengers West Coast (renamed) disbands after a dispute, Wonder Man becomes a founding member of its successor group Force Works , but is disintegrated in an explosion during their first mission against the alien Kree . Many months later, the Scarlet Witch accidentally resurrects Wonder Man in ionic form; while in this form he appears when she

5880-470: The Executioner. Called Wonder Man by Zemo, he is then sent to meet and join the Avengers, with instructions to betray them at a critical moment so that Zemo's Masters of Evil can destroy the Avengers. Zemo ensures Wonder Man's loyalty by advising him that as a result of the treatment his body now requires periodic doses of a serum to survive—a serum that only Zemo can provide. The Avengers are lured into

5978-596: The Gatherers. This culminated in " Operation: Galactic Storm ", a 19-part storyline that ran through all Avengers-related titles and showcased a conflict between the Kree and the Shi'ar Empire . Marvel contracted out The Avengers and three related titles — Captain America , Fantastic Four , and Iron Man to former Marvel artists Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld , two of the founding creators of Image Comics . While The Avengers

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6076-568: The Masters of Evil single-handedly. Pym proved his innocence. Stern developed several major storylines, such as "Ultimate Vision"; the formation of the West Coast Avengers ; and "Avengers Under Siege". Rogue , who would later become a member of the X-Men, was introduced in The Avengers Annual #10 (1981) by writer Chris Claremont and artist Michael Golden . Stern created the villain, Nebula , who falsely claimed to be

6174-683: The Multiversal Avengers. A version of Wonder Man appears in Exiles on an alternate world ruled by Tony Stark. Simon Williams was 20 feet away when a Gamma Bomb was dropped on the Hulk in an attempt to kill the Hulk. It worked but Simon absorbed the Gamma Radiation and with his already ionic body ended up a whole new monster: Tony Stark killed the Hulk but made another, in Simon Williams, that he described as being "just

6272-412: The Red Hulk. Wonder Man has some limited effect on Electromagnetic phenomena as was explained to him by Hank and Nadia Pym, to that end he can absorb various forms of energy be it radiological, ionic, even anti-material in nature. Simon is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, having received Avengers training in unarmed combat from Captain America. He has an advanced degree in electrical engineering,

6370-412: The Scarlet Witch rekindle their relationship. During the final confrontation with the Celestial Executioner, he allows Rogue to absorb him to give her the power to oppose the Celestial, but his essence remains in Rogue after Wanda expels the other absorbed powers from her, leaving Rogue with Simon's powers and once again unable to touch others. During the AXIS storyline, Wonder Man's consciousness

6468-618: The United States. During the " Empyre " storyline, Wonder Man, Quicksilver, and Mockingbird deal with the Kree and the Skrull 's fight with the Cotati near Navojoa . When Quicksilver is hit by special spheres fired by the Cotati magicians, Mockingbird and Wonder Man come to his aid and help the Kree and the Skrull turn the tide against the Cotati. Simon Williams gained his superhuman powers due to chemical and radiation treatments with "ionic" energy by Baron Zemo, giving him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. The process unexpectedly enlaced Pym Particles in

6566-413: The Vision were actually illusions. The Avengers titles in late 1989 were involved in the major crossover event " Acts of Vengeance ". Bob Harras and Steve Epting took over the title in the summer of 1991 and introduced a stable lineup with ongoing story lines and character development. Their primary antagonists in this run were the mysterious Proctor and his team of other-dimensional Avengers known as

6664-425: The Vision's original relationship to the Scarlet Witch may even have been predicated by Wonder Man's initial donation for the original personality matrix; at this, Wonder Man confirms that several of his hesitations about making the attempt arise from these doubts and the subconscious desire he's felt toward the Scarlet Witch since her separation from her husband. He is then ensorcelled by the Enchantress , and battles

6762-409: The ability to go without air, food, or water. His eyes also glow a bright red and he usually wears sunglasses to conceal the effect but has since realized he can normalize their appearance as well. Before his "death" at the hands of the Kree, Wonder Man discovered new abilities. In his beginning years, Williams sometimes wore an ionic energy powered apparatus which allowed him simulated flight. Over

6860-419: The aftermath of Busiek's Kang arc, as the Avengers were granted international authority by the United Nations. Chuck Austen followed as writer. Writer Brian Michael Bendis then rebooted the series with the " Avengers Disassembled " storyline. All four Avengers series ( The Mighty Avengers , New Avengers , Dark Avengers , and Avengers: The Initiative ) were canceled, and a new ongoing series titled Avengers

6958-494: The antidote to the Avengers. Captain America was also paralyzed, and with his hands and feet attached to ropes he was suspended between floor and ceiling, where Nefaria mocked him, saying he would be a hero for capturing him. However, Iron Man then burst through the wall. Neferia was defeated and deported after an officer heard him confess to being in the Maggia. In retaliation, Nefaria then unsuccessfully attempts to destroy Iron Man , and then suffers yet another defeat when stopped by

7056-401: The apparent death of his sibling and, blaming the Avengers, assumes the identity of the Grim Reaper in an effort to destroy them. The Grim Reaper steals Simon's body at one point, and attacks the Avengers three times before Wonder Man finally returns. Wonder Man remains in suspended animation for years, and it is during this period that Ultron , the evil robot creation of Hank Pym , steals

7154-497: The brain patterns recorded by the Avengers for use as a template for the synthezoid Vision . It is later revealed that Vision is built from the original Human Torch , an android created by Professor Phineas Horton . This only happened in mainstream continuity and other origins were possible due to the Forever Crystal of Immortus . During this vulnerable time, Wonder Man is used as a pawn on three occasions. Wonder Man

7252-545: The castle. They go to the castle, however nearly all of them are paralyzed by Nefaria's gas. Meanwhile, the Teen Brigade were captured by Nefaria, and when they tried to contact the Avengers were thrown in a dungeon which would place them into suspended animation if they touched the walls. Captain America gets into the castle without touching the ground, other Avengers, or walls, and freed the Teen Brigade, who gave

7350-518: The character of Henry Peter Gyrich , the Avengers' liaison to the United States National Security Council . The true origins of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were revealed in a three-part story that ran in issues #185-187 (July-Sept. 1979). The first major development was the breakdown of Henry Pym, which writer Roger Stern resolved this by having Pym outwit Egghead and defeated the latest incarnation of

7448-405: The course of his career he would gain true flight without need of a thrust system as well as energy projection. Other abilities begotten from manipulating his own ion energies include: emitting force or flame beams from his hands and eyes.; alternating his physical shape in undiscovered ways either changing his size (enabling him to grow taller than his adversary Goliath) and morphing his hand into

7546-430: The dead heroes that have resulted from the Avengers working together should be a clear sign that the concept is doomed, departing as Thor and Iron Man try to argue that all heroes are aware of the risks when they begin. Significantly, Iron Man notes that Simon is 'leaking' ionic energy, suggesting that his current mental condition may relate to his powers rather than being simply a matter of choice. Wonder Man put together

7644-478: The first zombies to get inside along with infected X-Men Nightcrawler , Beast and Storm . In Marvel Zombies: Dead Days he appears in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier as one of the heroes who survived the zombie plague. In the MC2 Universe, Wonder Man is never revived after initially dying to save the Avengers, with robotic copies being utilized instead. In the pages of Old Man Logan , Wonder Man

7742-414: The granddaughter of Thanos . Following Stern's departure, Walt Simonson wrote the series briefly but left due to editorial conflicts. John Byrne took over writing both West Coast Avengers and The Avengers and merged the two separate Avengers teams into one team with two bases. Byrne's contributions included a revamping of the Vision, and the discovery that the children of the Scarlet Witch and

7840-584: The ion ray bombardment. While Zemo's initial aim was to use ionic rad supplemented treatments to make Wonder Man at least "the equal of any Avenger," his treatments surpassed his expectations and endowed Wonder Man with strength comparable to that of Thor . In Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3, Captain America described Wonder Man as having "Sentry-level" strength. Zemo's treatments also granted Wonder Man virtual invulnerability, immortality, enhanced physicality likened to greater stamina, agility, speed, and instantaneous reflexes. Zemo also outfitted Wonder Man with

7938-571: The new team of Avengers. Simon refuses stating that the Avengers have caused more problems than they have solved and implies as Rogers leaves that he will make sure his old allies realize the mistake they are making. Simon also mentioned as having been in jail until Steve bailed him out. After learning that Rogers had disregarded his advice, Wonder Man attacks the new team causing some damage to their base before inexplicably disappearing. Thor and Iron Man later contact him to try and reason with him, but Simon refuses to listen to their arguments, stating that

8036-433: The other heroes speculating that his condition is responsible for his currently unstable attitude and anger at the Avengers. In later appearances he appears to have increased in strength and power, having also learned to teleport at will. He has done so several times in recent appearances; once being when he was detained by the Avengers after staging an attack on the mansion, and again while battling and easily winning against

8134-474: The second Lethal Legion . The group rob several banks, and unwittingly finance an experiment Nefaria has created in a bid to become superhuman. Employing the former scientific adviser to Heinrich Zemo , Nefaria devises a means of temporarily amplifying the abilities of the Lethal Legion, and then sends them into combat against the Avengers. The effect, however, is temporary and once defeated their combined abilities are drained by Nefaria who possesses them magnified

8232-532: The specifics of the Registration Act. Wonder Man became a member of the Mighty Avengers . Wonder Man began a romantic relationship with fellow Mighty Avenger Ms. Marvel warning her not to use her position as leader of the Avengers to keep him out of potentially dangerous situations just because of their relationship. Following the events of the Secret Invasion , Norman Osborn created

8330-587: The start of a seven-part story featuring the Squadron Supreme and the Serpent Crown . In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Englehart's run on The Avengers eighth on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels". After Englehart departed and a seven-issue stint by Gerry Conway , Jim Shooter began as writer, generating several classic adventures, including " The Bride of Ultron ", the " Nefaria Trilogy", and "The Korvac Saga". Shooter introduced

8428-408: The team along with the reformed Swordsman. During the summer of 1973, Englehart and artists Bob Brown and Sal Buscema produced "The Avengers-Defenders Clash" storyline which crossed over between the two team titles. This eight-issue story was the first summertime cross-title event, and was very popular with readers. George Pérez became the title's artist with issue #141 (Nov. 1975) which saw

8526-635: The team crossed into an alternate dimension and battled the Squadron Supreme , and fought in the Kree-Skrull War , which guest-starred the Kree hero, Mar-Vell/Captain Marvel . Novelist Harlan Ellison plotted two stories for the series. The first ("The Summons of Psyklop") was published in issue #88 (May 1971) and the second ("Five Dooms to Save Tomorrow") in #101 (July 1972). Writer Steve Englehart introduced Mantis , who joined

8624-632: The tower unless the Avengers immediately disband. Although Iron Man manages to trap him in a prison specifically designed to contain his ionic energy with the Revengers being quickly defeated by the combined Avengers teams, Wonder Man has still successfully managed to spread doubt among the population about the merits of the Avengers as a concept particularly since Captain Rogers has yet to officially rebuff any of his arguments, asking Beast to remember his words simultaneously reflecting that he may be able to see

8722-1187: The unlawful and political circuit of the world. Being an aristocrat of considerable stature and influence, Nefaria also has claims to diplomatic immunity and as such he cannot be tried outside of his own home country. Chase Magnett of ComicBook.com included Count Nefaria in their "10 Iron Man Villains Who Should Return in Dan Slott's Run" list, calling him a "great pick for a new arch nemesis in Tony Stark: Iron Man ." Comic Book Resources ranked Count Nefaria 4th in their "10 Most Powerful Crime Bosses In Marvel Comics" list, 5th in their "10 Coolest Avengers Villains" list, and 8th in their "Wonder Man's 10 Greatest Enemies" list. Nathan P. Gibson of Looper ranked Count Nefaria 14th in their "Every Moon Knight Villain Ranked From Worst To Best" list. An alternate universe variant of Count Nefaria from Earth-58163 appears in House of M . Count Nefaria appears in JLA/Avengers #4 as

8820-455: The upcoming gang war. In a surprising turn of events, a mysterious person takes control of Silvermane and attacks Count Nefaria. When Hammerhead's men arrive and confront Madame Masque, they find a defeated Count Nefaria and Silvermane's head in Shotgun 's arms as he throws them to the ground. After getting a status report of the gang wars from Shotgun, Madame Masque tells her father that she has

8918-597: Was among the Avengers who fought an army of supervillains in Connecticut. Wonder Man is ambushed and shot by Crossbones . The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of Wonder Man (Simon Williams) has appeared alongside the Black Knight , Quake , Tigra and the Vision as a part of the West Coast Ultimates . In this version, he was a bodybuilder who acquired Hulk -level strength and mental instability as

9016-532: Was described to be a "slave of the silver screen". Following Black Skull's defeat, Ant-Man joins Robbie Reyes and his Deathlok companion in their quest to liberate the enslaved Earths from the Multiversal Masters of Evil as he leaves Wonder Man and Infinity Thing to rebuild Earth-818. Following Ghost Rider's sacrifice to stop the flow of the ancient Multiverse's energies from the other side, Wonder Man and Infinity Thing are shown to be members of

9114-501: Was initially introduced as a supervillain imbued with "ionic" energy, fought the Avengers , and, after a series of events, was reborn as a superhero , joining the team against which he originally fought. Williams will make his live-action debut in the upcoming Disney+ original series Wonder Man , set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II . Wonder Man debuted in

9212-624: Was launched in May 2010, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by John Romita Jr. In 2012, a biweekly Avengers title was launched, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by different artists for each story arc. After Secret Wars , a new Avengers title (vol. 6) dubbed the All-New, All-Different Avengers launched in 2015 written by Mark Waid , with alternating artwork by Mahmud Asrar and Adam Kubert , and covers by Alex Ross . Mark Waid and Alex Ross continued with Avengers vol. 7, which launched in 2017, with artwork by Mike del Mundo . It

9310-437: Was relaunched as a new series, the " Heroes Reborn " line ended after a year as planned and the license reverted to Marvel. Writer Kurt Busiek and penciler George Pérez launched a new volume of the series with The Avengers vol. 3, #1 (Feb. 1998). Busiek concurrently wrote the limited series Avengers Forever . Busiek's run included many of the Avengers' traditional villains. Successor writer Geoff Johns dealt with

9408-738: Was relaunched once again in 2018 as part of Marvel's " Fresh Start " relaunch featuring a creative by Jason Aaron (w) and Ed McGuinness (pen). 978-0785160151 (variant) 978-0785191773 (variant) 978-1302910211 (variant) 978-1302915353 (variant) 978-1302926502 (variant) 978-0785162049 (variant) (hardcover only after Volume 6) May 28, 2024 978-1302957988 August 22, 2023 978-1302950521 April 12, 2022 978-1302934026 May 26, 2021 978-1302929596 January 4, 2022 978-1302933661 September 20, 2022 May 10, 2022 978-1302946869 Avengers Finale and New Avengers #3. NB: The Avengers Assemble volumes comprise most of

9506-528: Was still in Rogue at the time when the X-Men and the Avengers were inverted by an inversion spell. Rogue used Wonder Man's powers when helping the X-Men. At the time when the Avengers Unity Squad traveled to Counter-Earth to find Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Rogue was captured by High Evolutionary's right-hand man Master Scientist who removed Wonder Man's consciousness from Rogue. After Rogue

9604-484: Was unable to see or hear Wonder Man, he was still in Rogue's mind. When Rogue kissed Deadpool, Wonder Man was freed from Rogue's body as the result of Deadpool's healing factor acting like a circuit breaker that enabled Wonder Man to escape from Rogue's body. During the " Secret Empire " storyline, Wonder Man appears as a member of the Underground which is a resistance movement against Hydra ever since they took over

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