Wonder Man's Subtle Link To Another Nearly-Forgotten Marvel Show Explained

Marvel's "Wonder Man" marks the second MCU series to release under the Marvel Spotlight banner, after 2024's "Echo." The Spotlight banner was introduced by Marvel Studios to encompass their more grounded series, which are less heavily connected to the broader MCU. The only obvious connection to the broader MCU is the appearance of Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery. However, the series also contains a subtler connection to another Marvel TV show, "Cloak and Dagger."

Before the advent of Disney+, Marvel produced a number of TV series that would now feel at home under the Spotlight banner. Among these was Freeform's "Cloak and Dagger," starring Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen, also known as Dagger, and Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson, known as Cloak. While Dagger had the power to create daggers made of light, Cloak could transport himself and others through another dimension, sometimes turning his own body into the gateway. This may sound familiar to "Wonder Man" viewers, as a similar ability appears in the series through DeMarr "Doorman" Davis, played by Byron Bowers.

On "Wonder Man," exposure to chemical waste from the Roxxon Corporation gave Doorman the ability to turn his body into a portal through solid objects, which worked by creating a passage through another dimensional plane. In the comics, both Cloak and Doorman derive their powers from a connection to the Darkforce Dimension. The portals they open lead through this shadowy realm, allowing them to travel with ease across great distances or through solid objects.

In the MCU, a crossover with Hulu's "Runaways" establishes that the Darkforce Dimension that Cloak accesses is the same as the Dark Dimension, home to Dormammu in the 2016 film "Doctor Strange." Whether Doorman accesses the same dimension as Cloak has not been revealed, with the true nature of his powers left ambiguous. However, on "Wonder Man," the true significance of Doorman's powers is not his connection to another dimension, but the impact he had on Hollywood.

After rising to fame as a superpowered celebrity, Doorman began appearing in films alongside actor Josh Gad, who makes a guest appearance as himself. As a personal crisis sent Doorman on a downward spiral, he found himself drunk on the set of "Cash Grab 2." During the shoot, Gad used Doorman as a portal, but never emerged from the other side. His disappearance — potentially into the Dark Dimension — resulted in the introduction of the "Doorman Clause," prohibiting superpowered individuals from appearing in film and television productions. It was this legislation that forced actor Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to hide his own superpowers while pursuing the role of Wonder Man.

Doorman is placed under permanent monitoring by the Department of Damage Control, confirming he is still alive within the MCU. There has been no official word on a second season of "Wonder Man," but the character could return if the series continues.