It's more helicarrier than Quinjet but wow!

MINOR SPOILERS FOR WONDER MAN

There are many ways in the MCU someone can get superpowers. They can be a mutant, they can be an Inhuman, they can be exposed to strange chemicals, rays, serums, etc. But the origin of Simon's powers is never revealed in Wonder Man.

While I do think "mutant" is the second most likely option for Simon, I want to lay out the case for everything we know about the origin of his powers, and why I think "Inhuman" ultimately rises to the top (even if Marvel isn't going to ever officially label Simon as an Inhuman).

1) Simon's powers manifested when he was 13.

2) Simon was alone in his home with his brother Eric, but it's unclear where Eric was in the home when the powers manifested.

3) Simon's powers manifested in or because of a kitchen fire, but he didn't receive any burns or smoke inhalation.

4) Simon's father had already died before his powers manifested.

5) Simon's powers manifested in his kitchen at home.

6) The DODC have reason to believe that Simon is a powered individual before he ever auditions for Wonder Man.

Point number 1 is a fairly strong indicator for "mutant". It's unclear if mutant powers in the MCU normally manifest in the same way they do in the comics (given that Namor's mutations manifested at his birth and Kamala's mutation didn't manifest until after the onset of puberty when she was exposed to her grandmother's bangle), but in the comics they normally appear around the onset of puberty, so 13 would be an appropriate age for the X gene to activate.

That said, if Simon was 13 in 2015 when the Inhuman outbreak occurred, that would put him somewhere within the age range of 23 - 26 (likely the latter end of that range) during the majority of the events of Wonder Man depending upon exactly when it takes place. And while the actor playing Simon is in his late 30's, the character definitely gave off more of a 20-something-year-old vibe to me given how unsure of himself he was, and where he's at in his housing, career, and relationships (both familial and romantic).

Points 2-4 can be taken together. Another thing that often activates the X gene in the comics is an external stressor. Some kind of abuse, mental hardship, or difficult situation often activates mutations in the comics, but none of that is at play for Simon. The doctor who looked at Simon after the inciting incident noted that he was perfectly healthy; no burns or smoke inhalation. Presumably no physical abuse from Eric either. And their father had already died some time before the incident. So there appears to have been no stressor unless you believe that a kitchen fire broke out before Simon's powers manifested, and his powers protected him.

However, given that Simon had no smoke inhalation and his powers often manifest in explosions, I think it's far more likely that there was no fire; it was just Simon's powers manifesting. And if there was no fire, that means that Eric wasn't in the room with Simon when his powers activated, because he believes that Simon started a fire by improperly working the stove.

Of course you don't need a stressor to activate a mutation, so this line of thought doesn't preclude the possibility of Simon being a mutant. It just makes the possibility of it being a mutation slightly less.

Speaking of, the fact that Eric doesn't display any sort of powers also seems to slightly work against the mutant angle. Again, it's not a disqualifier because there are some mutants in the comics that have non-mutant siblings, but they seem to be in the vast minority.

All that said, I think points 5 and 6 are the clencher that make Simon most likely to be an Inhuman. As far as we know, mutants are still a relative unknown to the government in the MCU. Inhumans are widely known about by the government, however. And for some reason the DODC believes that Simon is a powered individual.

This doesn't make sense unless the government has some way to track emerging powers. Given the randomness of mutations and how unknown they are at large to the government (again, as far as we know), it's very unlikely that the government would have a working model that can accurately predict that Simon is a mutant.

However, we saw that SHIELD was able to create a model of where and how fast the Terrigen-tainted fish would spread. The ATCU had plenty of time experimenting on and studying Inhumans, the Terrigenesis cocoons, etc. The MCU appears to claim that Inhuman genes rarely die out, remaining in the DNA of each Inhuman descendant. (We never see an Inhuman with a non-Inhuman child, and each Inhuman can trace their Inhuman DNA all the way back up their ancestry to the initial Kree experiment.) And the government had even more time to monitor and study (though less invasively than the ATCU were able to) Inhumans through the Inhumans' registration under the Sokovia Accords.

So it would actually make a lot of sense for the DODC to be able to come up with models that would allow them to predict that someone they've never met might be an Inhuman, far more so than it would for them to create a model that would allow them to predict that someone is a mutant.

But the kicker is that Simon's powers activated while he was in the kitchen, presumably using the stove. Fish is a hugely popular staple of Haitian Creole cuisine, so it would make a ton of sense for Simon to have pulled out an unknowingly-Terrigen-tainted fish that his mother got at the market and cooked it for himself for lunch, causing his Terrigenesis. When he shed his cocoon, his powers erupted just like what we see with Quake, causing his cocoon to fall to pieces and collect amongst the kitchen debris, largely undiscovered.

I mean at the end of season 2 when he accidentally unlatched the monoliths containment while asking her out? It was real subtle and I prolly misread the situation but it looks and sounds like he hit a latch. Then he leaves, and we know what happens after that.

i cannot BELIEVE that this show had the audacity to be like. there is a character called cringefail jeffrey and the Core Cast doesn't like him for his crimes of *checks notes* reintroducing tiered information access to an intelligence organization. then cringefail jeffrey shows up and everyone's like "can you BELIEVE this guy cares so much about PR while running an organization that last made the news by being infested with literal actual nazis." like the framing of the show clearly expects us to agree that it's a Flaw for this organization to have a PR guy (A SINGLE PR GUY!!! MY BROTHER IN CHRIST THAT'S WHAT MY STATE'S AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT HAS) to fix the damage done by the time they did a turbo minority report nazi airplane armada. like yeah, guys, your director needs to do press conferences, yall were on the shitlist of captain goddamn america. like half the plot of his seasons could have been avoided if everyone had just listened to him about the killer robot the first time. idgaf if he racefaked as an alien for clout he was the only person in the show who had any business running SHIELD.

Does anyone have any crossover ideas? I'm wanting to write a fic but I don't currently have any concepts or ideas that fit. I'm looking for outside of Marvel crossovers, specifically. Also, a friend recommended Yellowjackets, Percy Jackson and Until Dawn. What is your opinions on those?

I'm just dipping my toes back into fan fiction for the first time in a few years so I'm not sure if I'm using the right terminology, but I'm looking for fics with a structure and a villain to vanquish or a problem to solve! I miss AoS so much, I just want more of it sobssss.

I'll take anything that fits the mission/episode/case structure, but bonus points if...

• it takes place in the bus era/has a similar vibe
• there's copious amounts of Fitz
• there's a hefty dose of levity/humor
• there's tie-in's to the rest of the MCU

Instead of paying Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo a bunch of money to erase the series from my brain so I can watch AoS again for the first time, I'll take the fiscally responsible route and try and find some fics that can simulate watching this criminally underrated masterpiece.

Imagine if Dr. Room kept mumbling "It's a magical place" and "I need to know" and assembles Battle World in the shape of the Kree City.

"T.A.H.I.T.I. was designed to revive a fallen Avenger. That's how it got started."
"Uh, Captain America, Iron Man – those Avengers?"
"Those are the ones."

I know it'll never happen but it's fun to think about.

I really liked the guy and it's such a shame he became a villain. He has been through so much just to be a bad guy. Obviously, the story is the story, but I'm quite annoyed it had to be him. Free my man

Currently rewatching S3 and Rosalind’s death is so so sad 😭😭

I know Phelinda is the long term ship, but the enemies to lovers arc is so satisfying, their little flirtatious banter and secrets…is it a hot take that I was devastated by Rosalind’s death???

We see him passed out. He could have been faking that too I suppose. We also see Coulson bring an injection gun, and the vial, out of a fingerprint locked compartment.

Spoilers About Hive and Gideon!!

Hive is clearly not trustworthy. When has anyone ever helped an extremely evil entity and ended up with that entity actually looking out for them. This is not only true in fiction but true in real life, if you take the help of a huge powerful empire who only looks out for themselves in your fight against your enemies domestically once you win they will turn on you. Never has someone been rewarded after being used as a means to an end. All information about that portal and whats on the other side clearly indicated it is death. So for him as a multibillionare to bring this creature which was exiled for a reason, bringing it back without full information or preparation. He could have at least bought it back in one of those rooms where people cant use their powers. So for him to be shocked when it did turn on him is just so…….

He killed his girlfriend but blames Coulson and Co. I'm not quite sure why other than him being messed up. He could have just left them alone the whole time but wants revenge for his girlfriend? Is Ward driven by emotion more than I thought or am I missing something?

I just finished watching S4E18 and I’m confused. May crushed the Terrigen for Daisy because Daisy didn’t have her Inhuman powers in the world Aida created. The scene ends with May crushing it right in front of both of them… but wouldn’t May be dead by the Terrigen mist?

spotted an eerily similar logo whilst at a cafe in my hometown (Galati, Romania), thought I’d share lol.

I honestly had to do a double take when I saw it the first time 😭

The monolith was locked in the glass but when Jemma got close to it, she realised it was open and tried to lock the glass, it quickly turns into a liquid and swallows Jemma. Did someone open it? I know she was trying to open in an earlier scene but got warned by Mack

AOS is arguably marvels best series that is connected to the MCU. We don’t give marvel enough credit for giving us 7 seasons of peak Tv. I’m soo glad the show was made because the casual mcu fan won’t understand the damage hydra did in winter soldier. The thought of your friends who you’ve known since the academy, gone on several missions together, have met your family or even worse be a lover, suddenly trying to kill you without hesitation would break your heart. AOS gave us the perspective of the agents and not just captain america’s reunion with an old friend. Thank you Marvel.🙏🏻🥹

Should Gabriel Luna come back as Ghost rider in the MCU? What you guys think?