.png){kind=logo}
Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Marvel Studios' Wonder Man may be teasing a mutant character's debut ahead of the X-Men's official introduction. The X-Men's first appearance as an MCU team is one of the most anticipated developments in Marvel movie history. After years of loosely connected canon reveals, audiences are eager for Marvel Studios to finally establish a definitive, mainline version of mutantkind.
Running parallel to that massive anticipation is the quieter but increasingly intriguing buzz surrounding Wonder Man. Helmed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton, Wonder Man is shaping up to be a character-focused, concept-driven entry that stands apart from the MCU’s usual spectacle-first approach. At the same time, Wonder Man may set up key events and characters that point toward the MCU’s future.
Marvel's Wonder Man Marketing Teases Doorman's MCU Debut
Wonder Man's 'Doorman' Detail May Be A Sneaky Easter Egg
Marvel’s latest Wonder Man social media posts may be doing far more world-building than they initially let on. The mock headline “Hollywood Bans All Super Powers” strongly suggests that the 2026 Disney+ series will see public sentiment shifted decisively against superheroes once again. A real decade after Captain America: Civil War, Wonder Man may mark a significant tonal pivot, with commentary on a post-superhero society from the angle of a fictional Hollywood.
More intriguingly, a second post stating that “Actors auditioning for the role of Wonder Man must sign a Doorman waiver” feels far too specific to be a throwaway joke. In-universe, the wording implies the involvement of Doorman, a rather obscure mutant hero from the comics. Marvel Studios has a long history of embedding early teases in marketing material, so a Doorman reference wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
If intentional, Wonder Man's Doorman reference could represent a subtle but significant step toward the MCU’s long-awaited mutant saga. Introducing mutants indirectly would align perfectly with the X-Men’s themes of marginalization. Instead of presenting mutantkind with a bombastic X-Men team reveal, Marvel might be choosing a slower approach, which allows figures like Doorman to act as trailblazers before the X-Men properly emerge.
Doorman Is A Bizarre Marvel Mutant
Doorman Could Be A Literal Gateway Into Mutantkind
Doorman possesses one of Marvel's most distinct mutant powers. As his name suggests, Doorman can transform his body into a living gateway that allows others to pass through him as if he were a door. Doorman's mutation enables instant transportation, but also surprise attacks and tactical repositioning, which make him far more useful than his comedic presentation would initially suggest. Doorman’s power isn't as flashy as the X-Men's, but it's definitely a powerful one.
Doorman is best known as a founding member of the Great Lakes Avengers, Marvel’s intentionally offbeat, low-stakes superhero team. For much of his early publication history, DeMarr Davis was treated as comic relief, often the butt of jokes. Later stories added more depth, particularly when it was revealed that Doorman exists partially between life and death. This metaphysical twist transformed him from a gag character into a far more unsettling and conceptually rich hero.
Doorman is also a confirmed mutant even though he rarely interacts with the X-Men directly. His outsider status mirrors the experience of many mutants who exist on the fringes of mutant society, neither celebrated nor feared enough to stand out. If the MCU is teasing Doorman through Wonder Man, Marvel could signal a deliberately unconventional entry point into the X-Men era through small and strange mutants before going big.
Doorman Could Be The First Proper X-Man After Multiple Mutant Introductions
Doorman Could Be A Mutant's Mutant
Marvel Studios has technically introduced mutants into the MCU several times already, but none of those mutant characters have truly marked the beginning of an X-Men era. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were labeled as “enhanced” Avengers. Namor and Ms Marvel are confirmed to be mutants, but both exist as independent heroes. Meanwhile, Wolverine, Deadpool, Gambit, and X-23 are arguably X-Men in every meaningful sense, but they belong to alternate realities.
This leaves the MCU in a strange transitional space, where mutants exist in theory but not in practice. None of these characters are foundational mutants whose defining trait is being a mutant in a world that fears and misunderstands them. Their journeys aren't shaped by mutant politics or the looming emergence of the X-Men. So far, mutation has been treated as a footnote.
Unlike Avengers-adjacent heroes or multiversal imports, Doorman’s primary appeal is inseparable from his status as a mutant. He isn't known for legacy branding or a preexisting MCU team, which makes him an ideal candidate to establish what it means to have innate powers in the MCU’s main universe. If Wonder Man confirms Doorman is a native MCU mutant, he could become the first character whose story organically leads into interactions with his kind and, eventually, the MCU’s own X-Men.
The MCU Will Accomplish Something Fox's X-Men Movies Never Could
Mutants Will Be Able To Exist Outside The X-Men's Orbit
Fox owned the rights to mutants and the X-Men, but little else, which inevitably funneled every mutant story back into the same team. No matter how interesting or unconventional a mutant might have been, they were always pulled toward Xavier’s school, Magneto’s ideology, or a familiar iteration of the team. Mutantkind was a closed ecosystem, defined almost exclusively by the X-Men.
In the MCU, mutants do not need to justify their existence by immediately tying into the X-Men brand. Characters like Doorman can be explicitly framed as mutants, deal with mutant-specific social and political tensions, and still exist independently of Xavier and any formal X-Men lineup. MCU mutants can tell a mutant story while operating on the fringes of the superhero world, even joining unconventional teams like the Great Lakes Avengers.
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
First Film X-Men (2000)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
X
Marvel's Wonder Man Marketing Teases Doorman's MCU Debut
Wonder Man's 'Doorman' Detail May Be A Sneaky Easter Egg
Marvel’s latest Wonder Man social media posts may be doing far more world-building than they initially let on. The mock headline “Hollywood Bans All Super Powers” strongly suggests that the 2026 Disney+ series will see public sentiment shifted decisively against superheroes once again. A real decade after Captain America: Civil War, Wonder Man may mark a meaningful tonal pivot, with commentary on a post-superhero society from the angle of a fictional Hollywood.
More intriguingly, a second post stating that “Actors auditioning for the role of Wonder Man must sign a Doorman waiver” feels far too specific to be a throwaway joke. In-universe, the wording implies the involvement of Doorman, a rather obscure mutant hero from the comics. Marvel Studios has a long history of embedding early teases in marketing material, so a Doorman reference wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
If intentional, Wonder Man's Doorman reference could represent a subtle but significant step toward the MCU’s long-awaited mutant saga. Introducing mutants indirectly would align perfectly with the X-Men’s themes of marginalization. Instead of presenting mutantkind with a bombastic X-Men team reveal, Marvel might be choosing a slower, more grounded approach, which allows figures like Doorman to act as trailblazers before the X-Men properly emerge.
Doorman Is A Bizarre Marvel Mutant
Doorman Could Be A Literal Gateway Into Mutantkind
Doorman possesses one of Marvel's most distinct mutant powers. As his name suggests, Doorman can transform his body into a living gateway that allows others to pass through him as if he were a door. Doorman's mutation enables instant transportation, but also surprise attacks and tactical repositioning, which make him far more useful than his comedic presentation would initially suggest. Doorman’s power isn't as flashy as the X-Men's, but it's definitely a powerful one.
Doorman is best known as a founding member of the Great Lakes Avengers, Marvel’s intentionally offbeat, low-stakes superhero team. For much of his early publication history, DeMarr Davis was treated as comic relief, often the butt of jokes. Later stories added more depth, particularly when it was revealed that Doorman exists partially between life and death. This metaphysical twist transformed him from a gag character into a far more unsettling and conceptually rich hero.
Doorman is also a confirmed mutant even though he rarely interacts with the X-Men directly. His outsider status mirrors the experience of many mutants who exist on the fringes of mutant society, neither celebrated nor feared enough to stand out. If the MCU is teasing Doorman through Wonder Man, Marvel could signal a deliberately unconventional entry point into the X-Men era through small and strange mutants before going big.
Doorman Could Be The First Proper X-Man After Multiple Mutant Introductions
X
Marvel Studios has technically introduced mutants into the MCU several times already, but none of those mutants characters have truly marked the beginning of an X-Men era. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were labeled as “enhanced” Avengers. Namor and Ms. Marvel are confirmed to be mutants, but both exist as independent heroes. Meanwhile, Wolverine, Deadpool, Gambit, and X-23 are arguably X-Men in every meaningful sense, but they belong to alternate realities.
This leaves the MCU in a strange transitional space, where mutants exist in theory but not in practice. None of these characters function as a foundational mutant whose defining trait is being a mutant in a world that fears and misunderstands them. Their journeys aren't shaped by mutant politics or the looming emergence of the X-Men. So far, mutation has been treated as a footnote.
Unlike Avengers-adjacent heroes or multiversal imports, Doorman’s primary appeal is inseparable from his status as a mutant. He isn't known for legacy branding or a preexisting MCU team, which makes him an ideal candidate to establish what it means to be a mutant in the MCU’s main universe. If Wonder Man confirms Doorman as a native MCU mutant, he could become the first character whose story organically leads into interactions with mutantkind and, eventually, the MCU’s own X-Men.
The MCU Will Accomplish Something Fox's X-Men Movies Never Could
Mutants Will Be Able To Exist Outside The X-Men's Orbit
Fox owned the rights to mutants and the X-Men, but little else, which inevitably funneled every mutant story back into the same team. No matter how interesting or unconventional a mutantmight have been, they were always pulled toward Xavier’s school, Magneto’s ideology, or a familiar iteration of the team. Mutantkind was a closed ecosystem, defined almost exclusively by the X-Men.
In the MCU, mutants do not need to justify their existence by immediately tying into the X-Men brand. Characters like Doorman can be explicitly framed as mutants, deal with mutant-specific social and political tensions, and still exist independently of Xavier an any formal X-Men lineup. MCU mutants can tell a mutant story while operating on the fringes of the superhero world, even joining unconventional teams like the Great Lakes Avengers.
TV Show(s) X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, X-Men (1992), X-Men: Evolution (2000), Wolverine and the X-Men (2008), Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Legion (2017), The Gifted (2017), X-Men '97 (2024)
First Film X-Men (2000)
Character(s) Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel, Phoenix, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Morph, Nightcrawler, Havok, Banshee, Colossus, Magneto, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Cable, X-23
Video Game(s) X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), Marvel Super Heroes (1995), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), Marvel vs. Capcom (1998), X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000), Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001), X-Men: Next Dimension (2002), Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (2011), X-Men Legends (2005), X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (2005), X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men (1993), X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995), X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994)
Comic Release Date 213035,212968
English (US) ·