With a critics' score of 7.6 and an audience score of 89 on Rotten Tomatoes, Marvel may have a hit on its hands with Wonder Man on Disney+. Even the New York Times, often critical of the MCU as being part of the "industrial entertainment complex," was generally positive about the show and said it "has a distinctive sense of wonder." It's good to see Wonder Man -- viewed as a second-tier Avenger -- finally get his due.
Even though his first appearance in Avengers #9 is a single-digit Avengers issue with a great cover that prominently features Wonder Man on its cover, it has never been considered a grail among comic book collectors. For example, you can purchase a high-grade CGC 8.0 (top 14% among graded copies) for around $675 today. And if you're patient, you might be able to find some great deals; for example, this 8.0 sold for only $475 five months ago on Goldin:
There is some correlation (though not necessarily causation) between the official announcement of the Wonder Man TV series in October 2024 and the slow and steady rise in value for Avengers #9. For example, if we take a closer look at a CGC 6.0 (one of the most common grades for this issue on the CGC Census), we can see that this issue is steadily creeping up in value with the 30-day average of $365 being higher than both the 90-day average of $343 and the 1-year average of $325 (after briefly jumping up to $460 after the official announcement in late 2024):
It's not going to the moon by any means; just a slow and steady increase in value over the past year.
Even though his first appearance is showing slow and steady growth over time, it hasn't trickled down to some of Wonder Man's other key issues. For instance, in Marvel Premiere #55 (1980), which is Wonder Man's first solo story, only two graded copies of this issue have sold during the past thirty days. This CGC 9.2 sold during the last week of January for only $43 which wouldn't even cover shipping and grading costs:
* Minor SPOILERS AHEAD for Wonder Man *
Surprisingly, the most poignant story in the entire Wonder Man series belongs to DeMarr Davis, aka Doorman, first appearing in episode 4. Doorman is a D-list Marvel character (and literally called a D-list actor in the show) that first appears in West Coast Avengers #46. Doorman is a member of the Great Lakes Avengers, a team that is based in Milwaukee. He has the ability to turn his body into a portal, allowing people and objects to pass through him.
Doorman in the TV show has the same name (DeMarr) and powers as the character in the comics, but that's where the similarities end. Here, he's a D-list actor who's exploited for his phasing powers in low-brow commercials and films. Due to a tragic accident involving the use of his powers during a film, all superhuman individuals are prohibited from participating in and using their powers in films.
Even though hardcore comic book fans would struggle identifying Doorman's first appearance, West Coast Avengers #46 is still considered to be a minor key issue. The FMV of a CGC 9.8 is a solid $120 and has been ticking up in value over the past year with the 30-day average of $127 up about 21% over its 1-year average:
This is also a minor spoiler, but Wonder Man's brother, Eric Williams, also appears in the show. In the comics, Eric is more famously known as the Grim Reaper, a supervillain first appearing in Avengers #52. The version that appears in the show is an insurance company executive who doesn't appear to possess any powers like his younger brother and is unlikely to become the Grim Reaper. His appearance also didn't move the market at all with only one graded copy of Avengers #52 selling since the show debuted.
