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Marvel Studios has been billing its upcoming Wonder Man streaming series as something different from the usual MCU fare, and it’s already bringing in some seriously eccentric characters and concepts from comics. That includes taking what could be the next step in assembling the weirdest incarnation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes ever – the Great Lakes Avengers.
Doorman, a relatively obscure mutant hero with the ability turn his body into a portal of dark energy, is confirmed as part of the cast of Wonder Man, making him the second member of the GLA to make it into the MCU alongside the unkillable Mister Immortal, who appeared in an episode of She-Hulk as a scummy ex-husband.
The Great Lakes Avengers in comics
Introduced all the way back in 1989’s West Coast Avengers #46 by writer/artist John Byrne, the Great Lakes Avengers are an aspiring team of heroes who decide to borrow the Avengers name to declare themselves the protectors of the middle of the US, with the standard Avengers headquartered on the East Coast, along with the previously mentioned West Coast squad protecting the other side of the country.
Though their use of the Avengers name is unsanctioned, West Coast Avengers members Hawkeye and Mockingbird take the Great Lakes team under their tutelage to help them become heroes in their own right. However, they’re never fully given actual Avengers status.
The GLA do eventually change their name away from calling themselves Avengers, however, they keep up their gimmick of borrowing another team’s moniker. First, they take on the name The Lightning Rods, after the Thunderbolts. Then, after discovering they’re all mutants, the GLA founders decide to change their name to the Great Lakes X-Men.
Finally, they settle on the name Great Lakes Champions, borrowing a team identity that has been used several times in Marvel continuity, most recently as the name of the Marvel Universe’s premier team of teenage heroes.
All that said, the team’s last appearance brought them back to the Great Lakes Avengers name – still not sanctioned, but at least tolerated thanks to their continued heroism despite not exactly being great at it.
The Great Lakes Avengers in the MCU
We won’t know exactly what role Doorman plays in Wonder Man, but we know he’s got a key connection to the story thanks to the so-called “Doorman Clause,” an insurance waiver that actors within the reality of the MCU are required to sign to certify they don’t have super powers, meaning he almost certainly will have some kind of abilities in the show.
That still leaves the question of whether Marvel is actually assembling a new team of lovable misfits not as dysfunctional as the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, nor as powerful as the main squad. The unsatisfying answer is, no matter the clues or cameos that Marvel peppers into its shows, we won’t know exactly who’s going to show up until Marvel tells us.
It’s entirely possible there’s some kind of payoff building for the introduction of multiple members of the Great Lakes Avengers. But there’s just as much likelihood that both Mister Immortal and Doorman could be one-off appearances meant to expand the MCU and bring in longtime fans.
The trouble is, if Marvel is building yet another team – even a jokey one – there’s no telling how long it will take. It seems a bit unlikely Marvel would put much energy into the Great Lakes Avengers while there are still so many errant characters already waiting to be brought into the MCU at large, such as Hercules, Clea, and Skarr (son of the Hulk).
Nonetheless, I’ve personally been delighted to see some of my favorite Marvel weirdos make it into the MCU, and if Marvel Studios does somehow decide to assemble the GLA, I’ll be there in the front row. Heck, they made a Wonder Man show, a hero whose profile is only just above the Great Lakes Avengers. Anything is on the table.
All eight episodes of Wonder Man premiere on January 27 on Disney Plus. For more, stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are in the works.