Wonder Man
Wonder Man, born Simon Williams, was an American scientist and inventor with scientifically granted super-strength and nigh-invincibility, known for a brief stint serving Baron Zemo in the Masters of Evil. He died mere days after gaining his powers, poisoned by the ionic rays that had granted them to him. In death, he saw the error of his ways, and helped the Avengers defeat the Masters of Evil.
Biography
Masters of Evil
In 1964, inventor Simon Williams was accused of embezzling funds from Tony Stark after Stark's brilliant patents had left his own work in the dust. One day in court, his bail was paid by a mysterious Asgardian called the Enchantress. She and an ally called the Executioner offered him revenge on Tony Stark by way of helping them defeat Stark's ally, Iron Man, and the rest of the Avengers—unbeknownst to all three, Stark was himself Iron Man's secret identity. They led Williams to a laboratory in the South American jungle operated by Baron Zemo; together, the three formed a villainous trio known as the Masters of Evil. Zemo strapped Williams down to a table and bombarded him with ionic rays, granting him great strength and purported invincibility: further testing proved his flesh to be bulletproof. Zemo provided him with an appropriate costume and dubbed him Wonder Man. The suit also came equipped with a rocket-powered belt to give him the ability of flight. After Wonder Man had proved his might, Zemo informed him that the ionic rays would kill him within a week unless he remained loyal, in which case Zemo would supply him with a weekly antidote. Wonder Man was shocked, but pragmatically realized that loyalty was his only option.
Zemo's plan to defeat the Avengers would be one of infiltration. He and the Asgardians committed a robbery in New York which drew the attention of the Avengers, causing an evenly matched fight. But Wonder Man soon arrived to turn the tide, "defeating" the Masters of Evil on his own in rapid succession. As the others escaped, Wonder Man approached the Avengers and offered to join them. He further explained that he had a terminal illness and hoped that they could help. With that, the scientists of the team got to work searching for a cure. Meanwhile, Wonder Man kidnapped the Wasp and took her back to South America, then radioed Iron Man claiming that he and she had been taken by Zemo. Iron Man arrived the following day into a trap, soon followed by the other Avengers. Wonder Man and the other Masters incapacitated the Avengers, and Zemo began plans to kill them all. Seeing now that his actions could cause the deaths of five great heroes, Wonder Man had a change of heart and fought back against Zemo, reviving the Avengers and fighting back the Masters of Evil. Zemo and the Asgardians escaped, their victory torn from them at the last moment. His honor restored, Wonder Man's illness overtook him, and he collapsed dead in Iron Man's arms.[1]
Roughly a year after Wonder Man's death, the Enchantress used the same technology Zemo had used to give him his powers on a new would-be superhuman, Power Man.[2]