New MCU Villain Pays Off A Genius Marvel Easter Egg Hidden In Phase 4

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The Grim Reaper has been cast for Marvel Studios' Wonder Man series, paying off a Phase 4 tease for the MCU supervillain. Wonder Man was confirmed to be in development at Marvel Studios in June 2022, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton and Hawkeye producer Andrew Guest returning as co-creators of the Disney+ series. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as the titular Simon Williams, a.k.a. Wonder Man, in October of the same year, bringing the ionic-powered enemy-turned-Avenger and Hollywood star to the MCU.
One of the key aspects of Wonder Man's Marvel Comics story is his relationship with his rebellious brother, so speculation quickly started stirring about who would take on the role of Eric Williams. On March 29, 2023, it was announced that Justified's Demetrius Grosse had been cast in Wonder Man, revealed to be portraying Eric Williams, a.k.a. the Grim Reaper, a villain who acquires a technologically-advanced scythe and turns to a life of villainy after the apparent death of his brother. This, however, isn't the first hint at the debut of the MCU's Grim Reaper, as Phase 4 included a brief Easter egg teasing his introduction.
Grim Reaper's MCU Arrival Was Teased By A WandaVision Easter Egg

The MCU's Phase 4 kicked off with WandaVision, the first of Marvel Studios' new MCU-set Disney+ TV series, which focused on Wanda Maximoff's grief in the wake of losing Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. Each episode was structured similarly to a different sitcom style from the past several decades, leading viewers on a journey from the 1950s to the present day, helped by brilliant title sequences that set the tone for each episode. WandaVision episode 2, "Don't Touch That Dial," featured a title sequence that saw Vision phasing through the walls and ceilings of their Westview home, which provided the first tease at the debut of the MCU's Grim Reaper.
As Vision phased between one floor and the next, a glimpse between the floorboards revealed the unmistakable shape of the Grim Reaper's alongside cobwebs and bones. This could be a reference to one Marvel Comics storyline in which the Grim Reaper entered Vision's home and wounded his son and daughter, Vin and Viv, before being killed by Virginia, Vision's synthezoid wife. To cover up the crime, Virginia buried the Grim Reaper's body in their yard. The appearance of the Grim Reaper's helmet between the floorboards of Wanda and Vision's home, along with a selection of bones, could tease this storyline for the MCU.
How Will Grim Reaper Fit Into The MCU?

In Marvel Comics, Vision is created using the brainwaves of the thought-dead Wonder Man, which ignites a rivalry between the Grim Reaper and Vision as the former constantly tries to revive his brother or decipher which hero is the real Simon Williams. After the events of WandaVision, the whereabouts of the White Vision are unknown, but with an MCU Vision Quest series also in development and teases of him bringing together the West Coast Avengers, the Grim Reaper would make the perfect enemy for the synthezoid. The Grim Reaper also has connections to some of Marvel's biggest villains, so Wonder Man could kick-start some epic storylines for the MCU's future.
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