Destin Daniel Cretton Discusses ‘Wonder Man’ and its First-Gen Influences

Wonder Man co-creator, writer, and director Destin Daniel Cretton speaks with The Nerds of Color and shares the process of bringing Simon Williams’ backstory to life.

This critically acclaimed series has brought numerous conversations to the forefront. Namely, just how much prominence is given to Simon Williams’ upbringing as a Haitian American. We had the opportunity to sit with Cretton and reflect on how his own journey growing up in Hawaii influenced his desire to explore a first-generation story through Wonder Man.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: (L-R) Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Co-President, Marvel Studios, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sir Ben Kingsley, Destin Daniel Cretton, Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Television, Executive Producer and Brian Gay attend the Wonder Man launch event at TCL Chinese Theatre on January 22, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

When asked about how Simon’s backstory came together, Cretton opened up about understanding specificity, context, and his own background growing up in Hawaii:

Cretton: It all stems from story. And I do think from this standpoint of the industry as a whole, I think that one thing that sometimes the industry forgets is that world-building is not just a term for sci-fi or fantasy worlds. World-building is really giving context and the details for any character that you’re creating. The character of Simon Williams, we had to ask the very specific questions of where he came from. And the more specific you get, the richer the story is. And so honing in on where did he come from, we knew that he was an outsider. We also knew that he’s a young man chasing a dream that maybe first generation parents might not be so excited about. But what was really lovely about this character is yes, the specificity of coming from a place like Haiti and understanding the language and what a party would really feel like if you went to that party, what the food would look and smell and taste like. But mixing that all into the character of Simon helped me to fully understand what it felt like to be pursuing this dream that most people I think in his family didn’t fully understand. And that’s something I really relate to. I grew up in Hawaii. Coming to L.A. and doing this kind of thing is very unconventional there. So it was something that was really relatable to me.

Watch our full interview below: