The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced its strangest Avenger yet, a hero whose brief stint in Hollywood led to a rule that changed the industry forever. In Marvel’s Wonder Man series on Disney+, Simon Williamsโs journey is directly impacted by the legacy of DeMarr “Doorman” Davis, a deep-cut character from Marvel Comics who makes his live-action debut played by Byron Bowers. His tragic story is the sole reason a “Doorman Clause” exists, banning superpowered individuals from film sets.
While Simon Williams navigates his career, he lives in fear of this very clause. A simple form he signs in his first audition verifies he has no superhuman abilities, all because of what happened to DeMarr Davis years earlier. Episode 4 of Wonder Man, titled “Doorman,” reveals the full, heartbreaking story of how one man’s accidental powers led to fame, a catastrophic accident, and a new law for the MCU’s entertainment industry.
From Club Bouncer to Unwilling Superhero
In the MCU, DeMarr Davis was not born with his abilities. He worked as a humble doorman at a trendy Hollywood club. His life changed one night when taking out the trash. He discovered a dumpster from the notorious Roxxon Corporation leaking a strange, mystical black goo. Upon touching the substance, he was sucked into a dark, otherworldly realm filled with doorways.
When he returned, he discovered he could use his own body as a living portal. He could phase himself and others through solid walls and objects by allowing matter to pass through him. He initially had no desire to use this power, but fate intervened when a fire broke out at the club. With patrons trapped behind a blocked exit, Davis used his body as a literal door, saving everyone insideโincluding a famous celebrity patron, actor Josh Gad, playing himself.
Gad, grateful for his life, offered DeMarr a job as his assistant and bodyguard, pulling him into the orbit of Hollywood. This act of kindness set DeMarr on a path that would briefly make him a star but ultimately lead to his devastating downfall.
The Meteoric Rise and Fall of “Doorman”
Josh Gad helped transform DeMarr Davis into a marketable brand. His big break came with a cameo in Gad’s heist film, “Cash Grab.” In the movie, his character, dubbed “Doorman,” served as the story’s deus ex machina, portaling the heroes out of a secure vault. The cameo was a hit, making DeMarr an overnight sensation.
He quickly became a talked-about figure on talk shows and in commercials, often using a “Ding dong!” catchphrase that soon made him the butt of industry jokes. The rapid rise to fame was overwhelming. Unable to recreate the success of Cash Grab and mocked for his public persona, Davis began to spiral into depression and alcoholism.
“After becoming an overnight sensation, DeMarr starts making appearances as Doorman in talk shows and commercials, but is unable to recreate the success that came with ‘Cash Grab.’ We see DeMarr spiral and become an alcoholic in the course of a few months.”
A potential lifeline appeared when Gad offered him a role in the sequel, “Cash Grab 2,” hoping to help his friend recover. Tragically, this attempt at a comeback led to disaster. During a crucial scene, a severely hungover and intoxicated DeMarr was supposed to let Gad’s character pass through his portal body. Nausea disrupted his concentration, and the portal destabilized. Josh Gad passed through DeMarr Davis and never came out the other side, seemingly lost forever in the dimensional void.
This incident had immediate and far-reaching consequences. The U.S. Department of Damage Control (DODC) placed DeMarr under lifetime surveillance in an effort to recover Gad. More broadly, Hollywood studios instituted the “Doorman Clause” (also called the “Doorman waiver”), a strict rule banning superhumans from working on film and television sets due to the extreme danger and liability. This clause is the direct source of Simon Williamsโs anxiety throughout Wonder Man, as being discovered would mean the end of his acting career before it even begins.
Doorman’s Vastly Different Comic Book Origins
The MCU’s take on DeMarr Davis is a significant departure from his comic book roots, though both versions share a connection to strange powers and heroic sacrifice.
In Marvel Comics, DeMarr Davis first appeared in 1989’s West Coast Avengers #46, created by John Byrne. He is a mutant, born with the ability to teleport by turning his body into a portal to the Darkforce Dimension, a shadowy realm that exists between realities. He answered a newspaper ad placed by Mr. Immortal and became a founding member of the Great Lakes Avengers (GLA), a team of oddball, lesser-known heroes operating in the Midwest.
The GLA, including teammates like Flatman, Big Bertha, and Dinah Soar, were often seen as a joke or an “off-brand” version of the real Avengers. Doorman was known as the most cynical member, constantly comparing his team unfavorably to the famous heroes, yet he remained deeply loyal to his friends.
His comic book story took a dramatic turn during a battle with the cosmic villain Maelstrom. To save the universe, Doorman sacrificed his own life. In the afterlife, he was approached by Oblivion, a cosmic entity embodying the void. Because of Doorman’s innate connection to the Darkforce Dimension, Oblivion resurrected him and appointed him as the new “Angel of Death,” a herald tasked with collecting souls.
This new role came with enhanced powers, including flight, invulnerability, and greater control over Darkforce energy. In a poignant holiday story, Doorman had to use his new duties to collect the soul of his own father, who had finally come to respect his son’s heroic path.
The Darkforce Dimension: A Realm of Cosmic Danger
A key element linking both versions of Doorman is the Darkforce Dimension. In the comics, it is the source of his teleportation abilities. The MCU suggests the mysterious Roxxon goo that gave DeMarr his powers is also connected to this realm.
This dimension is not a pleasant place. It is a dark reality that exists outside our own, often used by teleporters but also home to terrifying entities. To be lost there, as Josh Gad’s character presumably is, is considered a fate worse than death. Victims are forced to relive their worst fears and memories in an endless loop, eventually losing their minds completely. This grim fate underscores the severe real-world consequences that led to the creation of the Doorman Clause in the MCU.
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A Lasting Legacy in the MCU
While the comic book Doorman continues his adventures as a quirky Angel of Death with the Great Lakes Avengers, the MCU version remains a tragic, pivotal figure of the past. His story is a self-contained tale of accidental power, fleeting fame, and a mistake with permanent repercussions.
For Simon Williams and the world of Wonder Man, DeMarr Davis is not a current superhero but a historical cautionary tale. His legacy is a line on a legal waiver, a clause in an actor’s contract, and a shadow over anyone in Hollywood who might be hiding extraordinary abilities. The series uses this obscure character to cleverly build its unique stakes, where the biggest threat to a hero isn’t a world-ending villain, but the risk of exposure and a permanent ban from his dream career.
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