Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s Wonder Man
The Department of Damage Control has gradually become one of the MCU’s most important pieces of connective tissue. In the wake of SHIELD’s downfall in the MCU, the DODC effectively stepped in as the primary government response to all superhumans, aliens, enhanced individuals, and powerful artifacts.
Featured in projects such as the MCU’s first Spider-Man trilogy, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, and most recently Marvel’s critically acclaimed new Wonder Man series, the DODC has transformed from a simple cleanup crew to a major watchdog organization. Here’s our full MCU timeline breakdown for the Department of Damage Control (and their expected future).
The Department of Damage Control Debuted As A Branch Of SHIELD
The Department of Damage Control first entered MCU canon through a Marvel tie-in comic set shortly after 2008’s Iron Man. At this stage, the DODC wasn’t independent, operating instead as a specialized branch of SHIELD.
While their earliest known mission involved cleaning up the wreckage from Iron Man’s battle with Obadiah Stane in Los Angeles, one can imagine the branch likely existed earlier than that.
After 2012’s Battle of New York, The DODC Becomes An Official Organization
2012’s Battle of New York permanently reshaped Damage Control. After the Chitauri invasion in The Avengers, the DODC separated from SHIELD and became a joint venture between the U.S. government and Stark Industries.
By 2016, Damage Control had assumed control of all alien tech cleanup and containment, as seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, their seizure of Chitauri salvage contracts directly led to Adrian Toomes becoming the Vulture and his underground weapons market in 2016. The DODC also led clean-up efforts following Spider-Man’s ATM robbery battle with criminals using Vulture’s modified Chitauri weapons.
2018’s Avengers: Infinity War also saw Damage Control recovering Cull Obsidian’s severed arm following the Avengers’ battle with the Black Order in New York.
In 2024, Spider-Man Is Arrested By The Department of Damage Control
Damage Control’s dramatic expansion beyond clean-up was seen in 2024 with Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Following Mysterio’s public exposure of Spider-Man’s secret identity in Far From Home, the DODC’s Agent Cleary arrested and interrogated Peter Parker, treating a teenage Avenger as a criminal suspect following the Battle of London and Spider-Man’s previous confrontations.
As a result, it was proven that the DODC had become the government’s primary enforcement arm for enhanced individuals, actively surveilling superhumans and seeking to prevent new crises by containing perceived threats.
In 2025, The DODC Encounters She-Hulk & Ms. Marvel
By 2025, Damage Control had multiple ongoing investigations. In Ms. Marvel, agents used Stark drones and sonic cannons in their efforts to apprehend Kamala Khan, treating a teenage hero as a dangerous anomaly.
However, the New Jersey operation was poorly executed by Agent Sadie Deever, resulting in bad press for the DODC, which was ultimately forced to retreat and end its operation after Ms. Marvel fought back and was protected by her community.
A similar approach was seen in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Once again, the DODC relied on Stark tech when arresting Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk, reinforcing their evolution as a superhuman suppression force. She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel also debuted the DODC’s Supermax Prison, a high-tech facility for superhumans and other powerful threats (like Emil Blonsky’s Abomination) rivaling The Raft superprison which first appeared in Captain America: Civil War.
In 2026, Skrulls Infiltrate The DODC & The Simon Williams Case
In 2026, Marvel’s Secret Invasion series saw shapeshifting Skrulls infiltrating the Department of Damage Control by impersonating agents, successfully stealing the arm of the Black Order’s Cull Obsidian (which the DODC recovered during the events of Avengers: Infinity War).
Later in 2026, Marvel’s brand-new Wonder Man series features Agent Cleary’s return to the MCU. Likewise, it’s confirmed that the Department of Damage Control is facing budget cuts, with their expensive Supermax Prison only being half full.
This motivates Agent Cleary to get creative in his investigation into the struggling actor Simon Williams and his suspected secret superpowers. Cutting a deal with Trevor Slattery to work with the DODC and get close to Simon and assess his threat potential,
Simon was not arrested despite losing control of his powers in Wonder Man’s ending. This is because Trevor took responsibility for the damage by publicly posing as The Mandarin once more (meaning Cleary still got his arrest). However, Agent Cleary eventually reexamined the movie set that was destroyed by Williams, discovering the lingering ionic energy that had been left behind.
The Department of Damage Control Is Primed To Take On MCU Mutants
In the final scenes of Wonder Man, it’s suggested by Agent Clearly that Simon Williams could be a major threat or a major asset to the DODC, suggesting that the organization may end up cutting a deal with Williams in the MCU’s future.
Beyond that, it’s worth noting that anti-superpower sentiments and public concern are only growing in the MCU, seemingly priming Earth-616 for the emergence of mutants and the X-Men we know are on the way after the end of the Multiverse Saga.
Considering their handling of individuals like Ms. Marvel and Simon Williams, one can imagine that the DODC will likely be at the forefront of the government’s response to the “mutant problem”, perhaps even earning them more resources as a result. As a result, the Department of Damage Control likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon in the MCU’s future.
All episodes of Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+.
- Release Date
-
January 27, 2026
- Network
-
Disney+
- Writers
-
Andrew Guest
- Franchise(s)
-
MCU
-
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Simon Williams
-
