Heads up, there are SPOILERS for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice beyond this point. Proceed accordingly.
Outside of the two main superheroes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we get quick introductions for a number of other comic book characters that will show up in the Justice League movies and eventually get their own stand alone features. Of these, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman has the biggest role. This makes sense. After all, outside of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel, she’s DC’s most popular hero, and her solo film will be the first, dropping next year.
We don’t see a ton of Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but she has multiple scenes and actual lines, unlike most of the other superheroes who only get small cameos. That said, even though we only get to hang out with Diana Prince for a few moments, what we get is pretty damn awesome, and it has only whet our whistle, so to speak, for 2017’s Wonder Woman. Here are some reasons why, after watching Dawn of Justice, we’re even more stoked for Wonder Woman’s solo film.
She’s A Total Badass
We’ve always known that Wonder Woman can handle her business. That’s never been in doubt, but what we see from her when the shit goes down in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is get you stoked to see her next big screen throwdown in Wonder Woman. She goes toe-to-toe with Doomsday without hesitation, and when he blasts her and knocks her on her ass, she crawls over to grab her sword grinning like a damn hyena. That one moment right there tells us so much about her, what she’s capable of both doing and withstanding, and gives a nice glimpse into her mindset—she enjoys a good brawl.
Not Too Much Is Revealed
Like I said, Zack Snyder and company don’t hand out much information about Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and most of what we do get only hints and teases at her story and what is to come. And that’s perfect. This is supposed to be Batman and Superman’s story, and instead of trying to cram in a ton of character development and backstory, there are traces and indications of Wonder Woman, of who she is and what she’s up to. We don’t know where Diana Prince was going when she got on that plane, or where she came from. We don’t know what her plan or what her interests are, but she’s definitely up to something, and Dawn of Justice delivers just enough to pique our interest. There’s still a lot to learn about her, and we can’t wait.
She Has A Long Intriguing Story
We’ve heard that by the time Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice rolled around, Wonder Woman would already be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. With the photo that she’s trying to retrieve from Lex Luthor’s lair, the one that shows her in World War I, that point is driven home. The character obviously has a long history of adventures to draw from in the comics, and from what we’ve seen thus far, Wonder Woman is not only going to use them for inspiration, but also explore different eras. This will go a long way to setting Wonder Woman apart from her comic book compatriots, as well as creating a superhero like we’ve never seen on the big screen, one with a sprawling, expansive history.
The Setting/Era
With the exception of Captain America: The First Avenger (and Agent Carter on the TV side), most modern superhero movies are just that, modern, set in the present day and age. Rumors, reports, and set photos have shown that Wonder Woman will take place, at least in part, during World War I, a fact confirmed by the photo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that shows her, Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, and others in that era. Not only is this different from just about every other comic book movie (Hellboy also had some old timey war scenes), World War I, as a setting, is something different on its own. There are countless World War II movies out there, but World War I is a woefully underutilized era, and it will be interesting to see how it is used.
The Director
Zack Snyder has an impressive visual style as a filmmaker, which is on full display in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Where some think he has an issue is with structure and storytelling (one of my biggest issue with BvS was the jumbled, haphazard narrative flow). With that in mind, I’m excited to see Wonder Woman in different directorial hands. As the first female-fronted superhero movie, Wonder Woman is a milestone, and it’s important that it’s directed by a woman for a variety of reasons. In this case, Patty Jenkins takes the helm. With her feature debut, Monster, which earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award, and more, she has shown the ability to elicit strong, emotional performances from her actors and tell a compelling, well-structured story. If nothing else, that should provide some balance to the more bombastic elements we’ve already seen from the DC Extended Universe.
