After decades of comic book, TV show, and video game appearances, Wonder Woman is finally getting her due on the big screen this week in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While not one of the eponymous heroes, the Amazon is playing an important role in the movie, both in her superhero guise and as Diana Prince. In the former’s case, we’ll see her enter the fray with the Man of Steel and Caped Crusader against Doomsday, but moviegoers won’t see all her powers on display.
Producer Deborah Snyder told Collider that while her husband, director Zack Snyder, and DC’s Geoff Johns went over Diana’s skill set from the comics, they decided to save some abilities for next year’s Wonder Woman. As she put it:
Really, we did a chart with what their powers were, like what Superman’s powers were, and I think you see a little bit of Wonder Woman. So we get a sense of her power but we didn’t want to do too much because obviously Patty’s going to build up to that and we’re going to learn how she discovers her powers in that movie.
Wonder Woman’s powers have gone through adjustments over the years, but some of the classics are super strength, flight, enhanced senses, and super speed (though she’s not at The Flash’s level on that last one). We’ve seen in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice previews is strong enough to endure Doomsday’s attacks and leap quite a distance into battle, and her long lifespan will also be made clear, as she’ll be 5,000 years old in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That said, it’s probably a good idea to give audiences just a taste of what Diana is capable of. If I had to guess, I’d say Wonder Woman is when we first see her fly, for example.
On top of her special abilities, Wonder Woman will also wield magical sword and shield in battle to go along with her classic Lasso of Truth and bulletproof bracelets. Having fought in countless battles, and at least one World War, she’ll have the expertise and skill to aid in taking down Lex Luthor’s monstrous creation in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Deborah Snyder’s comments also hint at some scenes in Wonder Woman when Diana learns about her special abilities, presumably when she was a child on Themyscira millennia ago. So by the time she makes it to the outside world, she should have a good handle on her "talents," though perhaps she’ll discover an additional ability previously hidden in a surprise moment.
Wonder Woman makes her first live action cinematic appearance this Friday in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and she’ll get the limelight all to herself when her solo movie arrives on June 23, 2017.
