After months of reasoned speculation, unsubstantiated rumors and rampant overanalysis, we finally got some clarification about the ever-present Wonder Woman question, as related to the upcoming Batman Vs Superman. In short, the film will use her, and she will be played by Fast And Furious beauty Gal Gadot. Maybe that means she’ll have a small role as a way to set up a future stand-alone movie or a bigger role in Justice League. Maybe that means she’ll operate like a third lead here. There will be plenty of time to speculate on that later, but for the time being, everyone on the Internet seems to have an opinion concerning whether or not Gadot’s casting is a masterstroke or a giant failure.
The truth is there’s no one single Wonder Woman mold. The character has been played by so many different women with at least slightly altered body shapes that apart from a physically imposing in-costume presence, she has been altered to suit particular movies, television shows and comics. Sometimes she’s broad-shouldered. Sometimes she’s more slender. Bizarrely, she’s sometimes even a blonde. The more important factor is that she’s played by a capable actress and that she’s an ass-kicker, though I think I speak for pretty much the entire world when I say she should also have dark hair.
Here’s a look back at the various women who have played the superhero over the years and how the heroine has been presented…
Shannon Farnon in Super Friends (1973-1986)
Background: Super Friends was initially a one hour cartoon that featured several superheroes coming together to battle aliens and various other villains. It was cancelled pretty quickly, but luckily, that big ugly axe was followed almost immediately by a sharp increase in superhero popularity. So, Wonder Woman and company were back on the air and somehow stayed there for more than a decade, though the animated show changed formats damn near every year.
Appearance: You can totally tell the time period by the haircut. The little curve on the side gives it away. Beyond that and a little too much gold in the torso for my taste, this costume is pretty basic and uneventful. It’s also very clearly designed for children as it shows almost no cleavage whatsoever and doesn’t ooze sex appeal like some of the other efforts.
Cathy Lee Crosby In Wonder Woman (1974)
Background: The United States was ready for Wonder Woman in the mid-1970s. Unfortunately for Cathy Lee Crosby, they weren’t ready for her take on Wonder Woman that oddly didn’t include real powers. The pilot film was produced with an eye toward running a series on ABC, but there were some things about the project that didn’t completely work. So, this particular version was given a thanks but no thanks and within a year, DC Comics tried its hand at another version that proved far more successful.
Appearance: This costume looks like it was purchased by an active fifty-five-year-old woman who wanted something special to wear after her 4th Of July Pilates class. I’m not saying Wonder Woman shouldn’t be comfortable, but this is a little too loose fitting and casual for my liking. I also hate the hair color. Wonder Woman looks better with dark hair. She shouldn't look like a C- Farrah Fawcett.
Lynda Carter In Wonder Woman (1975-1979)
Background: After the Crosby version failed to ignite, plans were almost immediately put in motion to try again, this time with a more traditional take on the superhero. The pilot was set in the 1940s, and the subsequent show pitted her against Nazis and various other bad guys. This effort proved far more successful and it ran for three seasons, though it’s still remembered fondly by many to this day.
Appearance: When most people close their eyes and think of Wonder Woman, Carter’s version is likely the one that comes to mind. She pioneered the famous spin. She wore that headpiece, the gold cones on her boobs and the boots. She also had more than enough hair and in exactly the right shade of dark.
Susan Eisenberg In Justice League (2001-2006)
Background: For a wide variety of legal reasons, Wonder Woman was not used in many on screen projects for quite a spell of time. That changed with Justice League in 2004. The character was introduced without experience crimefighting, and during the series, her powers were activated. That wrinkle removed the character’s interesting backstory, but at the same time, it added a new dynamic by allowing her to relate to her fellow members of The Justice League in different ways.
Appearance: In terms of skin tone, this animated Wonder Woman is probably the most vaguely exotic, which seems to be what the women who auditioned for Superman vs Batman all had in common. This version has dynamite hair, which I approve of, and I like the larger stars on her costume. There’s something distracting about having so many little ones bunched together.
Adrianne Palicki In Wonder Woman (2011)
Background: When producer David E Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) pitches something, network executives tend to listen. Consequently, after he announced his intentions to write a project based on the superhero, a majority of fans thought it would find its way to the air. Sadly, that never happened. NBC decided not to pick the show up to series, leaving us all to wonder how strange/ awesome/ vaguely legal based the show would have been.
Appearance: I love the pants. Love them. The low cut top and the underwear bottoms always seemed a bit like overkill to me. We’re looking for a crimefighter who happens to be dead sexy. Not a sex object who happens to fight crime. The pants really help with that, especially since her boobs are pushed up quite a bit, and somehow, the gold accessories and flairs are in just the right places and appear just enough to keep the whole ensemble from looking tacky.
