There was a lot of exciting material shown at San Diego Comic-Con this past Saturday, but among the highlights was the first Wonder Woman trailer being released. Despite the movie being a little under a year away, Warner Bros released a nearly-three-minute preview showing Diana of Themyscira's first journey into the outside world 100 years before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There was a lot packed in, from Steve Trevor and Etta Candy being introduced to a conflict on Themyscira between the Amazons and regular soldiers. However, of everything packed into the trailer, it was Wonder Woman's World War I setting that made the biggest impression on us.
We've known for over a while that Wonder Woman would be set in World War I, and some of us have even looked at the leaked set pictures and videos showing the early 20th century costumes, architecture, vehicles, etc. However, seeing the setting in an action-packed trailer was a more exciting experience. First off, let's point out how we rarely see period piece superhero movies. We've gotten a few more than usual in recent years through Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, but for the most part, these stories usually take place in the same era as they were made. Wonder Woman is taking a similar approach to the first Captain America movie, but rather than take her to World War II like when her comic book counterpart debuted (i.e. around 1941 or so), the Patty Jenkins-helmed movie opted to move back over 20 years earlier to the First World War's final year. So far, this has proved to be a good choice both visually and story-wise.
When it comes to visuals, obviously Patty Jenkins and her crew have done an impressive job recreating the late 1910s, from the elegant fashion to the battles in the trenches. However, it's Diana herself that accentuates the World War I setting. Her red, white and blue Amazon armor excellently contrasts the grey and other dark-colored uniforms and clothing humans were wearing at the time. She also lightens up the room when she's wearing a blue dress at an elegant gala (more on that scene later), while everyone else's outfits are still darker. It's not just her clothes, though. The way her lasso glows amidst the dark and muted European buildings is striking. Wonder Woman has always been a shining figure in the comics books and other media, but putting her against the gloomy backdrop of World War I was a great way to fully show this off.
World War I is also a more ambiguous conflict for Wonder Woman to get involved in and influence what she's like in the present day, even if it doesn't follow comic book canon. World War II, while equally tragic and horrifying (if not more so) had a central villainous figure. Hitler wanted conquer every country and promote Nazi "superiority." World War I was a conflict bathed more in shades of grey, so even though Diana is fighting alongside the Allied Powers, it's not like the men she's beating up are pure evil. We know something happens in the movie that will lead Diana to turn her back on humans for a century, and given how horrifying World War I was thanks to trench warfare, mustard gas and other atrocities, it's no wonder that she decided to walk away and sit out the next "century of horrors."
Finally, although not confirmed, World War I may be a more intriguing conflict for the Wonder Woman big bad to wreak havoc. At a formal party, Diana sees a military officer in the crowd, played by Danny Huston. We don't find out who he is, but upon noticing him, she reaches for her sword. Rumor has it that Ares, the Greek god of war and longtime Wonder Woman adversary, is the movie's main villain. If that's true, than it's a bold creative choice to tie into that time period. Mankind has been ravaged by war for millennia, but World War I was the first global conflict. Obviously there were numerous political reasons for the war, but within the DC Extended Universe, it would be an interesting twist if Ares was using his mythological powers to accelerate World War I. Who knows, maybe he was the one who pulled strings behind the scenes to start it in 1914. When Diana sees Huston's Ares at the party, she tries to take action against him, but he either escapes or she is diverted. More likely the latter, since we see her and Steve Trevor dancing together. Whatever's going on in that scene, you can guarantee that Wonder Woman won't just be fighting soldiers from the Central Powers in the movie. There will be some kind of sinister, otherworldly force at work, whether it's Ares or someone else.
Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2, 2017. Make sure to provide your thoughts on the movie's World War I setting or anything else you liked about the trailer in the comments below.
