While it's been out for nearly a month, we just can't stop talking about Wonder Woman. Patty Jenkins' glorious success was the first critical darling of the DC Extended Universe, while also breaking ground as the first female-led superhero movie in recent memory. The folks over at Marvel have been open about just how great they thought Wonder Woman was, and now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed that he actually owes the film a debt of gratitude, as it has made the way for Marvel's female-led films.
Kevin Feige has been making the press rounds recently ahead of Spider-Man: Homecoming's upcoming release. Regarding Wonder Woman's affect on the genre, Feige revealed to Mashable how the film's success will help quiet the naysayers for Marvel's female led superhero movies, saying:
Because what the question would have been on this junket before that is, 'Do you think people want to see a female superhero movie? Do you think audiences are ready to go see a big ... Are you nervous about Captain Marvel being a big, the first female hero?' And I would always say no, because there hasn't been a good one in a long time. There were, you know, 15 years ago, a bunch of bad ones. Did they fail because they were female lead movies? No. They failed because they were not good movies. I don't have to say that anymore. Thanks to Wonder Woman. Because it just blows that fallacy out of the water.
Take that, haters. She is Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, and your wrath upon this world is over.
Say what you want about the DC Extended Universe, but they did manage to get a female superhero movie produced far faster than the MCU. And considering the latter was founded back in 2007, they've had plenty of time to make something like a Black Widow movie happen.
One of the common criticisms for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that, while the movies are thrilling, the MCU isn't always the most inclusive place. Most of the films revolve around white male protagonists, and original lineup of The Avengers didn't include any people of color. But Phase Three seems to be making plenty of positive steps forward. Spider-Man: Homecoming brings in new generations of characters and an inclusive ensemble, Black Panther will feature an almost exclusively Black cast, and Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and the Wasp will have female superhero leads.
On the DC side of things, good news hit yesterday when Patty Jenkins announced that she would be returning for Wonder Woman 2. Not only that, but she's already decided that the film will likely be another standalone story, where she can craft story independent of the larger DCEU.
Wonder Woman may still be in theaters if you're lucky, and Spider-Man: Homecoming will arrive in theaters on July 7th.
