The success of Wonder Woman has noticeably impacted the DCEU. Not only has Diana Prince become an even more prominent member of the Justice League ensemble, but the home release for the Amazon's solo movie even includes a bonus scene teasing the discovery of the Mother Boxes -- the central MacGuffins of the upcoming DC team-up. I recently had a chance to ask Patty Jenkins why this vital tease didn't appear in Wonder Woman's theatrical cut at an event for the film's Blu-ray release, and she explained that she wanted to let Wonder Woman stand on its own, so they added that scene later as a fun extra for fans. Jenkins specifically said:
That was never ever going to be in the movie. So that was something that we did because we needed another scene. I didn't end up cutting any scenes in the movie, and so we actually came up with that way after the movie was done. We were like, 'Oh, let's shoot this. We all love these guys. We miss them. Let's do this one scene just to have something fun.' But yeah, this movie I felt ended on a very emotional finality... sometimes there are movies that it's like 'More! Tune in later!' This didn't feel like that kind of movie to me, you know? It really felt like it was its own story. It was great to end and leave it old school style, and then great to have on the DVD.
The scene in question takes place in the immediate aftermath of Wonder Woman, as Etta Candy meets Steve Trevor's former comrades and informs them that they have orders to retrieve a mysterious and powerful artifact discovered after a battle. She then shows the team a sketch of the object, which resembles a Mother Box from Apokolips -- thus setting up the events of Justice League. Though it's a key sequence to the future of the DCEU, it was not originally part of Wonder Woman's story; in fact, the film has no major deleted scenes. Patty Jenkins only decided to include it on the home release as a way to get the band back together, tease future adventures, and include some extra content for passionate fans.
This tactic is not new in the realm of DC movies, as Suicide Squad is the only DCEU movie to date that includes a mid-credit sequence in the style of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Instead of regularly going that tried and true route, DC has opted to release teaser scenes after a given movie has already debuted in theaters -- such as the deleted Steppenwolf scene from last year's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The importance of Mother Boxes for the future of the DCEU cannot be overstated. Powerful artifacts with origins rooted in Darkseid's corner of DC lore, the three on Earth will catalyze Justice League's story when Steppenwolf shows up on our planet in an attempt to obtain them and conquer our world. Beyond that, Mother Boxes also serve as a way to bring several of our heroes together -- with one located on Themyscira, and another located at S.T.A.R. Labs to create Cyborg. These objects are significant; they just didn't need to be at the forefront of Diana Prince's origin story.
In the end, this creative decision appears to have paid off. Wonder Woman's relatively self-contained nature arguably represents one of its greatest strengths, and many fans have responded to its noticeable beginning, middle, and ending. It's important to continue building to Justice League, but telling a traditional Hollywood story free from unnecessary cliffhangers appears to be Patty Jenkins' biggest priority.
Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman is currently available on Digital HD, and the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K editions of the film will hit shelves next week on September 19. Gal Gadot's Diana Prince will make her next ass-kicking appearance in the DCEU when Justice League blasts its way into theaters this fall on November 17.
