After years of languishing in development hell, Wonder Woman finally hit theaters last year, and thanks to a myriad of reasons, from Gal Gadot's performance as Diana of Themyscira to Patty Jenkins' direction, the movie was not only a critical and commercial success, it was also heralded as a pop culture milestone. Diana returned a few months later for Justice League, and her next DC Extended Universe appearance will be Wonder Woman 2, which hits theaters on November 1, 2019. However, with production on the sequel beginning later this year, character details are now starting to trickle in.
Last week, it was reported that Kristen Wiig is being eyed to play Wonder Woman 2's main antagonist, The Cheetah. It remains to be seen if Wiig will obtain the role, but needless to say that Cheetah will just be one of many new faces who will be introduced in the sequel, and we've provided some candidates who would also be worthy of inclusion.
Veronica Cale
Much like how Lex Luthor hates Superman for his godlike abilities and popularity in Metropolis, Veronica Cale, the head of her own large corporation, hates Wonder Woman for being so easily accepted in our patriarchal society. In the comics, Veronica originally tried to turn the public against Diana through a smear campaign, but when that didn't go as expected, she took more direct measures. As of the DC Rebirth relaunch, Veronica has been turned into a more capable foe for Wonder Woman, working behind the scenes to bring the Amazon heroine down, which is precisely how Wonder Woman 2 should use her. Keeping that in mind, Wonder Woman 2 could also take a cue from the DC Rebirth continuity by having Cale be the one who is indirectly responsible for Barbara Ann Minerva's transformation into The Cheetah.
Hercules
Ares supposedly killed all the Olympian Gods except Zeus thousands of years ago, but what if there was another survivor of the God of War's onslaught? Like Diana and Ares, Hercules is one of Zeus' many children, and in the pre-New 52 modern era of DC Comics, he was a recurring character in the Wonder Woman stories. For Wonder Woman 2, perhaps Hercules been in hiding/living a low-key life ever since Ares destroyed all of his fellow gods/demigods, and the events of this sequel make him aware of Diana's existence, leading to him becoming an unexpected ally. Aside from Ares, we haven't seen her interact with any other Olympian beings, and since Zeus appears to be out of the picture for good, Hercules would be a good alternative for someone she could meet. His strength would come in handy against Cheetah and any other adversaries Wonder Woman has to face, though since he's nowhere to be seen in the Batman v Superman/Justice League era, he'd undoubtedly have to fall in battle.
Doctor Psycho
Like Veronica Cale, Doctor Psycho (real name Edgar Cizko) is physically no match for Wonder Woman, but he more than makes up for that with his mental abilities. While Psycho was originally envisioned as a hypnotist who used the occult to power himself, in the modern era he was reimagined as having psionic abilities like telepathy and illusion-casting. For Wonder Woman 2, the source of such abilities could be either mystical or through advanced science, but either way, an empowered Psycho would make an excellent secondary antagonist. Diana has plenty of experience on the battlefield, but having to confront a villain who can mentally manipulate her would be a new challenge. Punching and swinging a sword won't be enough to stop Psycho from preying on her fears.
Nemesis
Steve Trevor sacrificed his life to destroy Doctor Poison's gas in Wonder Woman, and while it's rumored that Chris Pine will reprise the character for Wonder Woman 2 (I'm intrigued about how that would be pulled off), it would be better if she as working in the field with a new skilled operative. Enter Thomas Andrew Tresser, a.k.a. Nemesis. In the DC Comics universe, Nemesis is a government agent who is a master of disguise, and in addition to having history with the Suicide Squad, he also served as a supporting Wonder Woman character for a time. Since Wonder Woman 2 will reportedly have Diana involved in the Cold War, Nemesis is just the kind of spy character would fit well into a story that's packed with deception and intrigue. If the sequel also turns him into Diana's new love interest, that's fine, but his skill set is more than enough to justify his inclusion.
Donna Troy
Introduced in 1965's The Brave and the Bold #60, Donna Troy is DC Comics' first Wonder Girl. While her exact origins conflict depending on what era of DC continuity we're talking about, she's been an important player across the decades not only as Wonder Woman's sidekick/partner/replacement, but also as a Teen Titan and Justice Leaguer. Like Diana, her powers include enhanced strength, super speed and flying, though like her origins, her other unique abilities have also differed throughout DC history. For Wonder Woman 2, I suspect that Donna wouldn't directly resemble her comic book counterpart, i.e. actually be called Wonder Girl. That being said, whether her powers in the DCEU are also derived from the gods or come from a less deistic source, it would be great if we could see Donna teaming up with Diana on the big screen, even if their alliance is just temporary.
Orion
Diana knew the story of how the Amazons joined the humans, Atlanteans, Olympians and Green Lantern Corps in battling Steppenwolf's army, but as far as we know, it wasn't until Justice League that she actually crossed paths with anyone from the Fourth World mythology. But what if that wasn't the case? What if decades before she teamed up with Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg, she met one of the New Gods? Enter Orion, who in the comics is the second son of Darkseid, and who was traded to Highfather in exchange for his son, Scott Free (a.k.a Mister Miracle) to keep the peace between New Genesis and Apokolips. I wouldn't expect Wonder Woman 2 to delve too deeply into Orion's backstory, but considering how he appeared as a supporting character in the New 52 Wonder Woman series, there's enough precedence for his inclusion in the movie. Besides working as a superpowered ally to Diana, he could also be used to lay more foundation to explore the Fourth World in Justice League 2 or even a full-blown New Gods movie.
