Here’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now.
As we all know, Wonder Woman is set to appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Awesome, right? Well, I don’t know. As excited as I am to see Diana finally brought to life on-screen, I do have my reservations.
Read on if you are interested…
Why I'm Excited
It’s Her Cinematic Debut
I like Wonder Woman. I’m not as intimately familiar with her as I am with Superman or Spider-Man, but I respect her place in the pantheon of superhero characters. I think she’s a very important pop culture icon.
Come 2016, Batman will have appeared in eight films total. Superman will have appeared in six. Spider-Man, in seven. How many films will Wonder Woman have appeared in?
One — just one — and it’s not even a Wonder Woman movie.
The character has been around for close to 75 years. The fact that nobody has been able to get a Wonder Woman film off the ground is almost shameful. It’s beyond time for Diana to grace the silver screen.
However, this leads me to my first concern…
Why I’m Concerned
Tagging Along for the Ride
Is anyone else kind of put-off by the fact that Wonder Woman’s cinematic debut is in a movie titled Batman v Superman? Okay, okay, you can call me a crybaby. You can tell me to be happy with what we’ve got. Maybe you’re right to tell me both of those things.
…But she’s appearing as a guest-star in a Batman/Superman movie. Black Widow can get away with being used as a supporting character — because she’s Black Widow. She doesn’t have nearly as much mythology (literally and otherwise) built around her as Wonder Woman does.
Furthermore, does Wonder Woman actually BELONG in a story focusing on Batman and Superman? Or will her inclusion seem like something that was shoehorned into the movie by an impatient studio?
Speaking of which…
Why I’m Concerned
Unnecessary Sequel Bait
Is Wonder Woman’s only purpose in this movie to set up her appearance in Justice League? Doesn’t this remind anyone of Iron Man 2, which Black Widow’s only purpose was to set up her appearance in The Avengers? That movie wasn’t exactly received with universal praise. Having to carry the weight of The Avengers didn’t really do Iron Man 2 any favors, and I wonder if we’ll end up saying the same for Batman v Superman.
What I mean to say is that unnecessary sequel-bait can seriously hinder a movie. The last thing I want is for people to walk out of Batman v Superman saying:
“That was pretty good, except for the parts with Wonder Woman in it.”
Why I’m Excited
Zack Snyder Will Probably Make Her Kick Ass
I’m not a big fan of Zack Snyder. I don’t think he’s a particularly great director. However, I do believe he can make Wonder Woman look like a total badass.
Sucker Punch aside, I think Snyder has a decent track record with female characters. Faora in Man of Steel was awesome. Lena Headey was badass in the 300 movies. Even the girl from Dawn of the Dead ended up slaying a ton of zombies.
Snyder seems very fond of the Action Girl trope, which Wonder Woman can actually fit into perfectly. If he can make Diana half as badass as Faora was, he’ll have done alright in my book.
Well, those are my thoughts on this matter. I’m not even going to touch the issue of Gal Gadot’s casting, which has ended up being somewhat controversial among the nerd community. When it comes to something like that, you never really know until you see it for yourself.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Do you agree with me? Disagree? What are your thoughts on this subject? Comment below and let us all know.
Take care, everyone.