Warner Brothers is pretty much right where Marvel was after Iron Man. They have laid the groundwork for a multi-franchise universe but so far only have a couple key characters introduced to the equation. The trick is going to be how to incorporate the never before seen characters with mystical and god-like attributes like Wonder Woman and Aquaman, without sacrificing the “reality-based” and “grounded” approach they’ve taken.
I don’t think anyone can argue that when Marvel successfully introduced Thor to the big screen it was an absolute triumph for the genre. Norse gods in capes and armor were flying around the galaxy on rainbow bridges, and general audiences ate it up! The key as we all know was that they weren’t gods, merely advanced alien races. It strayed slightly from the source, but was ultimately worth it.
Now you can’t tell Wonder Woman’s story without Greek mythology, you just can’t. And this presents a new dilemma as the elements of deities and religion are usually ignored and not brought up in most sci-fi and comic book movies. That’s because the harsh reality is that when, for the sake of the story, a modern audience (particularly one like the U.S. where most are familiar with a Judeo-Christian view of the world) is asked to accept that there are gods out there besides their own then they withdraw to an extent from the movie experience. Movies are supposed to draw us in and make us believe for just a moment that this fantastic story is real and happening. When our core identifying beliefs are challenged, it becomes harder to do so. Not impossible, but harder. The MCU walked that line perfectly with Captain America’s line “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that,” as well as the constant reminders Asgardians are not real immortals. It allows the possibility for God to still exist in this universe despite all the craziness. Audiences can relax.
However, if you were to say that Zeus and Ares are real…actually REAL gods…then you take the DCU and move it from a “reality-based” perspective into a “fantasy-based” one. Audiences will lump it in with Clash of the Titans instead of what Snyder and WB want, which is to see how these DC characters would work in the real world. Asking the general audience to put Greek gods and Batman together in the same movie is unfortunately asking a bit too much.
So. How do we handle this?
It’s simple really. We don’t look behind the curtain.
Princess Diana of Themyscira can talk all she wants about all the strength Hera gives her, but as long as we don’t see any Greek gods then that will always be left up for interpretation. Instead what we see is a group of Amazons and Atlanteans who possess powers, weapons and technology that according to them were given to them by the gods, but we never see these gods or see much proof of them. As the movie plays on and we meet more Atlanteans and Amazons we see hints of the possibility that these deities were maybe not actual gods, but powerful aliens from millennia ago. It doesn’t exclude the possibility of Greed gods, but merely alludes to a different possible explanation. In this way we allow the audiences to relate these characters with already established idea of super-powered aliens, which is just somehow much more acceptable, without necessarily contradicting canon.
Now I know that already many of you are scrolling down for the comments section to blast away at my heresy. I know that tampering with such an iconic character like Wonder Woman’s world is comic book sacrilege. And I know that removing Ares as a potential villain is devastating to a lot of fans. But what else is there? Just how much success has Wonder Woman had at this point? Why hasn’t she been able to see the big screen yet despite being one of the most well-known characters of all time? Because it’s definitely not because she’s a woman. We are well past the point where female heroines can star as the lead in Hollywood blockbusters, even in action genres. That isn’t the issue. Something’s holding her back, so for her to work in this DCU then some compromises are going to need to be made.
If the writers of the Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman movies follow a specific formula that allows the possibility of other explanations for these god-like powers, then these outlandish concepts can be understood and fit into the Man of Steel mold.
No one said they weren’t gods, but no one proved they were either. Audiences could leave with their own theories (maybe she’s the daughter of Zeus! Maybe the Greek gods are real, but I think they’re aliens! Maybe the Atlanteans are descendants of aliens! Maybe the Amazons were descendants of Kryptonians! That ship from Man of Steel did crash here thousands of years ago…)
By leaving these questions unanswered you create mystery, which will only add to the depth and attraction of this brave new DC universe. For all we know Zeus could be a powerful other dimensional being. Or he could be a myth. If the heads at WB want to risk it and be true to the source then I’m all for it. But I fear that that won’t be a possibility and ultimately will make the DCU suffer. Instead, they should address the Atlanteans and Amazons’ relationships with gods like Poseidon and Zeus in the in the same way historians and anthropologists view any ancient culture’s relationships with their deities. And they should avoid discussing it in the movie as much as possible. Focus on the characters and the plot. The evidence (Diana’s flight, Aquaman’s trident, Atlantean physiology, magic lasso) of these gods can each be easily explained individually, or if need be left open to interpretation. Either way, the magic of the new DCU can’t be explained as simply as “oh yeah and Greek gods exist now. Always have. Ta-da!” Let’s take the Thor approach and make some movie magic…
These are just my thoughts, so I’d love to hear yours. It is my first article so please be kind :)
Sound off with your comments below!