What’s been keeping Wonder Woman off of the big screen? She’s more recognizable than most of the comic book hero’s that have had movies, yet there are still no clear plans on making her movie happen. The general consensus among speculators is that there are two big reasons for this. The first being that there are very few success stories of female lead action movies. The second reason given is that her story is so fantastical and odd that it is tricky to make work in a way that stays true to the character.
The argument that there haven’t been enough female lead action successes is pathetic. It’s one that’s really starting to piss me off. Of course there have been few female lead action successes. They haven’t had Wonder Woman to build off of yet! That’s how trends work. You start with the best, most iconic and recognizable, and then build off of it. That’s why Superman was the first comic book movie, then Batman, and then Spiderman and X-Men. It is high time we got a Wonder Woman movie, and it’s absurd to think it shouldn’t be done until we see more female lead action movie successes.
Now to Wonder Woman’s backstory. In the “relatable” DC Universe that Man of Steel kicked off, it would admittedly be difficult to digest the idea that Greek Mythology was somehow present for thousands of years without anyone knowing. That means you have to do one of two things with Wonder Woman. You either have to change her backstory or get really innovative with how you explain her mythological origins.
I would argue for a bit of a hybrid. Change her backstory just enough to allow for some innovative storytelling. Create a backstory where Greek mythology did exist on earth as we know it, but for some reason is now gone. Wonder Woman could be a lost remnant of that time, or the first in a return to Earth’s connection to Greek Mythology. There are multiple plot devises that could make that work. Anything from ancient space travel technology, to star gates, to alternate dimensions would work. While none of those ideas are overly original, many a skilled writer should be able to do something fresh and interesting with any one of them.
The point is that Wonder Woman’s mythological origin shouldn’t be as tricky a movie problem as the rhetoric we’re hearing from DC and WB. There are a number of plot devices that could work that would make it unnecessary to change who the character is.
Personally, I would love to see a Wonder Woman with mythological origins existing in the cinematic DC universe. It would make for some really epic conflicts, and add an extra flavor to their cinematic universe. The Marvel cinematic universe is already predominantly Sci-Fi. They’ve clearly beat DC to the punch with Sci-Fi. With the exception of Thor, they haven’t gotten too mythological yet, so there’s still a chance for DC to run with that before they look like they’re copying that as well. Some Greek gods and monsters returning to earth would be a real handful for the Justice League and make for some great action! It would also give reason and necessity for Wonder Woman’s fantastical powers.
So what do you guys think? Do you think Wonder Woman’s mythological origin really should be that much of a problem in making a movie? Would you prefer to see her origin totally reimagined with no connection to Greek mythology?