The DCU certainly has been all over the place in terms of creative leadership and projects since it first burst onto the scene with Man of Steel. It might not be the most consistent, with various films being reworked and delayed or outright canceled. While one would imagine Superman or Batman would be the face of the franchise, if the series did have a consistent lead, it would be Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. The character appeared in four films across the DCU, and her original film was the first positively reviewed entry in the franchise. Fans and critics have praised Gadot’s performance and her depiction of Wonder Woman has been one of the most well-regarded aspects of the franchise.
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That is why fans were certainly disappointed with the announcement that Wonder Woman 3 from director Patty Jenkins had been canceled by the new leadership at DC Studios. No word has been made regarding Gal Gadot’s future as the character. Some reports said Gadot and Wonder Woman don’t have a place in the first wave of new DC projects although new DC co-head James Gunn has debunked those rumors. Given how popular Gadot is as Wonder Woman, it is certainly troubling to not have some immediate news about the character or a new film.
Looking back at the character, Wonder Woman certainly had an interesting arc across the DCU, because the fact that Wonder Woman’s story took place across different time periods and elements were added retroactively makes her arc a fascinating evolution that follows the creative direction of the series. Yet while not planned out as being envisioned by two distinct filmmakers, Zack Snyder and Patty Jenkins, each one taps into a specific aspect of Wonder Woman. Jenkins explores Wonder Woman as a loving, maturing hero while Snyder explores her aspect as a warrior, and the two filmmakers’ visions work in harmony to craft a Wonder Woman story that merges these two aspects of her personality into one cohesive whole.
How to Watch the Wonder Woman Movies in Order
- Wonder Woman Wonder Woman 1984 Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Wonder Woman
Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman tells the origin story of Diana, Princess of Themyiscara. Set in 1918 at the end of World War I, the film shows Diana meeting Steve Trevor as he crash lands in her homeland, which has otherwise been sealed off from the world of men. She joins him back to Man’s World, hoping to stop Ares the God of War, and bring about an end to the war. Along the way, Diana grows and discovers the world is not as black and white as she imagined. She discovers the truth of her heritage, that she is in fact the daughter of Zeus, she discovers Ares was a more complicated figure than she imagined, and also she falls in love with Steve Trevor who will forever connect her to humanity.
Diana’s arc in Wonder Woman very much sets her up for her role in the DCU. She starts the movie out as noble if a bit naive, and along the way learns the complex truth about humanity and her own origin. Yet in the end, Wonder Woman discovers who she is and what makes her a hero. Across the DCU, Wonder Woman will be defined by love, be it her love for an individual or her love for humanity.
Wonder Woman 1984
Set 66 years after the first film, Wonder Woman 1984 shows Diana living in Washington D.C. and working at the Smithsonian. In the years since the first movie she has been operating as her superhero alter ego Wonder Woman, yet has been able to stay off the radar. When Maxwell Lord acquires the dreaded Dreamstone, he can grant anybody’s wish which will lead to a global disaster that only Wonder Woman can stop. Wonder Woman herself is tested, both emotionally by her former love Steve Trevor returns from the dead but at the cost of her powers while also dealing with the physical threat of her former friend Barbra Minerva transforming into the villainous Cheetah.
Wonder Woman 1984 had a difficult task, trying to squeeze an arc in between Wonder Woman’s origin story and her appearance in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice which clearly laid out what Diana had been doing since her origin story. While some may say it conflicts, when laid out there is a great tragedy to it. Wonder Woman 1984 shows Diana that is a traditional superhero, as opposed to the warrior version seen in the other entries. She notably does not use her sword or shield in this film; she does not kill and all of her action scenes are about either disarming opponents or saving civilians as opposed to beating up a villain. Yet in the years that will follow, the bright and colorful aesthetics of the DCU give way to a more dark, bleak tone, one that impacts Wonder Woman.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Wonder Woman’s cinematic debut did not even happen in her own film but instead in a team-up movie, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Set about thirty years after Wonder Woman 1984, the Diana seen in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has certainly undergone some major changes after her two solo films. Diana explains she walked away from mankind after World War I, and while that was later retconned in Wonder Woman 1984, the idea is that emotionally Diana did become more cynical towards people after her first solo film, which does track with the sequel.
In many ways, Wonder Woman is a glorified cameo in the movie but many aspects of her character are laid out in this film that was expanded upon to make her arc. Bruce Wayne officially comes face to face with her while looking over rare antiquities, showcasing her civilian job. This Diana is a reluctant warrior, seemingly putting her superhero days behind her but leaps at the chance to fight the monstrous Doomsday.
Justice League / Zack Snyder’s Justice League
While there are a lot of differences between the theatrical cut of Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the arc they settle on for Wonder Woman is relatively the same. Both versions show that even after all these years she is still thinking about Steve Trevor, and needs to open herself up to her teammates.
Diana has not only resumed her job as a superhero, but she now helps Bruce Wayne gather fellow heroes The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg to battle Steppenwolf and save the world. Diana acts as one of the elder statesmen alongside Batman, two co-heads of this team as they both have years of experience. Diana provides key knowledge to the group regarding the ancient history of the Mother Boxes, and she now serves as a mentor to the new batch of heroes.
In many ways, it brings everything back full circle to her first film, where Wonder Woman formed a close connection with her teammates. After being shut off for so many years, either due to losing her friends to old age or for sinister intentions like Cheetah, Diana is now no longer alone. It is through her actions alongside the Justice League that Wonder Woman officially stops operating as a secret hero. She has now fully embraced Wonder Woman, a figure the entire world can look to as a hero.
The Original Plans for Wonder Woman’s Future
Wonder Woman was set to be a key player in Zack Snyder’s Justice League sequels. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 3 was planned after Snyder had departed the franchise, so there were two potential branching continuations of Wonder Woman’s story. Not much is currently known about what Jenkins had planned for Wonder Woman 3 but the director had mentioned how she wanted a story set in the present day and likely would have followed Justice League, allowing Jenkins to explore a Wonder Woman operating as an open superhero in a world filled with them.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League provided a small hint of what was to come for Wonder Woman in his original plans. Cyborg’s vision showed Wonder Woman dead, and audiences would have seen her die in Justice League 2, setting up the stage for Justice League 3 to take place in the Knightmare future first glimpsed in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice before everything is rewritten due to the Flash’s time travel.
Snyder saw Wonder Woman’s story ends with her returning to Themisycara to become the new Queen and opening up to the outside world. In Snyder’s plan, Wonder Woman truly undergoes a hero’s journey with the final step returning home a changed person and being the bridge between two worlds. Now the future is uncertain for Wonder Woman in the DCU, but there are still plenty of stories to tell.
