Wonder Woman
Expected: June 23rd, 2017
Character Synopsis: An Amazon Warrior Princess named Diana, from the land of Themiscyra.
Origin: Her initial origin story had her formed from the clay of the shores of Themiscryra by her mother, Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons. The Greek Gods breathed life into her and bestowed upon her gifts which would manifest as superpowers. When Captain Steve Trevor crashed his war plane into Themiscyra, she won the right to return him to Man’s World, where she assumed the secret identity of Diana Prince and stayed to battle the axis of evil. DC’s 2011 re-launch – The New 52 – changed all that, and instead had Princess Diana be the demi-goddess daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus. Her feature film appearances will now use the The New 52 origin story.
Powers: With over seventy years in print, Wonder Woman’s powers have been altered and augmented over time. While always possessing super strength, speed and profound intellect, she has also variously demonstrated ESP, astral projection, telepathy, control of electricity within her body, wisdom, super breath, super healing, heightened empathy, military prowess, super sight, flight, super hearing, and resistance to fire and magic. She also has at her disposal the lasso of truth, indestructible bracelets, golden armour, a magical sword, a razor-sharp tiara and, on occasion, an invisible jet.
Greatest Enemies: Such a rich history inevitably throws forth many enemies – but some are more notable than others. Eviless (a supervillain from Saturn), for example, founded an anti-Wonder Woman group known as Villainy Incorporated – which most of Wonder Woman’s foes have been affiliated with at one time or another. Individual enemies have included Baroness Paula Von Gunther (an evil scientist blackmailed by Nazis), Cheetah (a jealous woman), Hades (God of the Underworld), Maxwell Lord (an evil businessman with mind control abilities), Silver Swan (a ballerina bribed by war-god, Mars), Devastation (essentially an evil Wonder Woman), Queen Clea (ruler of Venturia, who plans to take over Atlantis), Doctor Psycho (an evil misogynist) and First Born (Wonder Woman’s evil half-brother).
Casting: When Wonder Woman’s inclusion in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was confirmed, speculation was rife as to who would portray the icon on screen. The actress and MMA star Gina Carano quickly emerged as the fan favourite, having demonstrated her talent in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire. But it was, in fact, her Fast & Furious 6 co-star Gal Gadot that got the gig.
History and future: Wonder Woman first debuted in her own comic book title in 1941, created by William Moulton Marston. She is a founding member of The Justice League, and regularly partners with Superman and Batman in stories within each of their three publication lines. She has been continually published, with the exception of a brief hiatus in 1986, and sales of her comics consistently place her in the top 60 of all titles published.
She was adapted for television in a show that aired on ABC and CBS from 1975 – 1979, and is regularly depicted in animation, but her lack of representation on the cinema screen (with the exception of a brief appearance in The Lego Movie) has meant that she is the lesser-known of DC’s big three characters. Many attempts have been made to get her onto the big screen, but this will finally be achieved with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice in 2016, followed by a Wonder Woman solo movie a year later.
– Sarah Myles