By Chris Gamble
Wonder Woman will officially be introduced in the Man of Steel sequel and Gal Gadot has officially been
named as Wonder Woman. This is yet another head-scratching move for a movie that blew up social
media once already by naming Ben Affleck as Batman and now is taking flak from several arenas.
Many are upset because Wonder Woman is being introduced in a major film as nothing more than a
secondary character. Well, with Batman in the movie Wonder Woman’s role is even less prominent.
Many Wonder Woman fans are upset that Wonder Woman would be introduced in such a way, thinking
she is deserving of her own major motion picture.
Then, there is the other camp that doesn’t understand how Wonder Woman fits in today’s comic book
movies. There have been many attempts to bring Wonder Woman to the silver screen in years past.
The only success Wonder Woman has had was the 1970s television show starring Lynda Carter. There
were rumors that a few years ago Angelina Jolie, at the height of her fame and allure, would have been
Wonder Woman. At least she would have looked good in the role.
Therein lies yet another issue, the person who was cast in the role.
Gal Gadot is a very good-looking woman but Wonder Woman is supposed to be an Amazonian warrior. Amazon women are not waifish
models like Gadot. Gadot lacks the curves and perceived strength that Wonder Woman has come to
epitomize over the years. Gadot also lacks Hollywood fame that one would expect to be accompanied
with playing such a role. Gadot is best known for her limited roles in the Fast and Furious franchise. We
have Diane Lane playing Martha Kent and Amy Adams playing the role of Superman’s love interest Lois
Lane. Gadot just seems out of place.
Aside from the aforementioned issues that comic and movie fans have had with the Man of Steel sequel
we also have Zack Snyder. Snyder’s resume as a director isn’t exactly filled with great story lines. In
fact, Snyder’s resume is nothing more than action oriented. Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, Sucker
Punch, Legend of the Guardians and even Man of Steel have been filled with blah stories and leaves
audiences not exactly caring for the characters.
Perhaps the most charismatic character Snyder has developed is King Leonidas in 300. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the future of Wonder Woman.
Can Snyder make audiences feel for Wonder Woman? Can Snyder make these characters people
audiences want to root for? Gary Nolan was able to reboot the Batman franchise and allow people into
Bruce Wayne/Batman’s head and the darkness he deals with. Christian Bale’s portrayal was adequate
enough and made audiences feel something for the character, especially against Heath Ledger’s Joker
which might be one of the best villains of all-time.
I get what DC is trying to do. After watching Marvel see success with The Avengers they want to try
their hand at The Justice League of America. One of the problems though is the characters themselves.
Audiences don’t really connect with DC’s characters. Superman hasn’t been the big draw recently that the studio had hoped though Man of Steel did better than the previous effort of Superman Returns. However Green Lantern did not set the box office afire and DC has had the best non Batman success on TV. A potential new series for Wonder Woman had a pilot shot but it was never aired and left the character in limbo.
Now, here comes a new Superman film with the new character of Wonder Woman who is being introduced in the background of a story between arguably DC’s two strongest characters in Superman and Batman.
So, we have a major character in the DC series who seems a bit out of place in today’s world (unless
they change her origin story) played by a woman who doesn’t fit the profile of what fans have come to
expect and has limited experience in a back-up role to DC’s two biggest characters (one of whom has
already created much anger in Ben Affleck being named as Batman) and directed by Snyder who has yet
to figure out how to make a movie where the action isn’t the lead.
Can it be pulled off? I suppose it can but it will take a Herculean effort by all involved. Failure is not an
option because the future of Wonder Woman depends on Gadot and the reaction to her character. It
could be the thing that killed Wonder Woman wasn’t a villain but rather her being stuffed into the stew
Snyder is trying to create. Will Wonder Woman ever be the main course? We should find out in 2015.
