Wonder Woman will be the next installment in the DC Extended Universe released in theaters, following the releases of Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad before it. With just a few months left until it hits the scene, the marketing push for the film is as continuous as ever it's been - as the Wonder Woman CinemaCon preview showed off more footage of Diana Prince in action, just this past week.
The Wonder Woman trailers and TV spots so far have naturally focused on highlighting Diana Prince's (Gal Gadot) strength and capability, as well as several moments in the movie when she comes to the rescue of Chris Pine's Steve Trevor. However, Pine was quick to defend both the Diana and Steve characters, when asked if Trevor was a "dude in distress" for Wonder Woman.
Chris Pine and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins were asked the question at CinemaCon by Yahoo! Movies, where Pine initially dismissed the remark with a simple: "You have to watch the film". At which point Patty Jenkins elaborated on the love story between Prince and Trevor, saying:
“I don’t think anybody wants that out of any love interest. Not either gender. And that’s why it was so fun to do. … I don’t think we looked at it that way: ‘Who’s got the upper hand? Who’s got the lower hand?’ This is a love story about a character who comes to this world who needs to meet people who help her guide the way.”
Her explanation suggests that the love aspect won't simply be shoehorned into the narrative for the sake of stereotypical role reversal. Chris Pine echoed that with a cutting comment about the nature of the question itself claiming: "The question doesn't service anything but this narrative of hierarchy". He went on to discuss his issue with the question:
“What you’re asking almost flips the script, and the question is, ‘Do I enjoy being the second?'”
“I think this is a movie about parity. This is a movie about two people bringing a lot to the table with completely disparate qualities. She happens to be a superhero; I happen to be … definitely not. But there’s no judgement or discussion or conversation in the narrative about a hierarchy. It’s not a matriarchal structure; it’s not a patriarchal structure — it’s just human beings trying to figure out how to live in this awful world.”
The debate is oddly reminiscent of the dismissal of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. In that case, Marvel Studios head Kevin Explained that the idea was for Thor's new partner to be "much more his equal" in his third "solo" adventure.
Both Pine's and Jenkins's comments fly directly in the face of that, suggesting that the romantic aspects of a narrative should not be dictated by a hierarchical structure, patriarchal or otherwise. It ties into Patty Jenkins's comments about Wonder Woman being s a "universal movie about a person wanting to be a hero - this one happens to be a woman."
NEXT: Wonder Woman Origin Trailer - What We Learned
Source: Yahoo! Movies
