Obviously, much of the attention for Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been on the eponymous superheroes, who will finally clash in live action form when the comic book movie hits theaters next spring. However, as the subtitle would suggest, Snyder's latest project is serving as a foundation for several elements of the blossoming Justice League shared movie universe that will arrive in theaters over the next few years.
Dawn of Justice will mark the live-action cinematic debut for Diana Prince, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, who is being brought to life by Gal Gadot. The character's involvement in the movie is largely a mystery, as she's hardly been present in marketing materials thus far. Outside of a couple of still images, and just brief glimpses in the most recent trailer, you'd be hard pressed to know Wonder Woman is in this film at all.
Little is known about Diana's role in the proceedings, but Gadot's portrayal already has one high-profile individual concerned. That would be famed comics writer Grant Morrison, who worked on the graphic novel "Wonder Woman: Earth One" to reintroduce modern readers to the character. According to him (via Nerdist), what was shown in the latest preview goes against Wonder Woman creator William Marston's intention for the DC Comics icon:
"[The warrior woman thing is] not what [Wonder Woman creator] William Marston wanted, that’s not what he wanted at all! His original concept for Wonder Woman was an answer to comics that he thought were filled with images of blood-curdling masculinity, and you see the latest shots of Gal Gadot in the costume, and it’s all sword and shield and her snarling at the camera. Marston’s Diana was a doctor, a healer, a scientist...."
Unless Morrison has seen more of the finished film, it sounds like he's rushing to judgment a bit with this quote. Yes, a majority of Gadot's screen time in the Comic-Con trailer is dedicated to showing Wonder Woman in action, but we have no idea what her character will actually be like in the finished product. Diana is one of Batman v Superman's wild cards right now, as she was even absent from the official synopsis that was released a while back. All we know is she's the supposed "gateway drug" to the rest of the Justice League, but that could mean any number of things.
Of course, one can understand Morrison's initial concern, as he has a great deal of admiration for the character and wants to see her done justice on the big screen. But if everything falls into place, the WB/DC filmmakers will have plenty of time to develop Wonder Woman in interesting ways. Not only will she factor into the two Justice League films, but she'll also have her own solo movie in June 2017 - one directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster), who seems likely to spend equal time exploring the Diana and Wonder Woman sides of her persona. Gadot's Diana could well be a doctor or scientist at times, but she is still an Amazonian warrior, after all.
And even if you disagree with Morrison's early evaluation of movie Wonder Woman, his comments do raise an interesting thought. Diana was one of the few (only?) characters featured in the trailer to not say any dialogue, which raises the question of how meaty her part will be. Comic book movies are no stranger to being overstuffed with players, so hopefully Wonder Woman's inclusion adds some value to Batman v Superman and isn't something merely tacked on for the sake of a few Easter eggs. That would be a waste for such a beloved character's feature film debut.
NEXT: Batman v Superman Trailer & Analysis
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be in theaters on March 25th, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman – June 23rd, 2017; Justice League – November 17th, 2017; The Flash – March 23rd, 2018; Aquaman – July 27th, 2018; Shazam – April 5th, 2019; Justice League 2 – June 14th, 2019; Cyborg – April 3rd, 2020; Green Lantern – June 19th, 2020.
Source: Nerdist