[Potential SPOILERS for Wonder Woman ahead.]

-

We're soon going to see how Warner Bros. kicks the doors open to the DC Extended Universe with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in March 2016. The film will build on Man of Steel to establish a shared movie universe populated with DC superheroes and villains - including, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Suicide Squad.

The storytelling trend started with Marvel Studios in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk - but after the wild success of The Avengers in 2012, almost every movie studio set out to create their own shared universe. While Warner Bros is thinking about the big picture with their crop of superhero movies, it's unclear how these movies will connect to each other. However, a new rumor may reveal an important link between the plots of Batman V Superman and the Wonder Woman solo film.

According to Heroic Hollywood, Ares, the god of war, would play heavily in Wonder Woman as a bigger puppet master villain, while legendary sorceress Circe - who might be played by Nicole Kidman - would be its main villain in the film. Ares wants a powerful Amazonian sword, which is locked under the power of Themyscira (Paradise Island), that would make him the most powerful god in the universe, so he teams up with Circe to help him start World War III to unlock it. He gains his power through psychic energy of death and destruction, which is why he wants to start a war, conquer Olympus, and (in time) destroy Zeus, the sky and thunder god.

At the end of Wonder Woman, Circe is defeated, but the sword disappears. This results in Diana Prince (Wonder Woman's alter ego) looking for the sword in Batman V Superman. Remember, it's likely that the Wonder Woman movie would take place in the past during World War I, so we would be introduced to the character in Batman V Superman and she would later be expanded upon in her own movie a year later. The rumor also suggest that Batman might appear in Wonder Woman in a brief cameo role - because he is on the trail of the missing sword too (hence the tension between Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne in Batman V Superman images released to date).

Batman V Superman Wonder Woman Diana Prince Bruce Wayne

If this is the case, think of Ares as Thanos and Circe playing roles in director Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman that resemble those of Thanos and Ronan the Accuser from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Ares is the bigger behind-the-scenes villain who would appear in multiple movies, while Circe is a one-and-done henchwoman. The rumor sounds rather complicated and convoluted, but it would explain why Wonder Woman pops up in Batman V Superman in the first place - and how the two films would be connected.

Moreover, Wonder Woman is shown fighting some unknown villain in the Batman V Superman trailer, so it may well be Ares rather than, say, Doomsday. We might also see a scenario where the main villain of Justice League Part One is Ares and perhaps Doomsday is saved for Part Two. Much more light will be shed on the matter once Batman V Superman hits the big screen next year.

NEXT: Batman V Superman Producer Discusses the Structure of the DC Extended Universe

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, which is followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 23, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and then Green Lantern Corps. on June 19, 2020.

Source: Heroic Hollywood.