Wonder Woman is a major hit for DC Films and the superhero genre, proving that a female-directed and female-led blockbuster tentpole has just as much potential for big success as the traditionally male versions.
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While Wonder Woman has helped push open the door to the larger DC Extended Universe, fans are particularly excited for the next chapter in Princess Dina’s solo story, which has led to a lot of early speculation about Wonder Woman 2.
Right now there are a lot of big question hanging over the Wonder Woman sequel. Director Patty Jenkins is expected to return but hasn’t been confirmed yet; while the return of big stars from the first film (like Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor) are also in question.
With Wonder Woman 2 still taking shape, we thought it would be a good time to discuss the 5 Things We Want to See in the Wonder Woman Sequel.
Female Supervillains
The firstย Wonder Womanย movie admittedly didn’t have a ton of time to establish and develop its villains (a downside of virtually every superhero origin story film), butย Wonder Womanย 2ย won’t have that handicap.ย
First sequels are now the place where superheroes take on their most iconic foes (thanks toย The Dark Knight), and Wonder Woman certainly has more iconic villains in her rogues gallery to adapt for the screen.ย
For the sequel, we’d actually love to see Diana battle a femaleย supervillain who is an equal match for the Amazon warrior. Below we have a list of a few good bad girls that fit the bill:ย
Cheetah – This is the foe most fans want to see in the sequel. There have been three different versions of the character – but the most recent one (Barbara Ann Minerva) is probably the most adaptable for the DCEU. Her origin story involves an archaeologist who is cursed by a mystical totem into becoming a bloodthirsty half-woman,ย half-cat, monster with a Jekyll/Hyde complex. She’s equally matched to Wonder Woman in terms of power, and her intellectual/bestialย duality would fit great with the themes of the Wonder Woman movie franchise. ย
Circeย – Another very popular pick for a sequel villain, Circe is a very powerful sorceress who has a vendetta against Queen Hippolyta and The Amazons. She’s been responsible for masterminding schemes like upgrading Wonder Woman’s other rogues or brainwashing Superman into fighting Wonder Woman. Bottom line: she’s a great pick for a big bad, while characters like Cheetah could serve as her enforcers.ย
Queen Clea –ย As queenย of a remote and forgotten sector of Atlantis, Queen Clea has obvious potential to make Wonder Woman’s sequel crossover with other DCEU characters like Aquaman or Mera. Clea has also worked with Circe in the past, making for a powerful double threat.ย
Medusaย –ย The iconic Greek monster has battled Wonder Woman many times, and would be a cool “enforcer” villain to see in the sequel, complete with motion-capture snake hair.
Better Superpowered Battles
Wonder Woman’sย third act saw the Amazon superheroine battle Ares, God of War, in a drag-out, slamfest of Greek god (and demi-goddess) might. However, many viewers felt that the “boss battle” between Wonder Woman and Ares was one of the weakest parts of the film.ย
Director Patty Jenkins createdย many action sequences forย Wonder Woman,ย so if she (hopefully) returns for the sequel, we hope that she will have the time and experience to now deliver some greatย superheroย vsย supervillain battles onscreen.ย
After all, fans don’t just want to see an iconic villain like Cheetah in the DCEU; they want to see Cheetah go toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman in a battle so intense and visually awesome it leaves them breathless.ย
Magic and Mysticism
Wonder Woman’s DCEU origin story (with the Greek Gods and the mystical creation of The Amazons) puts her in a unique place within the cinematic universe. Like Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wonder Woman is uniquely positioned to be a bridge between the more fantastical and grounded sides of the DCEU.ย
With the upcomingย Justice League Darkย dipping a lot deeper into theย mystical/supernatural end of the DCEU pool (watersย Suicide Squadย sort of swam in already),ย Wonder Womanย 2ย would be the next logical place to see mystical elements of that universe really take center stage.ย
We’ve already discussed sorcerer villains like Circe or Felix Faust appearing inย Wonder Woman 2, but there are really any number of ways for Diana to battle “things from other worlds” again, thereby linking her franchise toย Justice League Dark and/or any other mystical/supernatural DC Comics characters (like Etrigan) who could be introduced in the sequel.ย
More Than One Era
There’s been a lot of discussionย aboutย what time period theย Wonder Womanย sequel should take place in, with early indication being that it will take place in modern day.ย
However,ย Wonder Woman 2ย shouldn’t be limited to telling one linear story set in one time period; with an immortal heroine as its subject, the sequel could take place in multiple eras of time and would be a unique superhero movie for doing so.
We would love to seeย Wonder Woman 2ย approached almost like some sort of crime-thriller mystery story that uses events of Diana’s past as clues to solving some present day mystery or problem.ย
A two-pronged story woven across two different time periods would give viewers almost two movies for the price of one. With the right villain (like Circe), it would also be a head trip if the battle of the past and present became interconnected, with all of realityย at stake.ย
Smart DCEU Connections
We’ve already described a few great possible DCEU connections thatย Wonder Woman 2 could make with its chosen storyline and villains, with characters like Aquaman, the Justice League Dark team, or Superman, all logical possibilities, based on DC Comics history.ย
Not to stoke the fires of fanboy flame wars, butย Wonder Womanย is comparable toย Captain America: The First Avengerย in the sense that it exists as a mostly standalone film, with events that take place before most of the DCEU heroes ever existed. However,ย Captain America‘s sequel,ย The Winter Soldier was one of the bigger crossoverย junctions of the MCU – arguably pushing the entireย cinematic universe into a new direction.ย
Wonder Womanย 2ย would be smart to use its character and chronological potential to help transition a sizable chunk of the DCEU into a new phase, using any/all of the smart connections we’ve discussed – plus so many others that would be easy to establish.ย
More Wonder Woman News
What wouldย youย like to see in Wonder Womanย 2? Let us know what you think @ComicbookNOW! And be sure toย rateย Wonder Womanย for yourself, below!ย
- The Batman/Justice League Easter Egg inย Wonder Woman
- Patty Jenkins Set to Direct Wonder Woman 2
- Who Dies inย Wonder Woman?ย
- Isย Wonder Womanย too similar toย Captian America: The First Avenger?
- DC Comics Easter Eggs inย Wonder Woman
- Wonder Woman‘s DCEU Connections Explained
- Wonder Woman’sย Possible Aquaman Easter Egg
- Wonder Woman’s Possible Batman Villain Easter Egg
SYNOPSIS:ย Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powersโฆand her true destiny.
Joining Gal Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saรฏd Taghmaoui. Patty Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder and Allan Heinberg, based on characters from DC Entertainment. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston.
The film is produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Rebecca Roven, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, Wonder Woman.
Photo Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures