Batman V. Superman: Wonder Woman Suit Detailed Analysis

Fans finally got their first look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice this weekend, as director Zack Snyder tweeted the photo above during Comic Con International: San Diego.

And there was quite a bit of reaction.

There doesn't seem to be a consensus just yet -- we have seen feedback from, and spoken to, people who loved the costume and those who didn't.

Here's our breakdown of what it is that we saw, what we thought worked and didn't, and the like.

Of course, it's worth noting up top that the color scheme is very muted, as is wont to happen in a Zack Snyder movie. That said, I'm not entirely convinced that by the end of the film or the beginning of Justice League, she won't have a bit of a man's world makeover that brings out the red, white and blue.

The top

The look of this top is clearly influenced by that of the New 52, with the piping/ribbing/whatever it's called. The monochrome "stripes" that are seen in the New 52 costume reinvention are in evidence here and it's arguably the most noticeable thing on the whole suit.

While it lacks the stars on her side and is more bronze/copper in color than true red, it's the same basic design. The lack of red and blue has been a sticking point for those who don't like the costume, but it seems likely to be something that will work itself out when Diana finds her civilian identity and starts working in cahoots with the U.S. government. The star-spangled bikini doesn't make a ton of sense without first having a connection to a body that utilizes that motif.

The boots

(Image below, since it's shared with the next section)

These are armored, and it doesn't look like the boots themselves are actually thigh-high, only the armor. It's not clear where the boots end, exactly, but all in all that's reasonably functional for a warrior culture, although it looks a bit odd in the context of an outfit that includes a miniskirt and nothing protecting her shoulders.

That said, the line that goes up the front is reminiscent of the stripe we see in the comics, and it seems likely that if this costume is modified at some point to a more "American" look and color scheme, that will become white and fit in quite well.

The heels

Much has been made of the fact that she's wearing heels. It seems silly, yes, but at the same time it doesn't bother me as much as it could.

Why? Well, first of all, the character is often depicted as wearing heels and we have no reason to believe that this particular outfit isn't somehow ceremonial, so despite it being impractical, it may be part of the "look," even in Amazon culture. We have impractical things that are grandfathered into to some of our military dress.

Also, a big criticism of fighting in heels is the danger that stepping a wrong way or whatever could cause a broken ankle. This isn't a concern for Amazons, who have much stronger bones than we do. Anything likely to injure her foot or ankle would most likely obliterate any footwear she's got on first.

The New 52

We touched on this with her top, but much of the costume is very clearly inspired by the look of the New 52 Wonder Woman.

The boots in the New 52 are black (or, depending on who's depicting it, very dark navy bllue that appears black), and the bottom is the same. It isn't the leather skirt we see here, although that has been used on Earth 2, in Elseworlds stories like The New Frontier and in a handful of other places. It's a popular choice with the fans.

The skirt is also a way to avoid the bikini bottom look, which is something DC was clearly interested in for that hot second when they were going to put New 52 Wonder Woman into a pair of pants (much to the chagrin of traditionalist fans).

The scabbard and sword are of course fairly new, too. Diana has been seen with swords for ages, especially since the introduction of the Amazon warrior culture of the post-Crisis, but the ever-present short sword and thigh-mounted scabbard is a fairly new thing.

Similarly, the cuff on her left bicep -- which appears to be purely decorative/ceremonial -- is grabbed from the New 52.

The logos

The eagle on her breastplate is clearly inspired by the New 52 as well, and is included in a separate heading only because the logos are always key to a good superhero uniform.

The recurring kinda/sorta "W" motif on her body seems to suggest that, as with Superman, they'll resist the urge to have her "name" herself and wear that on purpose. Rather, it seems likely somebody else will say, "Hey, the whole 'Superman' thing stuck. What goes with this lady and all her W's?"

You can also see that there's a point above all those almost-Ws: could it be that this is an Amazon "A" and that the rest of the design falls into the Wonder Woman motif almost accidentally?

That could be reading in too much, of course. But wince there's one too many "points" on her belt to be a genuine W and one too few to be a double-W, it seems likely they'll have something similar.

These are the item that, in the comics, tends to vary the most wildly from artist to artist. And to say that about Wonder Woman is something: people are really bad at keeping her on one consistent model.

These bracelets look like the ones most frequently drawn in the post-Crisis, pre-Infinite Crisis stories, by writers like John Byrne (see above).

Will they be magical? Possibly. Bulletproof? It seems less relevant in a modern retelling where Wonder Woman is far more powerful and has little need to "protect" herself from something that would do no physical damage if it were to simply strike her, but it seems likely, since it's one of the better-known elements of her gimmick from the old days, and it's unlikely we'll see an invisible jet anytime soon.

The lasso

Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth is in fact here, and clearly visible.

Many fans had bemoaned the fact that she held a sword "instead of" the lasso, but that's simply becuase the lasso, on her hip here as it usually is in the comics, is harder to see in the low-rez version of the image. It's not glowing or anything here, but there's no reason for it to be. Its addition is remarkable only in that so many people assumed it would be missing.

The tiara

Sure, she's a princess, but the tiara is another one of those oddball design elements that seems to look different for every artist.

Here, we don't have anything that looks like something I can recognize from the comics, although one thing that's notable is that she doesn't appear to be using a traditional five-point star. This, instead, looks more like the logo for DC's Darkstars or Manhunter. A similar sigil has been used for the Star Sapphire Corps, who represent love on the emotional spectrum and for whom Wonder Woman has been seen as worthy in the past. Could this hint at a cosmic, rather than magical, origin for Wonder Woman and/or the Amazons?

...That's probably a stretch.