The start of this pandemic in 2020 sent shockwaves around the world, changing our way of life in ways we still feel. Everything was affected by it, including the entertainment industry, with many Hollywood studios delaying the production and release of films. However, over time some bit the bullet and chose to let it go something, even if it was live-streamed, and that’s how we ended up releasing Warner Bros Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day 2020 in both theaters again on HBO Max.
Watching a movie in theaters is a completely different experience compared to just watching it at home, especially superhero movies. Without access to the big screen, I ended up watching the movie on my phone when it came out and on my TV recently. I don’t know how I and most of us would take this movie if it came out in the normal world, but in the current one, it’s surprising how good it is.
Nothing about it has really improved over time, and if anything, aspects like Donald Trump and everything surrounding Steve Trevor have gotten worse. It’s open-hearted, sure, and likable, yes, but it all makes for something that feels like a work to watch even if you’re not looking for work.
Another thing about it is that the age is bad? The concept of Wonder Woman as a multimedia franchise, of course 1984 it will remain the last word for the foreseeable future. Despite receiving many views at the time, the reaction was not felt consistently, and after entering the brief cameos Flash again Shazam 2 to remind you that she is still there, Diana was put back on the shelf.
His third solo film was scrapped after James Gunn rebooted with a new DC movie—a long wait for someone new to sport the tiara and lasso. (Admittedly, Gal Gadot tried to fight the situation and stick to this new continuity, but like Black Adam and Superman before her, that never panned out.) Then earlier this year, we learned that the Wonder Woman sequel announced back in 2021 had been canceled; its developer, Monolith Productions, was also shut down, which is reported to be the case.
So yes, it’s not the best time to be a Wonder Woman fan, which is amazing to say how much favor the first movie received in 2017. WB spent years seemingly going out of their way not to give him a movie or even give him another TV show that the idea of him being in a movie alongside Batman and Superman. again getting a solo film the following year felt impossible. That his native film was good and had a box office feel like a long time ago. His appearance, starting with The Justice League team The 2017 version until his last two cameos, didn’t allow him to do much beyond letting the audience know that he looks good in battles and has the most divisive theme music in superhero history.
He is not the first hero to fall into the creative path; if anything, Wonder Woman is just one of many, like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and so on, who have found themselves hit by various roadblocks between the various paths their owners would most like them to succeed in. It’s unfortunate that misfortune is one of the most powerful constants in the universe, but there you go: no one can blame their MCU pattern so far as MCU Me is not Diana’s fault that Warner Bros. it keeps threatening to split between its various divisions every two weeks.
You are, like everyone else, just a victim of what it means to be a popular IP in this day and age: sometimes, your owners don’t quite know what to do with you and make it a problem for everyone while they try to figure out what your next few years look like from middle to middle.
The “thinking” part will be interesting to see; both this year Superman and 2022 Batman tends to focus on the main aspects of their heroes that were not highlighted in their previous cinematic images. The question then becomes whether Wonder Woman will follow and what that means if her back catalog is so thin in comparison, something that may have played a part in her upcoming first project in this new DC universe, a TV prequel that focuses on the Amazons and not her.
Perhaps with that, WB hopes to find out what Wonder Woman means and represents in a different way in Gadot’s era while being equally informed by her highs and lows. Whenever a new Diana enters the picture, she’ll have some shoes to fill… maybe not big ones, but shoes to fill all the same. And hopefully by then, Gunn and whoever is tasked with this new incarnation will have a more than cinematic idea of what to do with him.
Looking for more io9 news? Check out when you can expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
