Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic heroes in the DCEU, and her arrival came to fruition due to Zack Snyder's involvement in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice . The fan-favorite character made her debut during the 2016 blockbuster , joining forces with Henry Cavill's Superman and Ben Affleck's Batman to establish the franchise's trinity on the silver screen.
The initial reaction to Wonder Woman's arrival in Dawn of Justic e was mostly positive, with some fans even saying that the hero is one of the bright spots of the film . As a result, the character's popularity carried over to her debut film in 2017, earning impressive reviews from critics and viewers worldwide. This led to an eventual sequel which is currently enjoying a hybrid release on HBO Max and in theaters worldwide .
And now, an interesting piece of information about the DCEU hero's original backstory has emerged.
NEWS
While speaking with Comic Book Debate , Zack Snyder showcased a never-before-seen image of Wonder Woman from the Crimean War.
The photo shows the Amazonian hero holding severed heads, seemingly hinting that the original plan for the character was to highlight her brutal nature.
A higher-quality version of the image can be viewed below:
For context, this photo was supposed to hint at the origin story of Wonder Woman during 2016's Batman v Superman , before ultimately being scrapped to feature World War I instead. Last 2017, Snyder revealed, via a tweet from Stephen Colbert, that he chose the Crimean War as the potential setting of the heroine's origin “because it was the first conflict where photography was used.”
WHAT THIS MEANS
Given this intriguing reveal, it appears that Snyder's Wonder Woman is far more barbaric than the light-hearted type that Patty Jenkins introduced in the character's solo films. It's worth pointing out that this story element about Themyscira's champion was considered before the script was written for 2017's Wonder Woman, but it's still fascinating to imagine how Gal Gadot would portray a vicious version of the hero.
Snyder's films are best known for their dark tone and grounded nature, and this image of Wonder Woman is a prime example of how the character would have been handled if the visionary director was assigned to helm the character from the get-go. As it is, it would be too harsh to showcase Wonder Woman as a bloodthirsty warrior in the DCEU, essentially negating the hopeful essence of the character that fans know and love.
More so, if the original plan of adapting the Crimean War went through, it would've ultimately changed the narrative trajectory of Wonder Woman in the DCEU, meaning that some story elements like World War I and characters like Steve Trevor would be removed entirely. Given that, many would agree that the origin story of the hero from the 2017 film was the best option, since it crafted a story based on humanity that gives off hope to the viewers.
