Everything we know – and plenty of things we don’t – about Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman outfit in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
1. Wonder Woman’s bronzing
Some fans aren’t best pleased with the loss of the traditional red, white and blue of Wonder Woman. Part of the problem is the bronze filter on the image, but you can see muted shades of her traditional costume underneath the fog.
Outside of the comics – and her Axis-walloping 1942 debut – it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for a warrior woman seeped in Greek myth to be clothed in the colours (and stars!) of the American flag.
Zack Snyder gets a lot of justifiable stick for his murky colour palette, but this one totally makes sense. And hey, the eagle made the cut!
2. Wonder Woman’s tiara
Usually astute fansite BatmanOnFilm.com asserts that the symbol on the tiara is Kryptonian, which links back to earlier rumours that the Amazons would be descended from ancient Kryptonians – possibly from those empty pods in the ship Superman in Man Of Steel.
However, there’s plenty of star glyphs in the ancient world, so it’s tough to know how seriously this should be taken. Everything starts to look like a clue if you look at it for long enough.
3. Wonder Woman’s armour
With Snyder clearly looking to DC’s New 52 for Superman’s costume, it’s not a huge surprise to see the spandex swapped out for leather armour and metal plates on Wonder Woman.
She’s worn armour before, but usually gleaming golden plates (as seen in Kingdom Come). However, Wonder Woman recently donned more gladiatorial garb in Wonder Woman #8 (as drawn by the sublime Cliff Chiang), but it also has more than a passing resemblance to her look in the DC animated movie Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox.
4. Wonder Woman’s skirt
Another casualty from the classic costume, but another nod to Greek myth and Ancient history. There’s absolutely no reason why an Amazon warrior princess would be wearing a swimsuit, or the sort of bloomers Lynda Carter was rocking, so the skirt makes total sense.
It’s pretty close to what Lady Sif wears in the Thor films, and (as people won’t stop pointing out) it’s not dissimilar from Xena: Warrior Princess. It’s also not far off 300 either, and the reason for that is practicality, with a side-helping of history. Also, it’s less risky when the time comes to kick Batman down a hole while shouting “THIS IS THEMYSCIRA!”
5. Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth
Traditionally the lariat was Wonder Woman’s primary weapon, forged by the god Hephaestus, it could compel the truth from anyone it ensnared.
It’s tough to know how much of this will make it into Batman V Superman, but the fact that this bad boy is sitting on her hip and the sword is in her hand gives you a pretty good idea of this character’s focus. Wonder Woman’s creator – psychologist William Moulton Marston – used it as an allegory for feminine charm, so it might well be something Snyder feels compelled to junk in favour of ‘simply’ an unbreakable rope.
6. Wonder Woman’s bulletproof bracelets
The armour on her forearms is a huge part of Wonder Woman myth, typically used to deflect projectiles. They’re a symbol of the Amazons submission to the traitorous demigod Hercules, and a reminder to never befall the same fate.
Like the lasso, it’s intrinsically tied to the life and interests of Marston, in this case the bracelets his lover Olive Byrne, so it’s tough to know how much of the back story will be carried across into this new take on the character.
7. Wonder Woman’s high heels
A real bone of contention this time: who on earth charges into battle in high heels? Snyder, if you’re not prepared to put Gerard Butler in platforms, don’t do it to Gal Gadot.
This could well be to compensate for the fact that Gal Gadot is a mere 5’9” and in the DC universe Amazons are supposed to tower over the likes of Batman and Superman, but it could also be for pure titillation.
In the film’s defence, they are robustly armoured and you could probably only find them sexy if you liked Robot Wars erotic fan fiction. Hey, no judgement here.
8. Wonder Woman’s volcano
Why is she standing in an active volcano? It certainly looks cool, but it’s obviously no coincidence – the first Batman photo was next to the Batmobile in the Batcave, while the first Superman image was on a Gotham rooftop. Everything we’ve seen so far is using the location to tell us something.
Is Themyscira being destroyed by an eruption? Is this a homage to Season Two, Episode Nine of the Linda Carter series, ‘The Man Who Made Volcanoes’?
Your guess is as good as ours.
9. Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet
It’s right there. Can’t you not see it?
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice will be released on 6 May 2016 – read our defence of Ben Affleck’s casting here and Gal Gadot’s casting here. Find out more about the comics that inspired the film with new digital magazine Uncanny Comics.
