Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman and Alex Yarde has the DC Trinity he’s been waiting for.
The latest news that Gal Gadot will portray Amazon Princess, Diana of Thyemicara (who is better known by her superhero moniker Wonder Woman) has made many fanboys (yours truly included) celebrate because DC’s “Trinity”— Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman—will be appearing together in the Man of Steel Sequel now titled Batman vs. Superman. Having these three titans together in a live action film, for the first time, suggests that soon DC will bring the full Justice League, DC’s most famous superhero group, to the silver screen. My hope, as a life-long fan of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, as well as the rest of the Justice League, is that in these films DC and Director Zach Snyder maintains the essence of these characters. For Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman that means boy scout, warrior and detective.
The Boy Scout: Superman adheres to an unwavering moral code instilled in him by his adoptive parents. The Kents, witnessing the magnitude of his powers early on, taught the young Clark restraint and raised him to be altruistic. Clark Kent is the quintessential “salt of the earth” Midwestern farm boy. As Clark grows and becomes Superman these important lessons instilled by his parents help him enormously. Superman is committed to rigidly operating within the law and has immense respect for authority, which help him to earn the trust of a fearful humanity. Superman is fiercely protective of his adopted home world and particularly of his friends and family. His is a great example for regular people and other heroes to follow and, to some degree, to resent (I’m looking at you Batman). Superman earns the reputation of being a “big blue boy scout.” Many fans disliked Snyder’s original Man Of Steel because the Superman, we all have come to know and love (including noted and renowned writers of the seminal Superman stories to date), seems incapable of making the choices he made in the Battles of Smallville and Metropolis.
The Warrior: Wonder Woman also has an unbreakable code. The fierce warrior code of the Amazons. Her origin is one absent of male involvement. Her childless, mother, Queen Hippolyta, molds a girl child from clay, and the Gods of Olympus breathe life into her. The result is that this girl possesses the attributes of many Greek Gods: the wisdom of Athena, the strength of Hercules, the speed of Hermes, etc. The girl, Princess Diana of Themyscira is raised and trained by Amazons, a nation of all female warriors. Princess Diana of Themyscira then earns the right to leave her small island and represent the Amazons in the world of men. Wonder Woman, widely considered a feminist icon, is a heroine who fights for justice, love, peace, and sexual equality. Though Wonder Woman’s personality waivers between that of a battle hardened Amazon warrior and a compassionate, calm Ambassador of the Amazons to the world, she is at heart a warrior, and, as demonstrated by her newest incarnation in the DC “New 52” reboot, she is a woman of martial action, literally born to fight.
The Detective: In the wake of his parents death, Bruce Wayne spends his life training for a singular purpose, ridding Gotham City of crime. He is the best martial artist, escapologist and criminologist in the DC universe bar none. He is a master tactician and strategist, who can coordinate the resources of entities possessing God-like power. In Grant Morrison’s first story in Justice League, Superman describes The Batman as “the most dangerous man on Earth.” In that story, the Batman is able to defeat a team of super powered aliens by himself using only his wits to rescue his imprisoned teammates. In training his mind and body not react to fear by acquiring expert level skills in most disciplines of science, martial arts, medicine and psychology, to Gotham’s criminal underworld, The Batman becomes fear incarnate. Batman is at this best when he is acting as the “World’s Greatest Detective.” Arguably the best Batman comic book stories have featured him harnessing his genius level intellect to solve complex crimes.
That being said each of the Justice Leagues founding members is to some degree, a Scout, Warrior & Detective. They compliment, contrast and challenge each other in many ways which is why they form the core of the greatest superhero team. If Zach Snyder can capture this dynamic tension, take what lessons he’s learned from Man Of Steel and keep each true to their core, July 17, 2015 can’t come fast enough for me!
– cover photo / Paul A. Hebert AP
– interior art / Jim Lee DC Comics