Fans are just a few months shy from seeing the highly-awaited "Wonder Woman" standalone movie. The movie has been generating a lot of buzz since Gal Gadot debuted as the female superhero in "Batman v. Superman." In a recent interview, director Patty Jenkins dishes out more about Wonder Woman's story.
Gal Gadot's appearance as Wonder Woman in "Batman v. Superman" is arguably every viewer's favorite part about the movie. She swooped in, kicked butt and helped the guys defeat a formidable foe. Although she's just as tough and strong as the next superhero, Wonder Woman sets herself apart from the other superheroes in that her motivations are philosophical.
"She isn't just taking out bad guys or fighting crime. She believes in goodness and love," Jenkins tells Empire about Diana Prince/Wonder Woman's character. While she doesn't back down from a fight, she only does it if she believes it serves a higher purpose-that higher purpose being whatever is best for mankind.
Wonder Woman's origin story indicates that she's a daughter of Zeus and gifted with superhuman powers by the Greek Gods. Unlike other superheroes, Wonder Woman is not a human being that suddenly developed superpowers.
The decision to set "Wonder Woman" during World War I plays to the superhero's strengths. As Jenkins puts it, it allows viewers to understand how a god visits the human world for the first time only to discover how dark a place it can be. For someone who has a strong sense of honor and justice, the war mechanized by man puts Wonder Woman into action to help restore peace and order.
Virtuous and honorable as she may be, Wonder Woman, as a character, could not avoid controversy. Last year, the character was the subject of slut-shaming after some United Nations staffers protested Gadot's being awarded the Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. They petitioners prosted having a "large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions" be the symbol of female empowerment.
Speaking to Time, Gadot defended her character, saying, "They say, 'If she's smart and strong, she can't also be sexy.' That's not fair. Why can't she be all of the above?"
"Wonder Woman" premieres in theaters on June 2.
