Gal Gadot blew us away earlier this year when she took on the titular role in the Wonder Woman movie. She’ll return once again as part of an ensemble in Justice League, which hits theatres in November. In another bold feminist move for the actress, Gal has said that she will not return to the Wonder Woman franchise if producer Brett Ratner continues to be at its helm. Ratner has been accused by six women, including actress Olivia Munn, of sexual harassment and misconduct. Here are some other reasons why we think Gal’s Wonder Woman character will be the best Justice League superhero:
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Justice League will see Wonder Woman teaming up with Batman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg to defend Earth. She describes her character Diana as the glue that holds the League together. She tries to find ways to help each of these people, at different times, to feel stronger, capable, loved, and ultimately to believe in themselves.
Gal herself says that Wonder Woman brings the heart. “She really cares for everyone in general, and definitely cares for each member of the League,” she explains. “In the beginning, she does worry that they’re recruiting people who have no real experience, and asking them to risk their lives in order to save the world – something that’s highly dangerous – which none of them has ever even attempted before.”
On the DC Comics side of the 2017 superhero movie offerings, Wonder Woman has unquestionably been the shining star. But Gal says she didn’t know how huge the movie would become: “I never imagined that this film would reach the huge success that it reached. But, while we were shooting the movie, I definitely felt that we were doing something special, and after seeing one of the first cuts, I was just incredibly proud to be part of Wonder Woman,” she says.
With that being said, Gal Gadot has made it perfectly clear that Justice League should not be looked at as Wonder Woman 2.0. The Israeli-born actress says Wonder Woman will get her proper due, but not at the expense of her teammates, which is the right course of action for an ensemble piece of this magnitude.
“I think that the most memorable moment for me was the first time we all stepped onto the set in our costumes – I was laughing all the time because it was just so surreal,” she recalls. “We would be shooting these VERY intense scenes and I would get a glimpse of someone in their costume and just begin laughing.” And does she have a favourite costume in general? “Oh, mine, for sure! By far,” she confesses.
Wonder Woman is astounding in that it is the first superhero movie in 12 years to feature a female lead. It had a lot of weight on its shoulders to exceed the expectations of the public and it did just that when it broke records to become one of the highest grossing films in its opening weekend (super rare for a blockbuster that places a woman at its front and centre).
Many critics have noted the film’s optimistic tone and the positivity of its heroine and moral center, a marked contrast from the DC Universe’s previous movies, which had more conflicted heroes. It is in that intense commitment to Wonder Woman’s message, and the ways she presents it to the world, that puts her head and shoulders above the competition.
From her golden lasso to her cuffs of submission, Wonder Woman has a bunch of nifty gadgets that would see male teammates scurrying to borrow them. Each gadgets she possesses showcases a virtue that Diana Prince herself holds dear to her heart like truth, love, life and more.
The fact that she’s a princess AND a superhero should be proof enough in itself that she trumps her male peers, but it also suggests that not only can she fight and take on other men, but she does so with the dignity, grace, and poise of royalty. Also, even though she’s a princess, she isn’t a damsel in distress.
Hailing from Paradise Island – or Themyscira – Wonder Woman was raised by a group of strong, feminists. It’s no wonder than, that having been raised in a matriarchal civilization, she is aghast at women’s roles in World War I-era society: relegated to secretarial work and shut out of decision-making. She lets all women believe in a version of themselves as better than what society has labelled them as and that is a quality that should be praised in any day and age.