4) It’s An Origin Story That’s Actually Needed
Complaints abound when casual viewers so much as mention the dreaded “origin story.” Perhaps it’s because Spider-Man has been rebooted so many times, or because Hellboy is also due for a cast and story change-up, but fans of certain franchises regard origin stories as exhausted moves by desperate studios. Granted, both Spider-Man and Hellboy are characters well-known enough to make multiple interpretations unnecessary, but such isn’t the case with characters like Doctor Strange or even Black Panther. They need some kind of introduction, but that doesn’t need to include a two-hour film; just look at last year’s Captain America: Civil War. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, a character we’d never seen in the MCU until then, shows up and is given enough context to make his character a much needed, much loved addition to an already stacked cast.
His inclusion in that film proves that an origin story doesn’t need to be a full-length movie, and that his upcoming film should not backtrack to explain his beginnings for two hours. Why, then, does Wonder Woman require an origin story? She shows up in Batman V Superman. Shouldn’t DC just move forward and not throw its resources into a property we’ve already seen on the big screen? In short: No.
Wonder Woman doesn’t just need to fit within the context of the DCEU; she needs to fit within the context of our unchecked, unmitigated, and unsafe sociopolitical climate. Women aren’t just carriers of children. They’re carriers of courage and resolve. Vessels of strength, love and resilience. Paragons of compassion and understanding. The current President of the United Sates has created a situation where women are pitted against a government that disregards and disrespects them with blatant intent.
Given society’s startling lack of accountability and representation, Wonder Woman is more important and relevant now than it ever has been. Hopefully, the rest of the world sees that, too.
