7 Villains That Wonder Woman Should Fight In Her Solo Movie

While I haven't personally done a head count of the world's population, it's safe to say that roughly 50% of people are women. You wouldn't know this though if you judged Hollywood as representative of the fairer sex. Superhero movies are the popular trend right now, yet even stars as big as Scarlet Johansson are unable to get a female superhero movie off the ground. In their huge slate of upcoming movies, both Marvel and DC have only scheduled one movie each dedicated solely to a female protagonist, and out of the two, Ms Marvel is the largely untested property. No pressure then for Wonder Woman, the Amazonian Princess. There's a lot riding on the box office earnings of Wonder Woman. DC have only been successful so far with Batman and Superman, so the film's popularity could make or break their extended cinematic universe. On a wider note, this will also be the first superheroine film released since the dark days of Catwoman and Elektra back in the mid 2000's, so the pressure is definitely on. If DC wish to remain a big player in the world of comic book movies, Wonder Woman must be one of their best films yet. While the Warrior Princess is one of the most iconic characters ever created, as everyone knows, a hero is only as good as their villains. Wonder Woman may not possess a large rogue's gallery to match the lunacy of Batman's antagonists or the strangeness of Spider-Man's, but at their best, the Amazonian's villains are every bit as fascinating. Don't believe us? Read on to discover 7 villains that Wonder Woman should fight in her solo movie. Not all at once, mind you. May Spider-Man 3 remain a lesson to us all. 7) Morgaine Le Fey Plot details are scarce, so we're still unsure how Wonder Woman will incorporate the hero's mythological background, but one possible approach could be to suggest that all myths and legends are real, and that the characters from these stories are based on real figures. If that's the case, there's no reason why the sorceress Morgaine Le Fey couldn't make an appearance, despite hailing from Arthurian legend. Morgaine Le Fey has fought tirelessly to place her son on the throne of Camelot for centuries, using him to obtain absolute power. With the ability to alter reality itself, Le Fey has fought off the entire Justice League before, using telepathy so strong that not even the Martian Manhunter could break free of her control. Hiding behind her mask, Le Fey cuts an impressive figure visually and her abilities could easily give the Amazonian Princess a run for her money. However, it's unlikely that DC would choose to include Morgaine Le Fey in Wonder Woman's first solo outing as they need to first establish the Amazonian mythology before delving into other stories. Unfortunately, there are also a number of similarities between her and one of Wonder Woman's more iconic foes (more on that later). Despite this though, Le Fey definitely has potential to be used later down the line in future Wonder Woman sequels, either as a minor antagonist or the major villain. Just don't let her turn the Justice League into children like she did in that one Justice League Unlimited episode. Batman's whiney enough as an adult, let alone as a kid. 6) Doctor Psycho Wonder Woman is one of the most definitive feminist icons of our time, so it makes perfect sense that one of her archenemies would be a small-minded misogynist creep. Doctor Psycho's resentment of women stems from childhood, when a few girls made fun of him for being shorter than average. Yep. That's basically it. A bit of name-calling and there you go... evil cackling and a lot of prison time awaits. This hatred would later inform Psycho's super villain career, where he used his telepathic abilities to control the minds of other and force women to do his bidding. Naturally, everyone's favourite Amazonian Princess isn't a fan of Doctor Psycho or his worldview, causing the two to clash numerous times in the seventy or so years since they first fought one another. A live action version of Doctor Psycho could symbolize all of the naysayers who denied Wonder Woman her own movie in the first place, the same kind of people who slammed Mad Max: Fury Road for it's 'feminist agenda.' A lot of fun could be had with this overt symbolism, particularly if the rumours are true and some of the film is set in WWII, as Doctor Psycho had a nasty habit of stopping women from helping out in the war effort. What a cutie. 5) Maxwell Lord If Doctor Psycho doesn't rock your boat, what about Maxwell Lord, another mind controlling telepath? Lord originally started out on the side of the good guys, financially supporting a new Justice League team after the original disbanded. However, these good intentions all turned out to be a ruse, as Lord was secretly using his hypnotic powers to pull strings behind the scenes. In an attempt to turn humanity against its heroes, Lord took control of Superman, using him to brutally beat Batman and ruin the Justice League's reputation. As Wonder Woman is immune to hypnotic suggestion, Lord was forced to pit his new Kryptonian lapdog against her. The Warrior Princess eventually bested Superman in combat because, well, she kicks ass, but when she used her lasso of truth on Lord, Wonder Woman discovered that the only way to stop Lord's influence was to end his life. Cue a neck snap live on TV, broadcast to millions across the world. Lord wasn't specifically known as a nemesis of Wonder Woman, but his final clash with the Amazonian Princess instantly earns him a respectable place in the top five here. We already know that the destruction previously caused by Superman has severe repercussions for the rest of the DCU, so Lord's demise could serve as a continuation of that overarching storyline, fuelling further public distrust of the heroes. Maxwell Lord is scheduled to appear on the Supergirl TV show this fall, but the way that DC has handled its Multiverse suggests that this shouldn't be an issue. If there can be two Flashes, there can certainly be two versions of Lord. The biggest problem here would be that the DCU has already had one controversial neck break at the end of Man of Steel. Do we really need another? Also, including Superman so prominently in Wonder Woman's first solo movie would do her a disservice, as the Warrior Princess needs to make her mark independently of Krypton's Last Son. 4) Ares So far, all of the other villains included on this list would certainly be a challenge to beat, but this one takes things to a whole new level. Ares is a God. A fricking God! And not just any God, but the God of War... Game over man, game over! Of course, Ares is more than Wonder Woman's equal in a physical fight, but the deity is at his most dangerous working behind the scenes, sabotaging Diana's life through shadowy schemes and dangerous manipulation. Think Regina George, but with awesome body armour and no need for those Swedish protein bars. Current rumours suggest that Sean Bean could be chosen to play Ares in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, despite playing Zeus in the first Percy Jackson film. This is a sound choice, and one that the majority of fans seem to back. More importantly though, as the God of War is presumably immortal, this could break the curse, becoming the first Sean Bean movie where the actor doesn't have to film his own death scene. Now that's progress! 3) Giganta Mad scientists... they're just the worst. When will they learn that crazy experiments and crackpot schemes will never work out the way they want them to? Just look at Einstein. No rogues gallery would be complete without one though, so without further ado, let us introduce Giganta, a scientist who tried to cure her fatal blood disease by swapping bodies with Wonder Woman. Shockingly, this brilliantly thought-out scheme didn't exactly go to plan and in the end, Giganta somehow ended up in the body of a circus strongwoman, one who could randomly grow fifty feet tall. Over the years, Giganta's reputation has grown in stature - ahem - through numerous appearances in animated DC cartoons, dating all the way back to episodes of the Super Friends in the 1970's. Those Wonder Twins man... Anyway, Giganta earns a spot on this place for two reasons. One, she possesses the strength to match Wonder Woman in direct combat, presenting a genuine threat to the Warrior Princess, and secondly, Giganta could be one of the most visually impressive villains ever seen in a comic book movie. We've already had a size-shifting Ant-Man, but we're yet to see a character grow physically larger. Imagine Wonder Woman fighting off an enemy the size of a skyscraper. This stuff writes itself. Unfortunately, the mass destruction caused by a fight with Giganta would be extensive and Batman's already got this hands full forcing Superman to pay for the collateral damage he's caused. Batman V Wonder Woman. Look out for it in cinemas soon. You heard it here first! 2) Cheetah Many have adopted the mantle of Cheetah, but amidst all of the confusion, this feline villain has been one of Wonder Woman's most consistent opponents, matching Diana's fighting ability every step of the way. The most popular incarnation and the one likely to be used in a live action movie is the third Cheetah, Barbara Ann Minerva. In her day job as an archaeologist, Minerva encountered an African tribe who transferred the power of their guardian to her, accidentally transforming her personality in the process. Cheetah initially sought out Wonder Woman in order to steal her Lasso of Truth, presumably because it's shiny and cats are into that, but over the years, this obsession developed into a desire to best the Amazonian Princess in combat. Possessing the powers of a fast cat may not sound particularly dangerous for someone like Wonder Woman, but Cheetah's latest incarnation is now almost a match for the Flash in terms of speed, presenting huge problems for Diana in combat. Many would argue that Cheetah deserves the top spot on this list, but if DC are keen to use her in a live action movie, they will have to be careful deciding how to visually present her. The Batman series has cast two Catwomen to date, the TV show Gotham miniaturized her and Halle Berry did... she did something terrible, but let's not dwell on that. The point is, casual audiences may easily confuse Cheetah with that far more recognizable costumed jewel thief. And then there's Marvel's Tigra. If you know who that is, then congratulations. You're definitely the only one. 1) Circe Greek mythology is integral to Wonder Woman's backstory, and as this will be her first solo movie in live action, it's likely that the main villain will share these same roots. Ares is certainly a strong contender for this, but I would have to put money on Circe taking on the role of big bad. The Ancient Greek sorceress is one of Diana's strongest enemies and her unique range of abilities would certainly challenge the Amazonian Princess beyond a basic fist fight. Teleportation, illusion-casting, transmogrification... Circe is incredibly strong, able to even transform herself into an enhanced warrior that can match Wonder Woman's every move. Diana needs to prove why the long wait for her live action debut was ridiculous, and fight scenes between her and Circe could certainly rival anything that Batman V Superman has to offer. Rumours that Eva Green is in the running for this role are exciting indeed, as it's harder to imagine anyone better suited to play the seductive siren. If you need convincing, just watch 300: Rise of an Empire, but don't blame me when you come away realizing that Green was the only good thing in it. Finally, it's also worth noting that if DC ever wish to lighten up and add some humour to their films, they could always take inspiration from that one episode of Justice League Unlimited where Circe turned Wonder Woman into a pig. A Wonder Pig, if you will. I should probably back away slowly now...