Most fans would agree that the weakest aspect of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman was the climactic third act showdown between the title heroine and Ares, which fell into the all-too-familiar trap of having pixels smash against pixels in a weightless CGI showdown that possessed very little in the way of tension or dramatic stakes.
In the aftermath, the director admitted that the decision to CGI David Thewlis’ face onto the hulking demigod was made by Warner Bros., and it was something she was very much against. However, that didn’t explain why Jenkins then went ahead and made the very same mistake in Wonder Woman 1984, after being handed an increased level of creative freedom by the studio.
Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Minerva had a flimsy arc at the best of times, but by the time she embraced her inner predator after wishing upon the magical Dreamstone, the actress’ Cheetah came out on the other end of the post-production process looking like a bad video game cut scene character. The visuals were unconvincing if not downright ropey, so we’re hoping the next Wonder Woman blockbuster doesn’t go three-for-three when it comes to poorly-rendered villains.
Somewhat worryingly, then, we’ve heard from our sources – the same ones who told us that Ben Affleck was returning as Batman in The Flash long before it was confirmed – that Cheetah is being eyed for a possible return in Gal Gadot’s third solo outing.
Wiig had returned to human form by the end of 1984, so if she does end up returning then it may be in a less furry capacity than in her previous appearance. Having learned the error of her ways, she may even be re-positioned as an ally of Diana’s, but Wonder Woman 3 is still along way away, with Jenkins heading off to helm Star Wars: Rogue Squadron first.
