When Wonder Woman finally arrives in theatres on June 2nd, it’ll be a whole new world for many in the audience. Neither the Amazon Warrior, nor her origins, have been explored in live-action cinema before – with the exception of her brief introduction in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice – so we’re going to be meeting a whole new roster of characters. Among those being introduced in the film is a character played by actor Said Taghmaoui (Three Kings, American Hustle, The Infiltrator), whom we’ve seen pictured in various behind-the-scenes shots, but whose character has remained shrouded in mystery.
It seems that, with the release of the film now imminent, the urge to share is growing, however – and Taghmaoui recently Tweeted a very telling image in reference to Wonder Woman.
https://twitter.com/SaidTaghmaoui/status/862055999997214720
This would seem to be an announcement that the actor is playing the DC Comics character of Andre Blanc-Dumont, who first appeared in Military Comics #12 in 1942. He’s a member of the French Resistance and became a leading pilot with notable actions against Nazi occupation of Tunisia. Eventually, he joined the Blackhawk Squadron at the invitation of Janos Prohaska – also known as Blackhawk – and continued to demonstrate his heroic abilities. The Blackhawks themselves featured in a self-titled comic, as a group comprised of pilots from each of the Nazi-occupied territories.
This apparent confirmation of the presence of Andre Blanc-Dumont in Wonder Woman bodes very well for the movie, as it indicates the breadth of the effort to widen the DC cinematic universe through the inclusion of characters from titles other than those of the main character. This is an attention to detail that’s admirable and exciting, and perhaps lays the groundwork for more intricate use of other characters – such as Blackhawk himself – in future instalments.
It’s inevitable that the inclusion of characters such as Andre Blanc-Dumont within the war-time inner-circle of Wonder Woman will draw comparisons with Captain America and the Howling Commados – as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. That group was made up of prisoners of HYDRA that the super soldier rescued during World War II. Just how far that similarity goes remains to be seen in terms of Wonder Woman – but for the DCEU going forward, this approach is welcome indeed.
