Gal Gadot is one of the last surviving actors from the DCEU, but what does that mean for Wonder Woman in the DCU? And will fans ever see WW3?
Compared to what came before it, 2017’s Wonder Woman was unlike anything else in the DC Extended Universe’s canon. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad left many fans underwhelmed, and the DCEU seemed to be waning before it had even begun. In contrast, Wonder Woman proved to be a hit with fans and critics alike, garnering 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and boasting an impressive $821.8 million box office worldwide. This resulted in Wonder Woman endearing itself to both critics and fans and the film is still remembered as a strong contender for the greatest DCEU offering. Unfortunately, the goodwill did not last.
The 2020 sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, flopped both financially and critically, though some of this can be attributed to releasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lukewarm reception to subsequent movies such as Black Adam and The Flash only compounded this, and Wonder Woman’s future in the DCEU became uncertain. Since then, Gal Gadot has teased a Wonder Woman 1984 sequel, but to many fans’ dismay, this project appears to be a casualty of the DCEU’s conclusion following the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. This has left many viewers questioning just how viable and likely a Wonder Woman 3 now appears.
Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on April 29, 2024: Wonder Woman 3 at one point seemed like a sure thing, especially during the time in which the DC Extended Universe might have been able to turn things around. That didn’t come to pass, however, and the future of a potential Wonder Woman 3, let alone one starring Gal Gadot, is increasingly unlikely. This is now especially the case with the rebooted DC Universe on its way, not to mention the fact that the World’s Finest have been recast. Thus, the chances of a true Wonder Woman 3 that brings back any actors from the DCEU is highly unlikely.
What Went Wrong With The Wonder Woman Franchise?
After the runaway success of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984 was seen by many as a certain win. Instead, it may very well have killed the franchise. Fans responded negatively for a host of reasons, and this was reflected in the general perception of the DCEU going forward. Firstly, many took umbrage with the movie’s excessive runtime, which was deemed overindulgent. Furthermore, Pedro Pascal’s villain, Maxwell Lord, was perceived as underdeveloped, and the movie’s poignant moments so expertly executed in Wonder Woman felt contrived the second time around. A particularly controversial aspect was the return of Steve Trevor, with his mind being transferred into the body of another man without that man’s consent. To make matters worse, word of mouth and poor reviews led to underwhelming box office numbers: Wonder Woman 1984 only grossed $169.6 million against a $200 million budget.
Of course, the movie was also a victim of bad luck. Releasing Wonder Woman 1984 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a bold move but one that ultimately backfired. Some pundits noted the film finished above expectations after its first week at the box office given the context, but this wasn’t enough to prevent Warner Bros. from looking long and hard at the future of the franchise. A further string of bad luck arose as a result of the failings of other DC properties. The penultimate film of the DCEU, Blue Beetle -though critically well-received – only attained $129.3 million against a $104 million budget, making it the lowest-grossing film of the DCEU. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was the final entry in the shared universe, and while it seemingly eked out a scant profit, it was far from an illustrious ending for what had begun a decade beforehand. With the near-universal financial and critical failure of the DCEU, a reboot seemed inevitable.
This had actually been announced a year earlier, with the failure of Black Adam seeing the announcement of James Gunn’s Superman. This film was revealed as a reboot that wouldn’t involve Henry Cavill’s Superman, and the Batman who will appear alongside the Damian Wayne Robin in The Brave in the Bold (another upcoming project in the new DC Universe) will be portrayed by an actor other than Ben Affleck. Needless to say, the chances of a Wonder Woman 3 starring Gal Gadot are fairly low when both Batman and Superman have been recast. At the same time, there’s still a strong likelihood that the Amazing Amazon will be premiering soon in the DCU.
