At a time when fans are pushing for more diversity both on screen and behind the camera -- especially in superhero films -- Wonder Woman star Chris Pine explained why the long-running DC Comics superhero is needed now more than ever.

Over the course of the past decade, male heroes have dominated the big screen with a good amount of focus on action rather than telling character-driven stories. It's something that even last year's Batman v Superman, where Gal Gadot made her debut as Wonder Woman, can be considered guilty of -- putting more emphasis on the action and introduction of various members, making it difficult to truly carry a story driven by characters and heart. According to Gadot's Wonder Woman co-star Chris Pine, talking to Vanity Fair on the red carpet of the film's premiere, this is one of the many reasons Wonder Woman is needed.

“We’ve seen stories told through the male prism a lot. Men are not all that smart. We tend to want to kill each other all the time, so it’s nice to finally have a fresh, female perspective with important themes. To have a female superhero story that is about love and compassion and nurturing of life than the opposite is very important. At the heart of the movie, it’s about people falling in love and being passionate and being heroic. It’s a great lesson for everyone to learn instead of other movies where shit is blowing up all the time.”

Although the film isn't out yet, many of the early reviews for the film have echoed Pine's comments, praising the film's heart and humor, even going as far as to liken it to critical darling The Dark Knight. While that alone is reason enough to be excited, the fact that the film will serve as the first big solo female superhero film in recent years (and the highest-profile one yet) is another reason why the film is so important.

This will be the feminist icon's first solo film, and it is set to help usher in more projects like it, with Marvel's Captain Marvel scheduled for release in 2019, and Sony having recently announced Silver and Black, a team-up film centering around Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Silver Sable, for next year. So while Pine's comments on the heroine remain true, it's hard to deny the importance of what this film also means for female fans going forward.

Opening June 2, the film stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui and David Thewlis.