DC Comics’ Amazons, the legion of warrior woman who reside on the mystical island of Themyscira, have seen their fair share of reboots throughout the years. The upcoming “Wonder Woman” movie from Warner Bros. looks to change up the Amazons’ origins yet again, which could have far-reaching ramifications on the DC Comics Extended Universe’s shared lore.
/Film recently visited Warner Bros.’ post-production facility in London, England for a story presentation that effectively laid out the events of the first act of the film. One part of that first act is devoted to the origins of the Amazons, their struggles and the eventual creation of their island haven.
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Audiences are first introduced to the Amazons via a sweeping shot of the ancient city of Themyscira. At this point in time Diana, Wonder Woman, is only eight years old. As such, she is being treated to a bedtime story that recounts the harrowing history of her people.
In the film’s canon, mankind was created by the Greek god Zeus, who intended for humans to be the companions of the gods. Soon, though, Ares, the god of war, became jealous of his brother’s creations and manipulated their minds to turn them to violence and war. As mankind descends into war, Ares makes his power play and starts killing off the rest of the gods.
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Zeus creates the Amazons, like Hippolyta, played by Connie Nielsen in the film, and her sisters, who are able to stop Ares’ mischief-making for some time, but not permanently. Ares eventually convinces mankind to enslave the Amazons. While they’re enslaved, Zeus and Ares do battle, and while Zeus injures Ares, he does so at the cost of his own life. With his dying breath, Zeus creates the island of Themyscira for the Amazons, as well as the aptly named sword Godkiller, rumored to be the only weapon capable of killing Ares.
The film’s origin story differs in key ways from both DC Comics’ Pre- and Post-Crisis origins. Perhaps the most notable difference is the Amazons’ creator. While the film purports the warrior race of women was created by Zeus, the Pre-Crisis version singles out their creator as Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, while Post-Crisis says it was the hunting goddess Artemis. If anything, the DCEU Amazons’ origins are a mix of the New 52, which does say Zeus created the Amazons, and the former two. The bit about the Amazons being enslaved by man, for example, is strictly drawn from the Pre- and Post-Crisis story lines.
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Debuting in theater June 2, “Wonder Woman” is a production of DC Entertainment directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis and Lisa Loven Kongsli.