the DCEU has a Wonder Woman problem

[tielan]

Actually, I think it's the same problem that Marvel is facing now for me: heroic heroes vs. world weary Nietzchean ubermensch.

polygon.com: The DCEU has a problem — everybody likes Wonder Woman
With Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins has returned the focus to humanity writ large. She recognizes that superheroes resonate precisely because their stories are familiar. Yes, Diana is better than the rest of us. As a fictional character, she can do things we can’t, from both a moral and physical perspective. However, that doesn’t make her alien. In the film, her actions instill the allied forces with courage and resolve. The later heroics of Steve, Sameer & Co are less spectacular, but their contributions are no less meaningful and the audience is equally able to learn from that example. Diana inspires everyone around her to be better. That gives the film genuine warmth and makes Wonder Woman relevant to anyone watching in a theater.

But the quotation that I found particularly interesting in the context of my (rapidly dying) love of the MCU is this:

He [Snyder] wants to see Batman have a dustup with Superman, and he’s not overly concerned about how mere mortals relate to the personal struggles of gods.

Which is pretty much how I feel about CACW: the point that would have made for the most interesting movie regarding the nature of heroes - the Accords - was pretty much just a McGuffin so we could eventually see Iron Man fight Captain America (and the Winter Soldier).

Comments

[beatrice_otter]

EXACTLY. The MCU gave up all hope of thematic consistency and characterization to have a punchy-fest with lots of special effects. The attempt to manipulate your emotions is so transparent that it pretty much fails.

Wonder Woman, however, is completely consistent throughout. It takes its premise seriously and treats its characters (yes, even the demigodess made of clay) as real people instead of grand archetypes. I mean, Diana absolutely is a grand archetype, but she is also absolutely a person.

[kore]

pretty much just a McGuffin so we could eventually see Iron Man fight Captain America

YUP

Wonder Woman was all about the people. About Diana, and Steve and his guys, and the refugees, and the Amazons, and everybody. It was all about people and their feelings and motivations, not just some overpaid white guy bashing two characters into each other like he's playing with his favourite action figures.

Also LOL I think Justice League is probably going to flop.