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Wonder-Woman-poster-cropped-800x400.jpg

Wonder Woman Doesn't Need A Sword And Shield To Beat People's Asses, I Promise

By Brian Richards | Social Media | December 23, 2019 |

By Brian Richards | Social Media | December 23, 2019 |

Wonder-Woman-poster-cropped-800x400.jpg

Earlier this month, the very first trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 dropped online and in theaters, and it’s safe to say that it caused many people who saw it to Kermit-flail endlessly while completely losing their sh*t. Which is totally understandable, as it’s the highly-anticipated sequel to one of the most beloved comic-book movies in recent history, and to see Gal Gadot back onscreen as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman kicking all sorts of ass and looking like a boss while doing so (alongside Chris Pine returning as Steve Trevor and looking quite adorable in his track suit and fanny pack) is something that is…well, wonderful to see so far.

However, because it’s the Internet and people who use it refuse to stay positive about anyone or anything for very long, there were some complaints that began to arise in discussing Wonder Woman 1984 and its trailer. Starting with the boots.

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People were a little too eager to complain about Wonder Woman’s choice of footwear and how impractical it is and how this seemed to be another case of sexism and the male gaze running rampant once again. Despite the fact that many people on Twitter pointed out that Wonder Woman’s style of boots was traditional to the kind of armor that was worn in battle, that Gadot stated that her boots were actually rather comfortable to wear, and that there were many other female characters in comic-book movies who have worn similar boots with their costumes without any complaints from fans.

And then there was this article from Screen Rant, which touched upon the fact that Wonder Woman doesn’t appear to be armed with a sword and shield in the WW84 trailer but is mostly using her Lasso Of Truth in terms of weaponry.

CinePOP recently shared a video of [Gal] Gadot speaking at CCXP about her thoughts and intentions as to why Diana is no longer seen wearing her sword and shield in Wonder Woman 1984. Gadot is very dedicated to her portrayal of the iconic feminist heroine and evolving the character past her origin story in the first Wonder Woman film. Speaking during a panel about Wonder Woman 1984, Gadot said the following:

“We had an intention to let go of the sword because there’s something very aggressive with the sword. If you have a sword you need to use it, so we wanted to give that up and we didn’t feel that the shield was necessary either. She’s a goddess, she can fight, she’s super strong, and she has the skills and the lasso.”

Which caused some people to complain about this as well, and saw this as signs that Wonder Woman was being interfered with, that director Patty Jenkins didn’t know what she was doing, and that the character was being treated more like a Marvel character than a DC character in trying to make her more family-friendly.

There are many people that I follow and interact with on Twitter who, like myself, are fans of director Zack Snyder, of his work in the DCEU, and of the DCEU altogether. And they’d love nothing more than to see the actual director’s cut of Justice League released in its entirety for the world to see, if only so that he gets to show what his vision of Justice League truly looked like instead of the near-unwatchable catastrof*ck that was the theatrical version of Justice League that was handled by Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon. And those same people are smart and passionate and rational and don’t act like trolls in order to convey their opinions on what they like and don’t like, otherwise I’d have no interest whatsoever in following or interacting with them on Twitter.

And then there’s the section of DCEU Twitter that is very much like the shadowy corner of Pride Rock that Mufasa warned Simba to never go to in The Lion King, which is populated by people who respond to every single tweet from Warner Bros., whether it’s about the upcoming release of HBO Max as a streaming app or about Ann Sarnoff becoming the first female CEO of the studio in its entire 94-year-long history, with the hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut. Who feel that anyone who doesn’t regularly use that hashtag or align themselves with the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut cause is a snake and a traitor or worse, a ‘part-timer’ who doesn’t care about Snyder and the DCEU as much as they do. Who talk constantly about how much they hate Aquaman and Shazam, because they’re not films that take themselves seriously, that they’re too much like Marvel movies and rely too much on jokes to appeal to kids. Who say horrible and misogynistic things on Twitter, but put on their best Eddie Haskell smile and are on their best behavior on the social-media app Vero, which is where Zack Snyder now chooses to post regularly instead of Twitter. Who act as if the one and only directorial vision about the DCEU that deserves respect and should be taken seriously is that of Zack Snyder’s, and anyone who goes out of their way to deviate from that and not show their unwavering support for him all day and every day is a snake and a traitor.

These same “fans” now feel that Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot aren’t as loyal to Zack Snyder and the DCEU as they claim to be, due to the fact that Wonder Woman isn’t using a sword and shield and doesn’t look anything like the sword-and-shield-toting version of Wonder Woman that appeared in Batman v. Superman or Justice League. Despite the fact that both women have spoken many times about how much they like, respect, and appreciate Zack. Or that Gadot recently used the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag in support of seeing the director’s cut of Justice League released, along with Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and countless others on Twitter and Instagram.

“So, Wonder Woman won’t have her shield and sword ‘cause it’s deemed “Too Aggressive”?! What a generation of snowflakes…I’m pissed.”

“I do not agree with No Sword and No shield Wonder Woman. She is fierce and she should be. Remember these fight scenes [from the first film].”

“I’ve always loved and will always love Wonder Woman. Her with a sword and shield always made me smile. She was better than any man and could do what any man could. The fact they are taking it away saddens me.”

“pure fuckery happening with WW leads me 2 think WB is still fucking around. Wonder woman can’t have her sword and shield suddenly. Jokes r everywhere in Aquaman…Shazam had jokes & was a joke. They have stuff I don’t care about anymore.”

“I THOUGHT WARNER BROS. WOULD GET BETTER WITH MS. ANN SARNOFF, NEW CEO AND PRESIDENT, NOT WORSE!!! ONCE AGAIN, WB MAKING POOR AND BAD DECISIONS!!! The agenda and propaganda behind the no sword and shield is “disarmament,” world disarmament that the united nations has been pushing since the late 40s or early 50s, after World War 2. UN AGENDA FOR COMPLETE DISARMAMENT IN A PEACEFUL WORLD. I know this is talking about nuclear weapons, but it includes all weapons, firearms, etc. Remember when looney toons were gone for a while because people said the cartoons were too violent?! That was unbelievable back then, mid or late 90s. Now, almost 2020, Wonder Woman can’t even use her sword and shield?! SERIOUSLY???!!! OUR CULTURE AND SOCIETY CONTINUES TO BE MORE AND MORE PATHETIC, PANZIES, …I suppose the next thing will be removing Batman’s and Superman’s capes because they look too much like a robe or dress???!!! WARNER BROS. JUST KEEPS GETTING STUPIDER AND STUPIDER!!! Because of AT&T as well. EVERYTHING is offensive these days to EVERYONE!!! I’m so fed up with this world and people in it!!!”

(Yes, those were all actual tweets coming from people who really hate the thought of Wonder Woman not having her sword and shield)

And these same “fans” also seem to be ignoring the fact that the reason why Wonder Woman isn’t armed with a sword and shield in WW84, and I say all of this, despite the fact that neither me nor anyone else that’s not affiliated with the film’s production has seen it yet, is probably because she’s now in Washington, DC in the year 1984, and not in London during World War 1 in the year 1918. Because she’s not fighting hundreds of enemy soldiers firing Gatling guns and grenade launchers in her direction in an attempt to kill her. Because she’s not on a mission to kill Ares while thinking that her sword is the one true weapon that is capable of doing so. Because she will always extend a hand in peace before forming it into a fist to strike with violence, and that violence is always a last resort. And most importantly, because Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana Prince, daughter of Queen Hippolyta, and Princess of the Amazons, who went up against Doomsday in Batman v. Superman, Superman, Steppenwolf, and the Parademons in Justice League, and Ares in Wonder Woman, is a brilliant and extremely powerful demi-goddess with decades of combat experience and complete mastery of numerous fighting techniques under her belt. Her sword and shield are useful to her when she has them, but she doesn’t need them. It’s like saying Superman or The Hulk need a sword and shield to protect themselves in battle when they really don’t.

There were just as many people in defense of Wonder Woman using only her Lasso Of Truth as a weapon in battle and rolling their eyes at those who had nothing but complaints and nitpicking about this creative choice.

Keep in mind that many of these complaints are coming from the same shadowy corner of DCEU fandom that is complaining about Black Canary using a baseball bat to battle her enemies in the upcoming film Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) and how she shouldn’t need to use one, seeing as how she’s one of the best street fighters and martial-arts experts in the DC Universe. Which makes plenty of sense, as martial-artists (both real and fictional) are rarely known for relying heavily on weapons in self-defense. Not Bruce Lee with his nunchaku, not Nightwing with his escrima sticks, not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with their bo staff/sai daggers/katana blades/nunchaku, not even Sydney Bristow and Allison “Francinator” Doren (who just remembered that Francie doesn’t like coffee ice cream) on Alias with guns, knives, and everything else they could get their hands on when they battled each other in the Best Girlfight Ever at the end of Season 2.

This is just another reminder that every fandom, whether it’s DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Mad Max, My Little Pony, etc. always has that one section of f**kboys who call themselves fans when they’re nothing but trolls looking for any excuse to misbehave, and who are usually determined to make themselves the loudest and squeakiest wheels so that they get the oil and attention that they need and want and don’t actually deserve. And the only complaint that we should really be going back and forth about when it comes to any and all things Wonder Woman is the fact that we still have to wait five more months for Wonder Woman 1984 to finally drop in theaters.

That, and the fact that Wonder Woman still hasn’t gotten her own animated series for all of us to enjoy, while Batman has had damn near half-a-dozen animated shows that aired on television along with the many animated movies that are still made and released on Blu-ray, but that’s another rant for another day.



Header Image Source: Warner Bros.