Wonder Woman was the superhero movie of 2017, no small achievement in a year with no shortage of great superhero movies. Director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot knocked it out of the park with Princess Diana’s origin story, so now that everyone is officially on board for the sequel, the question becomes “where do we go from here?” In a recent interview, via Slashfilm, Jenkins dropped a hint about the upcoming Wonder Woman 2:

“We’re actually making a totally different film with a lot of the same…things that we love, but it’s its own movie completely, so it’s not ‘two’ to us. It’s an entirely new adventure together that we couldn’t be luckier [to do].”

Well, that is pretty vague, but it hints that the second film won’t be a direct follow up to the events of the first film. Which means that we probably won’t see Wonder Woman II: The Wrath of Ares or anything like. For a lot of fans, David Thewlis’ portrayal of the God of War was the film’s weakest aspect, so although Ares is Diana’s Joker or Lex Luthor, expect that chapter to be closed, at least for now.

Rumors abound that the movie will take place during the Cold War era 1980s, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Although it almost definitely will have a time jump of some kind, the question becomes does the movie take place in modern day, or anytime during the last century? Wonder Woman 2 could take a page from Marvel here, shadowing how Captain America: The Winter Soldier did a sequel to a period piece superhero film. If Wonder Woman 2 is anywhere near as good as that film, we will all be very lucky moviegoers.

Jenkins comments might also suggest that a Wonder Woman sequel might break with the first film in that it won’t be a story rooted in Greek mythology, as many of Wonder Woman’s most well regarded comic book stories tend to be. Of course, over 75 years of publishing history at DC Comics, there are plenty of examples of Wonder Woman stories not based on gods and goddesses.

On of Wonder Woman’s most infamous examples of a big departure from her traditional mythos came in 1968, when she lost her powers, her costume, and her access to her fellow Amazons, who departed to another dimension. Wonder Woman became a sort of female James Bond, travelling the world in a white jumpsuit and karate chopping bad guys. To say that feminists of the time were not happy about Diana losing her powers and iconography is perhaps an understatement. Within four years, prominent feminists had rallied for Wonder Woman’s powers and costume to be restored, and DC Comics obliged.

However, the “female Bond” era had a lasting impact, as the Lynda Carter television series offered a mix of both takes on Diana. Her secret identity of Diana Prince worked for one of those made up government spy agencies, so she still kicked ass fighting terrorists and the like as something of a super spy. She also happened to still be able to turn into a super powered demi-goddess when she felt like it. Could Jenkins new movie be picking up on that angle from the comics for a sequel?

Another big departure from Wonder Woman’s traditional mythological storytelling was when Diana was exiled into space, and ended up leading a slave revolt on an alien world. This multi-part “Space Pirates” story ran in the mid ’90s, and it wasn’t terribly popular, but it was a break from the usual “Wonder Woman fights a gorgon” type stories fans had become used to. I could see Patty Jenkins maybe doing a loose adaptation of this and turning it into something cool.

Another offbeat Wonder Woman story is Paul Dini and Alex Ross’ OGN Spirit of Truth, which finds Diana fighting terrorists, but also finds her confronting the fact that she is often separated most from the people she’s sworn to protect. It would be sort of an odd choice to inspire a movie, but aspects of it could creep in. Actually, Diana’s introduction in Justice League is inspired by the graphic novel at least in part. And say what you will about that film, but Diana’s introduction is pretty great.

Wonder Woman 2 is currently set to hit theaters November 1, 2019.

What non-traditional Wonder Woman comic book stories would you like to see inspire a sequel? And which villains would you like to see used? I know I’m personally rooting for Circe and the Cheetah. Be sure to let us know who you would like to see down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers / DC Comics

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