Written By Kieran Bugg and Mikey Sutton • Editor-in-Chief • Owner
Man of Steel director Zack Snyder had a risky plan for Wonder Woman that may have divided DC fans if it gone through. Nonetheless, as an Elseworlds project, it could’ve been a fresh take on the character, certainly far superior to director Patty Jenkins’ campy Wonder Woman 1984.
Snyder revealed that he originally planned for Wonder Woman to have a Kryptonian heritage through Zeus and Ares. Snyder may have brought us many of the DCEU’s most epic scenes but he also had controversial ideas, too. That’s what helps makes him such a distinctive filmmaker. He takes chances, whether you agree with them or not; in addition, he has the creative intellect to pull them off.
One such example being the moment when the earth-shattering clash between Batman and Superman reached its climax in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Batman finding out Superman’s mother is also called Martha has become one of cinema’s most infamous ends to a fight.
Nevertheless, it brought Batman and Superman together. And the “Ultimate Edition” of BvS (see it on HBO Max) made it work better as it’s an altogether improved film.
Certainly, Snyder had Superman kill General Zod in Man of Steel, which burned some critics. Although longtime DC Comics fans know that writer/artist John Byrne already did that in the late ’80s. Thus, Man of Steel wasn’t even first. Admittedly, Man of Steel took a more violent approach.
Recently, Snyder detailed another controversial plot line he originally planned to use in his Justice League movie. It would’ve seen a bizarre love triangle between Superman, Batman, and Lois Lane. Nonetheless, this was rejected by Warner Bros. in a rare decision that may have been for the best. After all, Ben Affleck’s Batman had electrifying chemistry with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman that should’ve been pursued further.
Man Of Steel Director Had Risky, Controversial Change For Wonder Woman
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
In addition, Snyder had another potentially divisive story line in mind. While answering questions from fans at this past weekend’s SnyderCon event, Snyder produced a shocking twist for Wonder Woman.
Zeus and Ares would’ve both been revealed to be Kryptonians. Wonder Woman, being a daughter of Zeus, would therefore have been part Kryptonian had this been established. This would’ve explained the origin of her powers.
Furthermore, visual effects supervisor John “D.J.” Des Jardin explained that Ares would’ve had a close connection to Man Of Steel. Specifically, the crashed Kryptonian ship in the Arctic would’ve been caused by the god of war.
This possibly meant that empty pod seen in the ship belonged to Ares rather than Supergirl like we all thought. But none of this ever came to fruition.
SnyderCon saw Man Of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice‘s “Ultimate Edition” on theatrical screens. All funds made from the screenings went to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
Plus, Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally got the big screen treatment it deserved.
During the question and answer session with fans, Snyder explained:
We thought Zeus could possibly be Kryptonian so that Wonder Woman’s powers… anyway, you can sort of see where that’s going. The whole thing of whether or not magic or gods… there’s a version of where you’re like ‘That’s cool, I guess,’ then there’s the scientific aspect. You have the pathology of wondering where gods come from. We had played around with that quite a bit.
Man Of Steel Director Had Risky, Controversial Change For Wonder Woman
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Visual effects supervisor John “D.J.” Des Jardin then followed up with:
“Ares was the one that caused the scout ship to crash and be in the ice.”
Without a doubt, it would’ve been a much bigger deviation from the source material than anything seen before.
Snyder has taken liberties with his adaptations before, but this would’ve been a radical departure.
If it does happen, it won’t be at DC Studios with co-CEO James Gunn’s reboot.