WONDER WOMAN: DC Unveils First Footage, Immediately Botches Messaging

Fans of iconic DC Comics character Wonder Woman got themselves a treat last night when DC's Geoff Johns appeared on the Dawn Of The Justice League TV special on The CW and, in a chat with Kevin Smith, unveiled the first footage from Patty Jenkins' upcoming film. It should be said that what footage they showed really looks quite good. It should also be said that they got the messaging very, very wrong.

The pressure on DC and Warner Brothers here is significant. They're bringing out the first female led superhero film of the current capes-and-tights explosion and they are openly playing the feminism and female empowerment cards while doing so. Which is good and right. They should be doing that. But, while doing so they should probably have someone vet the rest of their messaging. Because they somehow managed to get what should have been a relatively simple task remarkably wrong pretty much immediately.

For those who want to play along, you can find the footage and the complete presentation clip below. Johns gets things started by establishing the roots of the character. Why does Wonder Woman even exist? Says Johns, "These Amazons were once created to protect man's world." Not humanity. Not the human world. Not people. Man's world. Specifically man's world. And lest you missed it, he says it again almost right away. "Diana's asking constantly, 'Why don't we go do what we were created to do and protect man?'" Oh, good. You're presenting what you want to sell as the world's first feminist superhero film and literally the first thing the head of the company behind her has to say about her in public is that she was created and divinely ordained to be in a subservient role protecting man. Well, fuck.

Let's continue.

We then have Chris Pine talking about how now is such an important time to tell this sort of story and bring this story to the screen before Johns returns to praise her strength and fighting skill. "She's the best fighter in the DC universe!" he proclaims, accompanied by an ass shot. A long one. In slow motion. Oh, good.

And then they finally let their director speak about the character and her importance and Jenkins, being a good soldier no doubt bound by a very particular PR clause in her contract - as all blockbuster directors are - sticks to the script she's given and explains that's what's really important about Wonder Woman from the female perspective is how loving she is. Because, you know, women want a loving super hero. With a tight ass. Who was created to protect men. All of that in a mere minute and twenty seconds.

Fuck, DC, this really wasn't that hard. There was only one thing that you really needed to avoid in marketing this movie. And you've gone and done that very thing at your very first opportunity. Damn.