Wonder Woman is still going strong after its record-breaking debut. In less than a week’s time, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot managed to surpass the $300 million mark worldwide, which is more than enough to cover the $150 million invested in the film (including the marketing). After critics slammed The Mummy, which is looking at a $35 million US debut, it appears that Wonder Woman is about to win its second weekend, too. It remains to be seen whether Cars 3 will pose a threat. If it doesn’t, Transformers: The Last Knight would be Wonder Woman’s only remaining competition for Number One.
Wonder Woman’s success can be attributed to Patty Jenkins and the entire cast. We should also mention the fact that this film didn't fall under the burden of the shared universe and featured just a handful of connections with the other DCEU flicks.
But there were a number of Easter eggs and comic book references, some of which were very subtle! Let's check them out!
Obviously, if you haven't seen the movie, this list will spoil it for you entirely!
Louvre - Gateway City Museum of Antiquities
The events in Wonder Woman take place after those of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (remember that Bruce Wayne sends the original pic that Lex Luthor scanned). Early in the movie, we see Diana Prince holding down a normal job at the Louvre, which is perfect for someone of her age and level of knowledge.
Of course, we don't know how long she’s been working there, but it follows that if she’s been there for some time, people would wonder why she hasn't aged at all. But that’s not the point.
The point is that this is a reference to the comics of the 1990's, in which Diana held a similar position at the Gateway City Museum of Antiquities in her hometown of Gateway. Interestingly, Gateway is also The Spectre’s hometown.
Rebirth
Of course, the movie opens with a shot of Earth as seen from outer space, with Diana narrating. The shot may be a reference to the comics’ Rebirth event, which begins in the same way, although a different character (Wally West) narrates.
There’s another comic book reference when Diana mentions that darkness surrounds the planet. She might be talking about the actual darkness of space. However, she could also be referring to the threat of Steppenwolf’s arrival in Justice League, which will announce Darkseid’s arrival. In the eighties’ Great Darkness Saga, the ruler of Apokolips kept himself hidden in the darkness.
As we know, the plan is to base the DC Extended Universe on DC’s New 52 comics. But what if?
If it’s the latter case, Diana is aware that the New Gods exist – and that some of them are evil – even before the Justice League clashes with Steppenwolf.
Diana's origins
In the comics, Diana’s created from clay and given life by the gods, which explains her various powers and made her unique. But the origin story changes with the New 52, in which Diana's story is retconned and she’s revealed to be the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus.
The movie tells these stories, with the latter basically retconning the former. The clay origin story was supposed to hide the truth (and this is another Easter egg that you'll find later) from Diana. The reasoning was simple, learning who she was would have revealed her to Ares.
We see that happening when she discovers new powers in her training with Antiope and gets closer to the truth. Man appears in the form of Steve Trevor, who’s then followed by the Germans in their Schwaben (the German ship that replaced the obsolete Mars - another Easter egg), and war and death follow.
Hercules
Here’s another neat Easter egg, and it fits perfectly within the movie. As we’ve seen, the young Diana listens to a story about the Amazons' history. This is beautifully done, and it reminds us of a Renaissance painting brought to life. It also reflects the history of Krypton as told in Man of Steel.
In the comics, the Amazons are created by goddesses from the clay at the bottom of the lake. In the movie, we learn that Zeus created the Amazons, but they do originate from a lake.
Then man enslaves the Amazons in a nod to the fight between Hippolyta (the first born of her race) and Hercules (Ares' champion). When Hercules loses, he tricks the Amazons and enslaves them. This, in turn, brings on the war between Ares and the other Olympian Gods.
Artemis
Don’t confuse Artemis the Amazon with Artemis the Goddess of Hunt from Greek mythology (Diana in Roman mythology). She’s also an Amazon in the comics, although her origin is a bit different. We should note that she replaced Diana as Wonder Woman for a while.
Prior to the movie’s release, director Patty Jenkins revealed that Ann Wolfe, who’s considered the greatest female boxer of all time, would play Artemis.
I AM ARTEMIS, MY HEART, MY SPIRIT, MY SOUL, DON’T MAKE ME KICK YOUR ASS!!
WW-22382rCC
ANN WOLFE as Artemis pic.twitter.com/kCsCeJbfkD"” Ann Wolfe (@AnnWolfeBoxing) June 2, 2017
Artemis’ first appearance is probably her most memorable. When she’s hit in the back while training with other Amazons, she stares her opponent into oblivion. A quick and awesome scene!
The True Amazon
Unfortunately, we witness Antiope’s death when the Germans arrive, but not before she becomes the most bad-ass female comic book movie character we've ever seen. Her death and her words eventually convince Diana to put on Antiope’s tiara and go out to destroy Ares.
Antiope did die in the comics, but with no German connection. But there could be a nod to a different character here.
In the comic book titled The True Amazon, a spoiled Diana provokes the death of the Amazon Alethea (whose name means Truth). As a result, she’s forced to wear the dead Amazon's battle garb (guess the colors). The tiara she receives in this case is considered a crown of thorns, a symbol of her own failure to understand what it means to be an Amazon.
Paradise Island
Of course, we all know that Themyscira is Paradise Island. In the comics, the island receives its name much later in Wonder Woman's history. In the movie, Steve Trevor dubs it Paradise Island. Of course, Themyscira is a bit hard to pronounce (that's why Diana smirks when she hears this new name).
The island is a paradise because it isn't tainted by man, a species beneath the Amazons. Even though he doesn't fully believe Diana’s story about her origin and the God of War, Trevor knows that man isn't inherently good.
Diana says that men are useful for procreation, but not much else, and the Island and the fact that she’s the only child on it is a testament to that.
God Killer
Until the movie’s final twist (which, frankly, everybody saw coming), Diana believes that Ares can be killed only with a special weapon made for this purpose alone. So she steals the Godkiller, the Lasso of Truth, and her new battle suit.
By the way, is that white cube in the armory a Mother Box?
It’s later revealed that the sword isn't a god killer at all, although in the comics, Hephaestus (the god of fire and, of course, forge) creates a sword designated for the purpose of killing titans. Wonder Woman has nothing to do with this sword; instead, it’s entrusted to Deathstroke (who we’ll hopefully see in the DCEU in the next couple of years) to kill Lapetus, a Titan enemy of Olympus.
Superman reference
This is probably one of the most in-your-face Wonder Woman Easter eggs, but we feel we have to mention it.
Before the movie came out, Patty Jenkins repeatedly said that Richard Donner's Superman was a source of inspiration for the film. With the sense of hope Wonder Woman brings, we can see why.
But there’s more. One scene in the movie is basically a Superman scene with Wonder Woman in Superman’s place. When German spies attack Steve and Diana in the alley, Diana uses her bracelet to stop a bullet aimed at Steve's heart.
In Superman, when a mugger tries to shoot Lois, Clark catches the bullet.
Again, this reference is pretty obvious.
A poster of those times
This isn't a DC comics Easter egg, but it’s certainly worth mentioning, since it shows great attention to detail. Thanks to some behind the scenes shots, we can see that the art department filled London’s streets with period-accurate posters.
With the men gone off to war, the women left at home do what they can to help. In this case, the women eat less bread so the soldiers on the front have more. This marked a shift in the way wars are fought, with the entire nation (those who go to war and those who remain at home) contributing to the war effort.
Similarly, the scene in which Wonder Woman deflects that German bullet reminds us of the Rosie the Riveter/We Can Do It WWII poster.
Nice touch!
Ice cream
In London, Diana learns how different man's society is from the Amazons'. While she discovers plenty of reasons to live on Themyscira forever, she discovers other things, as well. Her first encounter with a baby is extraordinary.
But here, we're talking about her priceless reaction to her first taste of ice cream in a scene that appeared both in the New 52 and the animated Justice League War.
In the movie, just before Diana and Steve head to war, she has the opportunity to taste vanilla ice cream. It may not be as heartwarming as the scene with the baby, but Gal Gadot manages to express the wonder her character feels.
To think that she's about to witness the horrors of war again"¦
Blackhawk
Before the film’s arrival, it appeared that Steve Trevor would gather a team of men from all over the world to show that this was indeed a world war. This is exactly what happened, but the inspiration for one of these characters actually came from the comics.
Saïd Taghmaoui, who portrays Sameer, revealed prior to the movie's release that his character shares a connection with the Blackhawk squadron. The squadron doesn't currently play a role in the comics, but it was introduced in WW III, and showed that all nations were indeed involved in the war.
Coming soon! pic.twitter.com/IImydGJXB0
"” Said Taghmaoui (@SaidTaghmaoui) May 9, 2017
It all started with a single pilot who called himself Blackhawk. He attracted other pilots of various nationalities to his side to take down the Axis. Of course, we don't know what role Blackhawk will play in subsequent DC Extended Universe movies (if at all), but this is yet another interesting Easter egg.
Fausta Grables
We know that Patty Jenkins wanted Lynda Carter (TV’s Wonder Woman) to cameo in her movie. It didn't work out, due to Carter's busy schedule, but there’s a reference to the Wonder Woman TV show that not many viewers have spotted.
In Wonder Woman, Rachel Pickup plays Nazi operative Fausta Grables. She’s the blonde in the blue dress who’s heading to General Ludendorff's gala. We’re not shown how Diana convinces her to give her the blue dress (which looks even better on Diana, of course), but we assume that the Amazon used words, rather than brute force.
After all, Fausta Grables isn't completely evil, as the Nazis are (yes, she arrives in the DCEU a war earlier, so to speak).
Duke of Deception/General Ludendorff
We could call this a double Easter egg. General Ludendorff was an actual general in the German army during WWI, and he played a significant role in Hitler's ascension (although in later years the Fuhrer distanced himself from the General due to the latter's penchant for conspiracy theory). Among other things, Ludendorff believed that all the world's problems stemmed from Christianity, Judaism, and Freemasons.
This being said, Danny Houston’s character has nothing to do with the real-life General. However, it can be said that a DC Comics Easter egg is hiding here, given the fact that Diana is tricked into believing that Ludendorff is Ares.
There’s a comic book character named the Duke of Deception. He was an agent of Ares who who convinced Wonder Woman that he was the God of War. Sure, Ludendorff wasn’t aware that the Olympian Gods existed, but we can draw a comparison, since his evil acts do give the impression that he’s Ares.
Superman lifts a tank
This Easter egg appeared as part of a poster during the marketing campaign, even before the movie’s release. Wonder Woman lifts a tank in a scene reminiscent of The Dark Knight Returns comics, in which Superman also lifts a tank.
This feat of strength is seen on a couple of occasions, so it appears that Patty Jenkins did her homework.
This could also be a reference to the Wonder Woman TV shows, in which Diana lifts various cars. This may be quite a stretch, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it!
War is Truth
Finally, we’ve arrived at one of the movie’s most interesting scenes. Ares reveals that he’s speaking the truth. In fact, he’s not the God of War; he’s the God of Truth. His monologue could be dismissed as the final rambling speech every comic book movie villain gives, but we feel that it’s much more than that, because it makes Diana doubt everything she thought she knew.
As long as he’s telling the truth, Ares reveals that the Amazons may not have given her all of the facts, which leads Diana to better understand what she has to do.
This is, of course, an Easter-Egg. In the Warkiller arc from the comics, Ares says that war is truth, so the Lasso of Truth should be his.
Lightning powers
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might have marked Wonder Woman’s introduction to the DC Extended Universe, but it exposed just a fraction of her tremendous powers. We wonder why that is, since this year's movie reveals that her powers can rival Superman’s.
In addition to speed and strength, Diana possesses the powers of the Olympian Gods. Ares hints that she hasn't even scratched the surface of what she can do (he has quite a few superpowers of his own, including telepathy and telekinesis).
Wonder Woman does make use of some of her powers, such as the lightning powers she possesses as Zeus’ daughter. In the comics, Diana’s metal cuffs are made from Zeus’ shield, so they can project lightning. In the movie, however, she absorbs lightning sent by Ares, enhances it, and uses it to kill the God of War.
Of course, we’re wondering whether her armor had something to do with it.
