Wonder Woman 1984: Gal Gadot Reveals Why She Ditched The Sword
The savior of the DC Extended Universe, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (2017) took the superhero movie genre by storm upon its release. Beating the MCU to become the first female superhero movie, Wonder Woman is a trailblazing account of how feminine attributes can make an amazing superhero movie. After the astounding success of Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot are back for its much-anticipated sequel, Wonder Woman 1984.
Prior to making her grand appearance in Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot made her debut in the DC Extended Universe in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the final act of the movie, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman fought alongside Superman and Batman, thus marking the first live-action appearance of DC’s golden trinity. As Doomsday’s prowess overwhelmed both the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman’s arrival with her Sword of Athena and the virtually indestructible shield tipped the balance in the heroes’ favor.
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In Wonder Woman, Diana’s origin story was explored which explained how she came in possession of these godly artifacts. Throughout the movie, Diana showed exceptional prowess with her sword and shield. From the rousing No Man’s Land scene to her final battle with Ares, Wonder Woman was incomplete without her armory.
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However, the first trailer of Wonder Woman 1984, which was released almost a year ago, didn’t feature any scene where Diana brandished her sword or used her shield. The second trailer, which was released in the DC Fandome event, further re-affirmed that Diana won’t be using her armory in Wonder Woman 1984.
If you’re wondering if Patty Jenkins forgot about them, then that’s not the case. According to Gal Gadot, it was a conscious, creative decision to ditch the sword and the shield in Wonder Woman 1984. The reasoning behind such a bold move is quite empowering too.
“Wonder Woman does not carry a weapon, no.”
“We had an intention to let go of the sword, because there’s something very aggressive with a sword. If you have a sword, it means 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. So no, she has the gauntlets. She has the lasso. She has her tiara and that’s about it.“
In the movies, Diana has shown how effective her gauntlets are when it comes to deflecting speeding bullets. They can also be used to create a powerful concussive force field, as shown in the latest trailer. In the comics, the gauntlets/bracelets are known as the Bracelets of Submission. When the bracelets are bound together, an Amazonian loses her abilities. Created from Goddess Athena’s Olympian Aegis shield, these bracelets also limit the true potential of Wonder Woman. When relinquished, Diana can reach unfathomable levels of power.
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The decision to ditch the sword and the shield definitely sounds like a perfectly reasoned creative course from the filmmakers’ perspective. When the first Wonder Woman was released, Diana was shown as the hero of love and compassion. By ditching the sword, a symbol of aggression, Patty Jenkins and the creative team involved have ensured that Wonder Woman progresses with her beliefs. In these harrowing times of toxic ideologies, systemic racism, and rising hatred, everyone can use a bit of love and compassion.
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And honestly, the Princess of Themyscira is enough a badass to take down bad guys without her armory.
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to release on December 25, 2020 in North America. As the CoVID-19 pandemic has brought the entertainment industry and theaters to a screeching halt, it is currently unsure if the movie will have a worldwide release anytime soon.
