Summary
I know how theDCU’s movies can fix an iconic villain that was sadly wasted in the DCEU inWonder Woman 1984. The DCU is poised to reinvigorate DC’s cinematic franchise after the DCEU fizzled out.The upcoming DCU release slatelooks promising, spotlighting DC’s most prominent heroes alongside a slew of lesser-known ones such as The Authority, Swamp Thing, and Booster Gold.Details surrounding 2025’sSupermansuggest that fans are in for an almost entirely unique experience when it comes to the franchise, making the impending introduction of Batman and Wonder Woman all the more exciting.
The DCEU’s legacy was propped up by a handful of standout films. These included the Justice League’s solo debuts, such asAquamanandWonder Woman- both of which were well-received, withWonder Womanbeingthe highest-rated DCEU movieon Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, the sequels did not fare so well, withWonder Woman 1984fumbling the ball despite its predecessor setting it in good stead. There are a few criticisms leveled at the movie, but there was one notable sticking point in particular that the DCU is in a prime position to fix.
How To Watch DCEU Movies In Order (By Release Date & Chronologically)
The DCEU’s timeline may be about to be rebooted in the DC Universe, but here’s how to watch the DCEU in release order or chronological order.
DCEU’s Cheetah Was A Much Criticized Part Of Wonder Woman’s Movie Sequel
Kristen Wiig made her DCEU debut inWonder Woman 1984as Barbara Minerva, a bookish employee at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, whose initial social awkwardness is a common trend in Wiig’s cinematic characters. From the jump, she embodied a common movie trope in being the socially outcast nerd who struggles with the fact that people - particularly men - fail to notice her. This would change as Diana Prince entered her life and showed her compassion, leading Minerva to gush about her newfound friend.
Wonder Woman 1984failed to develop Minerva beyond this,turning her into a shallow secondary villain as she gains the powers of Prince after making a wish with the Dreamstone McGuffin in hand. Critics lambasted this particular facet of the movie due to the shallow writing afforded to Wiig’s character, despite the actress herself providing a stellar performance from what she had (alongside, of course, Pedro Pascal). Nevertheless, the criticisms leveled at Cheetah’s character development are warranted, but run far deeper than shallow writing.
What Went Wrong With The DCEU’s Cheetah
One classic misstep made by widely derided comic book movies is diverting too far from the source material. The DCEU was a repeat offender in this regard, andWonder Woman 1984continued that trend with Cheetah. In DC Comics, Cheetah’s origins are tied closely to the plant god Urzkartaga, who transformed her into the Cheetah and made her his wife because of the creature’s holy connotations, bringing a distinctly more tragic element to her origins.Wonder Woman 1984,meanwhile, transformed Barbara into the Cheetah because she wished to be an “apex predator.”
An earlier origin story for Cheetah in DC Comics made her a far more willing participant in being transformed.
The distinct gulf in motives make movie Barbara far harder to sympathize with, for no good reason. The Dreamstone may have had mythical origins, but transforming into a Cheetah felt out of left field and perversely less believable. Having her play second fiddle to Maxwell Lord, meanwhile, significantly downplayed her importance to Wonder Woman’s mythos. For that matter, Wonder Woman’s own connection to ancient Greek gods is also significantly downplayed throughout the DCEU. This, thankfully, is something that the DCU already looks poised to rectify.
How The DCU Is Already Primed To Redeem Cheetah
What little we know ofParadise Lost- one of the shows slated to release in the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters - is that it will delve into Wonder Woman’s lore without necessarily spotlighting the superhero herself. Right off the bat, it looks as if this show might dive headfirst into the mythical side of Wonder Woman, which is an inexorable part of her DC Comics origins. In doing so,it will be perfectly placed to introduce such figures as Urzkartaga and, therefore, a more fleshed out backstory to Cheetah.
This is great news for Cheetah’s DCU future as Wonder Woman’s arch-rival. WhileWonder Woman 1984attempted in vain to make Barbara Minerva a sympathetic villain, the fact that she was buried in an ill-advised two-villain movie did not do her tragic character arc justice. In being a series, it’s a lot easier to seeParadise Lostfleshing out both Cheetah’s origins while simultaneously rectifying the DCEU’s fumble when it comes to properly representing Diana Prince’s deep links to Greek mythology.
Wonder Woman 1984
Cast
Wonder Woman 1984, set during the Cold War, follows Diana Prince as she faces a formidable opponent. When a heist exposes a perilous ancient artifact, Wonder Woman is drawn into a global conflict that endangers her extraordinary abilities and challenges her resolve to save the world.
