DCEU Unanswered Questions/Plotholes (Wonder Woman Spoilers)

[slappy]

Wonder Woman was great and all, almost better if you consider it a standalone movie where the other DC movies don't exist. However, it's supposed to be one big shared universe so that leaves some problems for me. Maybe I'm just missing something and someone can help me out. Here are just a few:

1. Where has Wonder Woman been all this time? She said she left man's world in BvS because we're jerks. However, it's implied that after the events of the film, she changed her mind right then and there. Huh?

2. So which is it? Either way....where was she when Zod came to Earth and nearly destroyed Metropolis? Why do Batman & Superman act like they've never seen or heard of her before when she shows up to fight Doomsday? She's freaking Diana Prince. You know, she helped win WWI? Witnessed by dozens of people? Even if she disappeared somehow, ALOT of people saw that magic lasso.

 

[DigificWriter]

Wonder Woman was great and all, almost better if you consider it a standalone movie where the other DC movies don't exist. However, it's supposed to be one big shared universe so that leaves some problems for me. Maybe I'm just missing something and someone can help me out. Here are just a few:

1. Where has Wonder Woman been all this time? She said she left man's world in BvS because we're jerks. However, it's implied that after the events of the film, she changed her mind right then and there. Huh?

This is not actually what happened, as clarified by Patty Jenkins. When Diana told Bruce at Clark's funeral that she had walked away from mankind and a century of horrors, she was not speaking literally. What actually occurred, as chronicled in Wonder Woman itself, is that she realized that she was not in fact duty-bound to save mankind from themselves and, consequently, stepped back from the kinds of actions she had taken during WW1.

2. So which is it? Either way....where was she when Zod came to Earth and nearly destroyed Metropolis? Why do Batman & Superman act like they've never seen or heard of her before when she shows up to fight Doomsday? She's freaking Diana Prince. You know, she helped win WWI? Witnessed by dozens of people? Even if she disappeared somehow, ALOT of people saw that magic lasso.

Given that she did not actually physically remove herself from "man's world" following WW1 (see above), we don't know for sure what she may or may not have done during World War 2, but it is not automatically a 'given' that her exploits over the intervening years between 1918 and 2015 would've come to either Clark or Bruce's attention had her path not crossed with theirs as a result of her quest to retrieve the photograph of herself, Steve, Sameer, Charlie, and Chief, a quest that, as we learn in Wonder Woman, was not in fact motivated by a desire to "hide her secret", but instead to retrieve the only visual connection to/reminder of Steve that she had.

 

[slappy]

Given that she did not actually physically remove herself from "man's world" following WW1 (see above), we don't know for sure what she may or may not have done during World War 2, but it is not automatically a 'given' that her exploits over the intervening years between 1918 and 2015 would've come to either Clark or Bruce's attention had her path not crossed with theirs as a result of her quest to retrieve the photograph of herself, Steve, Sameer, Charlie, and Chief, a quest that, as we learn in Wonder Woman, was not in fact motivated by a desire to "hide her secret", but instead to retrieve the only visual connection to/reminder of Steve that she had.

Ok so where was she when Zod came? I have trouble with the idea that she chose to stay away when Zod came to Earth nearly destroyed it. If so, she's no hero at all. Doomsday seemed to snap her back into action, but Zod was much, much worse and not an isolated incident. The entire world knew what was happening and there was nowhere in the world that she could've been that she didn't know. Unless she was on Themyscira, but that's a story that I think needs telling.

 

[JD]

Did Superman make his public debut before or after Zod's arrival? I haven't seen MoS since it was in theaters, so I don't remember a lot of the details.
If he was already operating publicly, she just assumed he could handle it since they were his people.
Honestly, this kind of things happens all the time in the comics, so you pretty much have to just not give it a lot of thought.

 

[DigificWriter]

I have trouble with the idea that she chose to stay away when Zod came to Earth nearly destroyed it. If so, she's no hero at all.

That's going a step too far. She had no obligation to get involved with the Kryptonian invasion directly, and no personal connections to what was happening that would motivate her to do so.

Doomsday seemed to snap her back into action, but Zod was much, much worse and not an isolated incident. The entire world knew what was happening and there was nowhere in the world that she could've been that she didn't know. Unless she was on Themyscira, but that's a story that I think needs telling.

She intervened with the Doomsday battle because she was in physical proximity to it on account of searching for the photograph of herself, Steve, Chief, Charlie, and Sameer. It's also very likely that something about the news coverage of what was happening sparked her to action given that, at the time, Steve and the lost love they'd shared was at the forefront of her mind.

 

[slappy]

Did Superman make his public debut before or after Zod's arrival? I haven't seen MoS since it was in theaters, so I don't remember a lot of the details.
If he was already operating publicly, she just assumed he could handle it since they were his people.
Honestly, this kind of things happens all the time in the comics, so you pretty much have to just not give it a lot of thought.

But he couldn't handle it and had to surrender himself. He was outmatched and everyone on Earth knew it. Plus they had ships.

He needed her help and she could've saved countless lives.

Situations similar to this happen in the comics, but not exactly like this and they make sure to explain it. Zod threatened the entire world and put a loooong timetable on it. In the DCU, others would've responded. In the DCEU there are only a few people able to help.

That's going a step too far. She had no obligation to get involved with the Kryptonian invasion directly, and no personal connections to what was happening that would motivate her to do so.

She has no obligation to be a hero at all, but the Wonder Woman I know isn't going to let some maniac from outer space destroy Earth. That's just not Diana's nature or in her character. If she's anywhere near a TV when Zod issues his ultimatum to Superman in every language on Earth, she's going to act.

She intervened with the Doomsday battle because she was in physical proximity to it on account of searching for the photograph of herself, Steve, Chief, Charlie, and Sameer. It's also very likely that something about the news coverage of what was happening sparked her to action given that, at the time, Steve and the lost love they'd shared was at the forefront of her mind.

Eh, they gotta do better.

 

[DigificWriter]

She has no obligation to be a hero at all, but the Wonder Woman I know isn't going to let some maniac from outer space destroy Earth. That's just not Diana's nature or in her character. If she's anywhere near a TV when Zod issues his ultimatum to Superman in every language on Earth, she's going to act.

Did you even pay any attention to the character's story arc in her own movie? Because it was made very clear that, according to everything she grew up believing and being told, she did in fact have an obligation to be mankind's protector, something that, through her experiences in WW1 with Ares, she later came to realize was not actually true. Mankind didn't need protecting as if they were children.

The fight with Zod is not something she would've automatically felt compelled to get involved with directly given the way her own film ends and the things that it tells us about her, regardless of how the character has been portrayed in other mediums.

 

[Nerys Myk]

She was busy elsewhere.

 

[DigificWriter]

She was busy elsewhere.

Or she was just going about her normal business in Paris, which, as far as I can remember, wasn't affected, at least directly, by the World Engine.

 

[Ovation]

Dealing with emergency off-screen (the world is still a big place with multiple challenges)?
Off-world (if on Olympus, would an earthly threat with no mystical properties even be noticed)?
On Themyscira? Not like they get CNN.
Getting a mani-pedi? (maybe not )

This is a standard trope (in comics and movies)--otherwise, 99% of such situations would have multiple heroes participating. So far, of two similar situations, one was solo, one was three: 50% is much higher than in the comics.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Superman was the only hero in the Quadrant.

 

[Ovation]

If we're going to ask where Diana was, why not also ask where the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 was? An extinction level threat like the World Engine usually had the Guardians compelling a Lantern to deal with such a threat (at least it did back in the 60s/70s--oops, showing my age ).

 

[Nerys Myk]

If we're going to ask where Diana was, why not also ask where the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 was? An extinction level threat like the World Engine usually had the Guardians compelling a Lantern to deal with such a threat (at least it did back in the 60s/70s--oops, showing my age ).

What about the rest of the Future JL? Aquaman hiding in the Marianas Trench till everything blows over?

 

[Tosk]

The comics have every hero dealing with their own crap on a daily basis without help from others (even when they are also explicitly a member of a team), so I don't understand why the films can't get the same leeway .

 

[Jedi Marso]

*Reposted from another thread, because it goes better here...

The way I interpreted all this, Diana is not actually made from clay, but is Zeus' daughter by Hippolyta (sp?) and therefore a god (or at least a demigod, the the same manner as Perseus from Greek mythology). Ares says that only a god can kill another god. We know that Diana either doesn't age, or ages so slowly that she is, for all practical purposes, immortal.

So...

1. Is Diana immortal or merely extremely long lived?
2. If only a god can kill her, why did her aunt have to take a bullet for her? Honestly, she survived much worse than that in the third act of the movie.
3. Given that she appears to be a god, cannot (apparently) be wounded, can sort of fly, and is practically immortal, it would seem like she doesn't truly need to deflect bullets fired at her with bracelets or a shield. In the end of the movie she generated her own forcefield. In fact, it would appear that she is as powerful and indestructible as Superman, and without having a weakness like kryptonite to worry about! Is this supposed to be the case? Does this jibe with the historical WW of the comics or is it something new?

 

[Nerys Myk]

1. Is Diana immortal or merely extremely long lived?

Time will tell.

2. If only a god can kill her, why did her aunt have to take a bullet for her? Honestly, she survived much worse than that in the third act of the movie.

She hadn't unlocked God-mode yet.

3. Given that she appears to be a god, cannot (apparently) be wounded, can sort of fly, and is practically immortal, it would seem like she doesn't truly need to deflect bullets fired at her with bracelets or a shield. In the end of the movie she generated her own forcefield. In fact, it would appear that she is as powerful and indestructible as Superman, and without having a weakness like kryptonite to worry about! Is this supposed to be the case? Does this jibe with the historical WW of the comics or is it something new?

By the end of the film she was in full God-mode.
Like most comics heros, her powers have evolved over time. Even Superman started off as a guy who could leap an eight of a mile and wasn't invulnerable. Similarly Wonder Woman used to only be able to glide on air currents rather than fly. She's not usually bullet proof though. A lucky shot can harm her. I think that's true in the movie, as well.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

It's just like the Avengers in their solo films.

Where were the Avengers when Tony's house was blown up and he was missing and presumed dead in Iron Man 3?

Where were the Avengers when Washington D.C. was devastated during SHIELD's collapse and the days before, when Cap was branded a fugitive?

Where were the Avengers during the Convergence and big black space ship attacked London?


I'm sure in future DC films, we're going to be asking similar questions.

Why Supes doesn't fly over to Gotham to help with the Joker, Riddler or Deathstroke?

If the Flash is so fast, why doesn't he show up in every other JLeaugers movie?

Etc.

 

[Anwar]

It's just like the Avengers in their solo films.

Where were the Avengers when Tony's house was blown up and he was missing and presumed dead in Iron Man 3?

Cap and Widow were off on the wild goose chases to find the Mandarin, Hawkeye was either with them or retired. The events of Iron Man 3 take place only over a course of a few days.

Where were the Avengers when Washington D.C. was devastated during SHIELD's collapse and the days before, when Cap was branded a fugitive?

Again, Winter Soldier takes place over only a few days. Hawkeye was supposed to appear but they couldn't get Renner back in time.

Where were the Avengers during the Convergence and big black space ship attacked London?

Thor 2's final battle took place over a few hours, they didn't have time to get to England in time before it was over.

With MOS, things went on long enough for others to wonder what was happening.

Most likely Wonder Woman was waiting it out to see what was going to happen. By the time fighting broke out, she was too far away to get to Metropolis or India in time.

 

[Ovation]

With MOS, things went on long enough for others to wonder what was happening.

Not really any differently than in your marvellous examples. From the time Superman surrenders to the army and the end of the fight with Zod, at most, six hours have gone by--more likely four. If that was "long enough", then so were most of your examples.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Didn't Tony have a line about needing "to do this on my own" in IM3?

When we went to see TWS, during a scene when Cap and Falcon were in battle together, my friend leaned over and whispered "this should be Iron Man helping him out!" Of course, we've since had people complaining that Iron Man "took over" Civil War and looks set to do the same in Spider-man: Homecoming.

I'm in the camp that says issues like Diana's absence during the battle for Metropolis are a peril of shared universes and we just have to accept them like we do in comic books (or like when we didn't see the ENT-E during DS9's Dominion War).