Wonder Woman: 5 Comic Book Stories James Gunn’s Reboot Could Adapt

The Man of Steel isn’t the only DC hero who is getting a new look in James Gunn‘s universe. As part of his press tour for Superman, Gunn has let drop that a new Wonder Woman movie is in the works. This isn’t a huge surprise. After all, Wonder Woman’s arch-enemy Circe and the hero’s home island Themyscira were a big part of Creature Commandos, the first official part of Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. Gunn has also previously mentioned a Game of Thrones-style television series among the first batch of DC Universe projects.

Still, this is the first time Gunn’s confirmed that Diana will be back on the big screen. Now Gunn hasn’t provided any details, and he’s always been clear that movies only start shooting after they have a script in place, so we’ll likely have to wait a while for specifics. But we do know that Gunn likes to draw inspiration from the comics. That can be a good thing and a bad thing.

For such a foundational character to the DC Universe, a lot of boring to downright bad comics have been made about Diana. Even the Golden Age stories, which best embody creator William Moulton Marston’s belief that Wonder Woman comics could teach the world about the joys of loving submission to a powerful woman, have all the racism one would expect from the period, as well as too many jokes made about sidekick Etta Candy’s weight. Even worse are the stories that came after Marston, which could treat Diana as either a mindless innocent (see ignominious run by famed author Jodi Picoult) or as a cruel violent warrior (see… too many to count).

However, the best stories about Wonder Woman are among the best comics ever made. These comics understand that Wonder Woman is completely unique character among superheroes, an ambassador of peace and love who teaches compassion first, violence last. If Gunn follows these stories, five of which are listed here, then we’ll have a great Wonder Woman movie to enjoy.

The Twelve Labors, Wonder Woman #212-222 (1974–1976)

The Silver Age wasn’t the best time for Wonder Woman, perhaps best demonstrated by the infamous story when she loses her powers and becomes a martial arts expert/secret agent. But The Twelve Labors by Len Wein, Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggin, Curt Swan, and others stands out as a bright spot in a dull time.

The premise is… not great. The Justice League of America needs to reevaluate Wonder Woman’s status and eligibility, so they put her through a series of tests. Yes, that’s a pretty ugly story, given that Wonder Woman (in this continuity) has been around since World War II and given that the League largely consists of men. But a surprisingly high amount of Silver Age DC stories are about superheroes pulling pranks on one another, so it’s not entirely as nefarious a concept as it might seem.

Despite whatever ickiness the premise evokes, The Twelve Labors mostly consists of various members of the League challenging Diana and losing. More than a mere power fantasy, the story serves to distinguish Wonder Woman from her fellow superheroes, showing how she can use her might, her wits, and her accessories to get the job done—not just relying on, say, super-speed or a power ring.

The Princess and the Power, Wonder Woman #1–14 (1987–1988)

Much has been written about Crisis on Infinite Earths and the comics that redefined major characters around that time, particularly Batman: Year One and Man of Steel. Too often people forget about the amazing reboot that writer and artist George Pérez did with Wonder Woman. So important is Pérez and co-writer Greg Potter’s reinvention that all of the other reboots that followed largely stuck with Pérez’s interpretation, save for the disastrous New 52 reimagining by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang.

It’s easy to see why Pérez’s run endures. Pérez keyed in on the central hook that made Wonder Woman such a sensation in the Golden Age. She’s an outsider from a mythical paradise come to show the rest of the world a better way. Pérez’s Wonder Woman comes from the worlds of Greek gods far more than she does superheroes, which raises the stakes of her stories while also separating her power set from that of others. Moreover she’s an ambassador, one who doesn’t fully belong in “Man’s World.”

Under Pérez, Wonder Woman felt truly exceptional, even when she entered a world populated with people in capes flying around. She didn’t understand the rest of the world but she wasn’t naive either. The best parts of the Patty Jenkins movies understood this balance. Even though Gunn will be going his own direction from Jenkins’ films, he would do well to follow her lead and consult the Pérez books.

Down to Earth, Wonder Woman #195–200, 2003–2004)

Writer Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman run rivals that of Pérez, not because he rebooted or reimagined the character, but because he took Pérez’s stories to their logical end. In Rucka’s first arc, “Down to Earth,” penciled by Drew Johnson, Wonder Woman is still an ambassador to the rest of the world, which means that she must serve a political purpose by representing Themyscira in the United Nations.

Instead of being embarrassed by the inherent goofiness of an Amazonian princess hanging out with diplomats in suits and ties, Rucka leans into the absurdity. A minotaur shows up in the office. Diana misses meetings to fight Doctor Psycho. Rucka also gives Diana her own Lex Luthor in Veronica Cale, a PR whiz who uses Wonder Woman’s own words against her.

Rucka likewise finds conflict in the way Diana’s idealism clashes with the rest of the world. The scenes in the new Superman trailer, in which Clark gets mad about being called out for stopping a war, feel like they come from Rucka’s Wonder Woman more than they do any Superman comic. But Rucka’s comics have one big difference: Diana knows that she represents her island and thus invokes the same rights and respect as any dignitary, even if that means fighting hostile nations.

Wonder Woman: Earth One, 2016–2021

This is a debatable pick, and some Wonder Woman fans will likely head straight to the comments. For as much as Grant Morrison completely understands Superman and Batman, they tend to stumble when writing Wonder Woman. By their own admission, Morrison moved Wonder Woman off the board early in 2005’s Final Crisis simply so they wouldn’t have to deal with her.

The three Earth One graphic novels do not prove that Morrison, working here with artist Yanick Paquette, has finally cracked Diana. There are A LOT of off-beat moments in the story, including an oft-shared panel in which she asks Steve Trevor, a Black man in this universe, to allow her to chain him up. However, even in that weird bit of dissonance—which, it should be pointed out, isn’t ignored, as Trevor explains to Diana why her request is so offensive and she listens—Morrison tries to get at the function of Wonder Woman.

William Moulton Marston created Wonder Woman in 1941 to spread his worldview, one built on the belief that society functions best if men enter into “loving submission” to powerful women. As a result, there’s a lot of bondage in early Wonder Woman comics, which serves a philosophical function more than it does a sexual function. That aspect has been forgotten by most modern Wonder Woman stories, but Morrison was right to bring it back, even if they did so imperfectly.

Wonder Woman: Outlaw, Wonder Woman #1-26, 2023–present

Yes, another controversial pick. Tom King‘s mix of philosophical inquiry, in which superheroes are just as likely to talk about their trauma via a quote from Kant as they are to punch a bad guy, and shocking shifts in status quo (looking at you, Ric Grayson) makes his miniseries fantastic and his in-universe ongoings a head scratcher. Yet King and artist Daniel Sampere’s work on Wonder Woman is the best continuation of Rucka’s approach that we’ve yet seen.

In the first few issues, Wonder Woman becomes an enemy of the U.S.; she has crossed paths with the Sovereign, the true King of America, who uses the nation as his plaything; and when she refuses to give up to American authorities an Amazonian sister who has apparently slaughtered citizens, she must stand against the country with whom she once allied.

King’s take on Wonder Woman is probably close to Gunn’s mind, as he has King in his writing room and because the upcoming Supergirl movie is based on King and Bilquis Evely’s miniseries Supergirl: The Woman of Tomorrow. In fact, the Sons of Themyscira, the men’s rights dorks who show up in Creature Commandos, feel like something out of King’s run. As is often the case, King’s story doesn’t work for everyone. Wonder Woman makes some decisions that feel out of character, and the story focuses more on the Sovereign than it does her. But it’s a stark reminder that Wonder Woman is not an American and that she’s willing to cross the USA when her moral code demands it.

Special Mention: Absolute Wonder Woman

For my money, Absolute Wonder Woman is the best of DC’s reimagined Absolute line. Writer Kelly Thompson somehow makes Wonder Woman sweeter and more noble within this darker reality and Hayden Sherman’s art is nothing short of stunning. However, it is a hard turn from the standard Wonder Woman tale and really takes place in its own reality, very different from the one Gunn is building on screen. Absolute Wonder Woman is certainly a better comic book and Wonder Woman story than some of the others on this list, but it isn’t necessarily a good guide for a new movie.