Elizabeth Debicki Replacing Gal Gadot As Wonder Woman - A DC Casting Rumor Explained

Superheroes tend to wear many faces, and that's why studios tend to recast them confidently between pictures and when rebooting on-screen universes. There have been three live-action Sue Storms in the past 40 years, for instance. Conversely, there are examples of recasting rumors that don't amount to anything in the end, such as the one where DC Studios head James Gunn was allegedly planning to replace Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman with one specific rising star.

The lucky Wonder Woman to be, per Instagram rumors begun by DCcommunityofBengal, was Elizabeth Debicki. The actor, best known for her portrayal of Princess Diana of Wales in the series "The Crown," has had a lot of recent critical buzz attached to her name –  she earned an Emmy nomination for the part, among other accolades. With such a wave of publicity behind her, she seems like a natural shoo-in to play the Amazonian princess. The only problem? Gunn himself has spoken up to debunk those rumors on his Threads account. 

"This is coming from a site that's just making up a bunch of stuff (I love working with Elizabeth but I've never even had this thought)," he clarified. As of this writing, there's no word as to who will be Gunn's DC Universe Wonder Woman, or where she'll make her debut. However, Gunn and Debicki have definitely crossed paths before, as he noted above.

The connection between Elizabeth Debicki and James Gunn goes back to "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," where the former appeared as Ayesha and the latter served as co-writer, director, and producer. Determined to recover the batteries Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) stole from her, Ayesha enlists the Ravagers to retrieve her property. The free-for-all ultimately results in her defeat and that of the High Evolutionary.

She isn't one, however, to take defeat lying down. She decides to line up the ultimate weapon in the form of her son,  Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), as seen in a post-credits scene. But his creation ends up portenting her doom. Ayesha and Warlock have much more prominent roles in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and audiences quickly learn that Warlock's childlike ways — which occur after Ayesha pulls him from his incubator too soon — will be a significant roadblock to her plans for revenge. The head of the Sovereign meets her doom in an explosion, ending her work with the High Evolutionary.

While the "Guardians" series is the sole time so far that Gunn and Debicki have worked together, there's always a chance they might work together once again — but probably not with Debicki portraying Wonder Woman.