Why Wonder Woman's Hatred Of Guns Means More Than You Think

Wonder Woman 1984 is out in the world, and — since it's Christmas time, and people are huddled away from the cold, with naught to do but watch movies — Princess Diana is getting seen. Nearly everyone has not just watched the movie, but is also talking about it. Not only are people talking, but they're really getting into the weeds of what makes Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman tick. 

One particular thing people are talking about is a certain line from the beginning of the film: There's a big robbery scene at the mall, where some thieves are looking to steal black market items from a jewelry store, including the Dreamstone, which drives much of the film's plot. However, before these criminals can get away, Wonder Woman swoops in to save the day. This fight scene fulfills a big promise coming out of the first Wonder Woman movie, to make a sequel that's much more colorful and fun. Diana is in all bright colors, she's smiling, and she's saving kid's lives — it's exciting and adorable. But one of the biggest interesting moments from that scene isn't when a man dangles a small child over the railing, but rather, when Diana knocks a gun out of one of the men's hands.

"We won't be doing that today," says Diana, to the man who first pulls his gun. And when two more men pull their pistols in front of another young girl, Diana pushes her out of the way before breaking those guns with her bare hands. "I hate guns," she says.

Why does Wonder Woman hate guns, though? And why is that more relevant than you might think? Let's break down Diana's relationship with guns, based on what we know from the four DCEU films she has appeared in so far.

Guns don't have much in common with Amazonian weaponry, in general. There's really no point, prior to the German invasion, in which we see people native to Themyscira have any experience with a gun. We certainly see them use ranged weapons — Wonder Woman 1984 even opens its narrative with a flashback on Themyscira, wherein we see Diana very confidently shooting a bow and arrow, and hurling spears. Guns, though? They just aren't a part of Amazon artillery.

Unfortunately for the Amazons, when the Germans do invade in the first Wonder Woman movie, they absolutely do have guns. Keep in mind, Diana is the only child on Themyscira, so she's kind of every Amazon's kid, but it's made clear that she has a special relationship with Antiope (Robin Wright), the strongest fighter on the whole dang island. 

So, then, imagine the sense of unfairness that Diana feels when her aunt dies at the end of a German rifle. Remember that the Amazons, up until that point, have effectively been immortals. That means Diana, throughout her life, has never really known death until Antiope is murdered by a gun. 

That factor, alone, is enough of a reason for Diana to hate guns. And she wouldn't be the only DC superhero who has such negative associations with firearms, either, which might play into her later connection with Batman.

Batman's origin story is well-trodden ground. In fact, there may not be a superhero origin that's been adapted more times than that of the Dark Knight. For the sake of pointing out the parallel, though: A young Bruce Wayne exits a theater with his parents, they get accosted by muggers, shots are fired, Thomas and Martha Wayne are dead, and the Batman is born. In short: Bruce Wayne, much like Diana, hates guns. Both of them lost family members to firearms, and these losses are what drove them to become Wonder Woman and Batman.

We've seen Bruce (Ben Affleck) and Diana interact in both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the theatrical cut of Justice League. And while in the latter film a lot of hay is made of Bruce's attraction to Diana, it's not as clear if Diana feels that way toward Bruce, since — at least, as of the eighties — she is still nursing a broken heart over Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). However, it's interesting to see that both of them, while they have very different moral codes, have a shared hatred of guns. Their relationship might not ever become a romantic one (it's hard to know what happens yet in the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and while the comics have occasionally brought Diana and Bruce together, it's never been a lasting thing), but nonetheless, we do know they have this very deep connection: not only have they both lost someone they love to a gun, but they'll both do anything they can to prevent something like that from happening to anyone else, to the best of their abilities.

Wonder Woman 1984 can be seen in theaters, and streaming on HBO Max.