The Iconic Wonder Woman Scene That Was Almost Cut From The Film
In the mid-2010s, Warner Bros. was hard at work assembling the DC Extended Universe by introducing DC fans to the franchise's top heroes. 2013's "Man of Steel" gave audiences a new Superman portrayed by Henry Cavill, who reemerged in 2016 for "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" alongside Ben Affleck's Batman. The latter film also hosted the DCEU entrance of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, and audiences couldn't get enough of the famed Amazonian warrior. Thankfully, 2017 would bring with it a Wonder Woman solo movie that blew the majority of moviegoers away.
Instead of picking up where Diana's story sat at the end of "Batman v. Superman," "Wonder Woman" took viewers back to the early 20th century. As the titular hero enjoyed a relatively tranquil life at her home in Themyscira, World War 1 ravaged the rest of the globe. This directly leads to pilot Steve Trevor's (Chris Pine) crash landing near the island, and when he informs Diana of the conflict, she decides to try and end it herself — believing Ares (David Thewlis), the God of War, to be the one responsible.
"Wonder Woman" is loaded with heart and action, in addition to serving as a great point of entry for those hoping to learn the basics of the lead character. Not to mention, it's packed with several key moments that have cemented their place in pop culture over the years. However, had it not been for some behind-the-scenes resistance from director Patty Jenkins, a now-iconic moment would've wound up on the cutting room floor.
Patty Jenkins had to fight to keep the No Man's Land scene
Shortly after leaving Themyscira, Diana joins Steve Trevor in the trenches as they make an effort to stop General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Dr. Isabel Maru's (Elena Anaya) impending chemical attack. The only issue is that they somehow have to cross No Man's Land — a large, desolate stretch of land between them and the enemy encampment with next to no cover — without being blown to bits. Bravely, Diana emerges from the trench and walks across the battlefield with ease, allowing her allies to advance.
The image of Wonder Woman pushing forward against enemy bombardment remains one of the strongest images to grace the DCEU. As it turns out, we all have director Patty Jenkins to thank for the scene ending up in the final cut of the film. As she revealed to Fandango in May of 2017, she had to fight to keep it because it "made the least sense to other people going in." According to her, many complained that her fending off bullets wasn't very intriguing, which downplays the overall symbolism of the sequence.
"I take deep gratification that, ultimately, all of us together were able to turn it into that scene. It was always the most important scene in the movie to me in that it is the birth of Wonder Woman," Jenkins concludes, and it's safe to say that her dedication to the scene paid off. Wonder Woman's badass march across No Man's Land is and forever will be one of the coolest moments in comic book movie history. The film and the DCEU at large wouldn't be the same without it.