How 'Wonder Woman' Helps Create Diversity For Future Superhero Flicks

As "Wonder Woman" made its theatrical debut with Israeli actress Gal Gadot pulling the reigns on June 2, the success and attention garnered from it could potentially shift Hollywood to more diversity in future superhero movies.

Hollywood has produced numerous superhero films but ones featuring women have mostly flopped. "Catwoman" and "Elektra" but neither received critical acclaim or box office success of "Wonder Woman."

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Halle Berry's "Catwoman" was a box office failure as it brought in around $80 million against a $100 million budget. The reviews for the film were also dismal, as Rotten Tomatoes shows it only holds a 9 percent rating on its aggregation scale. As for Jennifer Garner's "Elektra," the film generated around $56 million in box office sales against a $43 million budget. Rotten Tomatoes show's the film holds a 10 percent rating on the aggregation scale.

A good script, a marketable star, an experienced director and good timing have all helped "Wonder Woman" exceed expectations. Where other female superhero films sputtered from either poor reviewers or at the box office, "Wonder Woman" has not only scored over 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes but the film has currently made over $500 million in box office sales worldwide.

Patty Jenkins, the director behind the Warner Bros. and D.C. Comics venture, deservedly earned the title for the biggest opening weekend debut for a female director in history. Coincidentally, back in 2015, the previous holder of this title belonged to "Fifty Shades of Grey" director Sam Taylor-Johnson. Nonetheless, this milestone for Jenkins will prove to be a major step for all female filmmakers, as they will most likely be given more big studio opportunities as this.

Read: What 'Wonder Woman' Director Patty Jenkins Thinks About Women-Only Screenings

As "Captain Marvel" makes its theatrical debut in 2019 with Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson in the titular role, the success of "Wonder Woman" could pave the way for potential success with Larson's venture and other female-led superhero flicks. However, this could also be problematic for "Captain Marvel" since it will have to live up to the legacy of "Wonder Woman."

While Jenkins' directorial efforts will serve as a major transitioning point for female filmmakers and the superhero genre overall, Gadot's ethnicity also comes into play, too.

Gadot's Israeli background doesn't necessarily fall cleanly in line with America's standardized racial categories. While this may have called for some controversy leading up to its debut including Fox News' belief that the casting choice wasn't "American" enough, this will make it easier for more ethnically and racially diverse heroes to take center stage.

Marvel's "Black Panter" is set to debut with an all-star cast of black actors alongside a black director, Ryan Coogler. Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, Forrest Whitaker, and Angela Bassett are among the many names of black actors taking the reigns on this upcoming project.

In taking race into consideration, Forbes touches on the fact that black males in the titular spots of superhero flicks are still abnormal since Hollywood doesn't typically make "room" for it.

"The very idea of a big-budget comic book superhero movie starring a black man is still a big deal, which partially explains why almost every black actor you can think of ended up in this cast," Forbes noted in June. "The conventional big-budget blockbuster usually has room for only one or two black characters, so this 90% black cast is the best deal in town for a deluge of notable black performers."

Moviepilot, a fan centric online site, notes this transition of seeing more gender and ethnic representation in superhero films. Previously, it would've been unheard of to see anyone successfully leading a superhero film that wasn't a white male.

"The great thing is that fans are welcoming these new heroes with open arms. Thanks to Wonder Woman, the call for more movies with female leads has grown much louder — and it's being heard," Moviepilot noted on Friday. "Between Black Panther and Netflix's Luke Cage — acclaimed for its cast, crew and depicting real-world issues — we're seeing people of color headlining the kind of films and shows that, for years, have mostly featured white actors."

While "Wonder Women" will most likely spark change within the theatrical versions of future superhero films, it still can't be proven immediately as time will end up being the ultimate decider.