We know that Kristen Wiig is playing Diana’s enemy The Cheetah in Patty Jenkins‘ ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel which appears to officially be named ‘Wonder Woman 1984’. There have been several Cheetahs in the comics, so fans wondered which incarnation Jenkins would use in the movie.
Technically, the Cheetah from 1984 was Deborah Domaine, who was essentially a normal woman, although she had been genetically altered to make her faster, stronger and more acrobatic. She also wore razor sharp claws on her fingers, but otherwise objectively, she shouldn’t have posed much of a threat to the strongest female superhero in the DC Universe.
She was succeeded by Barbara Ann Minerva, an ambitious archaeologist who performed a blood ritual that turned her into a half-human/half-feline being with actual formidable powers.
However, it appears that the script for ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, though set in the past, will borrow heavily from Greg Rucka’s recent ‘Rebirth’ storyline in which he recast Barbara Ann Minerva as Wonder Woman’s best friend until she is cursed by the god Urzkartaga and transformed. In this monstrous form, she blames Wonder Woman for her fate and swears to exact revenge.
Vulture’s Kyle Buchanan shared this scoop on Twitter:
Since today is a good day for WONDER WOMAN scoops, I’ve heard that Kristen Wiig starts the sequel as Diana’s friend, not her foe. She emulates Wonder Woman, then seeks to usurp her
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) June 13, 2018
It is just a rumor at this point, so take that with a grain of salt, but as far as rumors go, this one is pretty easy to believe. This creates a greater connection between hero and villain, thus making their conflict more engrossing. Wonder Woman will have a greater stake in this battle and Cheetah won’t just be some power-hungry fiend. It’s been suggested that the Cold War setting for this film will factor heavily in the plot, but how remains to be seen.
This news comes shortly after the first still photos from the filming of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ surfaced, including one image of Chris Pine, revealing that Steve Trevor will indeed be back for this sequel, despite the time jump and his apparent death in the first film.
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ has just begun filming and will be released on November 1, 2019.
