Wonder Woman will join the DCU in the not-too-distant future, but until then, there are plenty of Wonder Woman shows and movies worth revisiting to get to know Diana Prince. Gal Gadot starred as Wonder Woman throughout the run of the DCEU, but as of 2023, the DCEU was officially retired.

Now, James Gunn has taken the helm and begun to build out the new and (hopefully) improved DCU, which meant starting over with a brand-new cast, and fresh new faces in the iconic roles of the Justice League team members.

However, that is not to say that there haven’t been some incredible Wonder Woman stories that have been released before the DCEU, and between the newer releases. So, ahead of a new Wonder Woman landing in the DCU, there is a lot to rediscover and explore.

8

Wonder Woman (2009)

Starting strong with the incredible animated Wonder Woman movie from 2009. Before the DCEU debuted in theaters with Man of Steel in 2013, the DC animated universe was absolutely exploding in popularity. However, these films were not theatrically released, which means some went under the radar.

This film was largely based on the George Perez run of Wonder Woman comics, from the “Gods and Mortals” arc, which despite sounding similar to the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, is unrelated.

The film has a lot in common with the 2017 live-action film, in terms of beginning in ancient Themyscira, before moving into a more modern setting and having Diana Prince meet Steve Trevor. The setting is more contemporary, but Ares is again the primary antagonist, and the overall story is compelling and fun.

7

Wonder Woman: Bloodlines

In 2019, another animated Wonder Woman story was released in the form of Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. This time, the hero, Diana Prince, is voiced by the incredible Rosario Dawson, best known for her roles in Star Wars as Ahsoka, and Claire Temple in the Netflix Marvel shows.

This movie links in with the larger DC Animated Movie Universe, and it explores Diana facing some of her greatest villains from throughout her history, as they unite to form Villainy Inc. It’s an intense and action-packed 79 minutes of pure joy.

6

Justice League: Doom

In 2012, while the MCU debuted The Avengers as a superhero team for the first time in live-action, DC brought together a star-studded cast to deliver their Justice League in the animated film, Justice League: Doom.

Kevin Conroy voiced Batman, Michael Rosenbaum voiced Barry Allen, Nathan Fillion gave voice to the Green Lantern, Tim Daly voiced Superman, Carl Lumbley voiced Martian Manhunter, and Susan Eisenberg voiced Wonder Woman. It’s a stunning group of talent, and it resulted in an outstanding film.

Justice League: Doom sees the team come together to fight against Vandal Savage and his plans to begin a new civilization. Initially, Wonder Woman is infected with a virus that causes her to go on a rampage, but with the help of her friends, she manages to break free, and put an end to the nefarious plans of Savage and his allies.

5

Wonder Woman (2017)

Switching gears to live-action, the DCEU movies featuring Diana Prince are important parts of the characters’ history in live-action, and well worth revisiting before the DCU reboots her story. And perhaps the best of those live-action films is the first movie released in 2017.

As mentioned above, Diana Prince starts out in Themyscira as a young girl, watching the other older and wiser Amazonians training vigorously to prevent falling prey to an attack from the outside world. But as Diana grows up, she continues to express an interest in fighting and becoming a warrior.

Eventually, Diana is allowed to train, and she becomes one of the greatest warriors on Themyscira, but before her training is complete, the outside world arrives on the shores of their island. This is when Diana meets Steve Trevor, and their connection begins to form.

The film is a stunning exploration of the character’s origin story, and is particularly focused on seeing Diana transition from being a naive girl whose sheltered life on Themyscira has left her unaware of the struggles of the wider world.

It also includes some of the most stunning scenes as Diana takes on the role of Wonder Woman, and begins to become a symbol and an icon for others to look up to. All around, an excellent entry in Wonder Woman’s catalog.

4

Wonder Woman 1984

Now, Wonder Woman 1984 has some issues in terms of continuity within the franchise, and the story is a lot more fantastical than the more grounded 2017 film. However, it is an important part of the history of the character, and despite a wishy-washy story, the action is stunning.

Gal Gadot returns to play the live-action hero on the big screen, and her performance remains remarkably consistent with the first movie. This film is considerably less serious and dark than the original, but it has its moments.

While this entry may be slightly less essential for revisiting the characters greatest hits, it’s one of only a handful of live-action films starring Wonder Woman, and as such, it makes sense to watch and compare to anything that will come out of the DCU.

3

Harley Quinn

Back to animation and shifting to another character entirely, Harley Quinn, the animated show that began in 2019 and stars Kaley Cuoco voicing the lead role has quickly become one of the more expansive iterations of a DC universe on TV.

To date, the series has five seasons and 57 episodes. And in that run, Wonder Woman has appeared in 11 separate episodes. That’s not an insignificant number, and she starts appearing from the very first season onward.

This is a much more regal version of the character voiced by Vanessa Marshall, juxtaposed with the largely comedy-focused series. But this adds another dimension to the character that is fun to see.

2

Justice League (2017)

Next up, the live-action Justice League film that was released in 2017 has its flaws. However, it is important to consider how momentous this film really is. Up to this point, live-action versions of the Justice League were largely seen in TV shows with much lower budgets, but this was a marked difference.

Diana Prince plays a pivotal role in the film, not least because her home of Themyscira is invaded by Steppenwolf, but also because she is instrumental in bringing the team together that would become the Justice League.

The film is a great example of how Diana Prince can be a binding force, and someone who brings others together. All things considered, this is another film that will be interesting to compare to the DCU’s Justice League when they eventually arrive on the scene.

1

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Now, this may technically be the same movie, with the same building blocks as the one referenced above, but anyone can see that there are momentous differences that distinguish this from the film released in 2017.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League was one of the most H๏τly anticipated director’s cuts of a movie of all time, with fans of the Snyderverse rallying together to get this film released. And in 2021, during the height of the COVID pandemic, the studio released this special extended edition.

While it is a trek, with the movie totaling just over four hours, there is a lot more time dedicated to exploring characters like Diana Prince. The movie again has its flaws, but in the canon of Wonder Woman, it’s a must-watch ahead of her arrival in the DCU.