Summary

  • Gal Gadot's portrayal of Wonder Woman in the DCEU has been immensely successful, with her solo film becoming one of the franchise's most profitable projects.
  • The timeline of Wonder Woman's stories in the DCEU is not chronological, making it confusing to follow her journey. There have been multiple flashbacks and alternate realities involved.
  • While watching Wonder Woman's movies in chronological order may make sense for some, watching them in release order might provide a clearer understanding of her overall story and her impact on other DCEU heroes.

Wonder Woman made seven appearances in the DCEU, but not all of her stories were told in chronological order. Gal Gadot debuted as the DCEU's Wonder Woman in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside Henry Cavill's Superman and Ben Affleck's Batman. Since then, she went on to become one of the franchise's most crucial heroes, starring in two solo projects, and making a number of cameo appearances to better connect every project in the franchise. Although she became one of the DCEU's most consistent characters, few of Wonder Woman's DCEU stories have taken place in the present day, so the watch order for her projects can be confusing.

Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was the first to appear in a feature film and certainly the most successful live-action version of the DC Comics superhero. Her 2017 solo film became one of the DCEU's most profitable and popular projects, but demand for the hero has waned over the years. After the DCEU's reboot into the new DC Universe, it's been reported that Gal Gadot won't return as Wonder Woman, meaning a new actor may assume the role, though DC Studios hasn't yet confirmed this. Even so, Gadot has had a remarkable run as Diana Prince, the DCEU's Amazonian warrior, and has taken part in some of the franchise's biggest properties.

Every Wonder Woman Movie Appearance In Order

  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
  • Wonder Woman (2017)
  • Justice League (2017)
  • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  • Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
  • Peacemaker season 1 (2022)
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
  • The Flash (2023)

Wonder Woman Movies In Chronological Order

Gal Gadot in 2017's Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman's story in the DCEU was seldom told in chronological order. Being the daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus, the King of the Old Gods, grants Diana some incredible abilities, including a regenerative healing factor and immortality. This meant that Wonder Woman could take part in stories from throughout the history of the DCEU without Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman being recast. Wonder Woman made seven appearances in the DCEU, across both film and TV and created what could be quite a confusing timeline to follow, though Wonder Woman's DCEU journey can still be viewed in chronological order.

  • Wonder Woman (2017) is set primarily in 1918, though a portion of the film takes place millennia ago, showing Diana's childhood and training on Themyscira, and the very beginning and ending show Diana in the present day, presumably 2017, shortly before the events of Justice League.
  • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) is set primarily in 1984, though there are also flashbacks to Diana's childhood on Themyscira, and the film ends in the present day, presumably 2020.
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) takes place in 2015, eighteen months after the events of 2013's Man of Steel.
  • Justice League (2017) is set in 2017, roughly two years after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, though flashbacks do give viewers insight into an epic battle between Steppenwolf and the Earth's older heroes.
  • Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), although not considered canon to the DCEU, also takes place in 2017, set at exactly the same time as Justice League and detailing the same story, but including additional scenes from director Zack Snyder.
  • Peacemaker season 1, episode 8, "It's Cow or Never" (2022), features a cameo from Wonder Woman, though she isn't portrayed by Gal Gadot in the series. James Gunn's spinoff series takes place five months after The Suicide Squad, placing it roughly in 2022.
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) takes place four years after Thaddeus Sivana's defeat in 2019's Shazam!, meaning it's set in 2022/23.
  • The Flash (2023), although set primarily in an alternate reality's version of 2013, opens and closes with the action in 2023, which includes Wonder Woman's cameo at the beginning of the film.

Wonder Woman Movies In Release Order

Gal Gadot in 2020's Wonder Woman 1984

While watching Wonder Woman's DCEU movie timeline in chronological order may work for some, this technique could become confusing, as the franchise's films tend to jump around with flashbacks, alternate realities, and tales of the ancient history of the DCEU. Even Gadot's two solo DCEU projects, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984, although taking place primarily in the past, have important scenes in the present day. This means that watching Wonder Woman's DCEU projects in release order might make more sense for her overall story, and this would also demonstrate the impact she's had on other DCEU heroes.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (March 25, 2016)

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman in 2016's Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice

Gal Gadot made her DCEU debut as Diana of Themyscira, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The second film in the DCEU was originally set to be a sequel to 2013's Man of Steel but ended up as more of a prequel to 2017's Justice League by establishing a connection between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and teasing the team's other heroes. Gadot has a relatively small role in Batman v Superman compared to her superhero co-stars, though is revealed to be an antiquities dealer in her guise as Diana Prince before joining the battle against Doomsday as Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)

Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman in 2017's Wonder Woman

After Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017's Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, provided insight into Wonder Woman's origin story. Set in 1918, Diana is met by Chris Pine's Steve Trevor on the Amazons' shielded island of Themyscira and volunteers to travel to Europe to help him end World War I and defeat Ares, the Greek God of War. Wonder Woman explores Diana's budding relationship with Steve, which ends in tragedy when he sacrifices his life to save thousands more, though Diana is able to defeat Ares and stop the war. Wonder Woman also solidified the connection between Diana Prince and Affleck's Bruce Wayne, leading directly into Justice League.

Justice League (November 17, 2017)

Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg in 2017's Justice League

Justice League brought the titular team together for the first time in the DCEU, though it was shrouded in controversy after original director Zack Snyder left the project, allowing Joss Whedon to make several changes to his story. Wonder Woman became a key part of the team in their battle against Steppenwolf and his Parademons, particularly since one of the coveted Mother Boxes resided on Themyscira. At the end of Justice League, Diana and Bruce Wayne set up a permanent base of operations for the team, though this setting wouldn't actually be seen again in the DCEU.

Wonder Woman 1984 (December 25, 2020)

Wonder Woman in 2020's Wonder Woman 1984

Set primarily in 1984, Patty Jenkins' sequel Wonder Woman 1984 catches up with Diana while she's working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. There, she befriends Kristen Wiig's Barbara Minerva, though drama ensues when the mysterious Dreamstone grants Minerva similar powers to Diana. For Wonder Woman herself, her yearning for Steve Trevor makes him come back to life in another man's body, allowing the two to be reunited. After defeating Minerva's Cheetah and the nefarious Maxwell Lorenzano, everything soon returns to normal, and Diana is reunited with man Steve possessed in the present day.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (March 18, 2021)

Wonder Woman in 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League

After years of original DCEU fans calling for Zack Snyder to return to direct his vision for Justice League, the director's cut, Zack Snyder's Justice League, was released on HBO Max in 2021. The storyline of both films is practically the same, though the director's cut features far more development for each of the team's core characters, including Wonder Woman herself. The ending of Zack Snyder's Justice League leaves Diana Prince in the same place as Justice League did, yet this would have no impact on the future of the DCEU whatsoever and isn't officially considered to be canon to the DCEU.

Peacemaker Season 1, Episode 8 (February 17, 2022)

Justice League members in 2022's Peacemaker finale

Peacemaker season 1's finale featured Viola Davis' Amanda Waller calling on the Justice League for help against the parasitic Butterflies, yet the team didn't arrive until after John Cena's Christopher Smith had already defeated the Butterflies' cow. Superman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Wonder Woman appear in this scene, though only Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller returned to portray their roles. Gal Gadot wasn't available due to her promoting projects, including Red Notice and Death on the Nile, so Wonder Woman was instead played by actor and stunt double Kimberly Von Ilberg in Peacemaker.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (March 17, 2023)

Wonder Woman in 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Gal Gadot has a brief cameo at the end of 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods, appearing before the Shazam family and the Daughters of Atlas to repair the broken staff and revive Billy Batson. After several jokes about Zachary Levi's Shazam having a romantic interest in Wonder Woman, her appearance at the end of the film was well-deserved. Unfortunately, Gadot's appearance in Shazam! Fury of the Gods did nothing to benefit the film's critical and commercial performance, as David F. Sandberg's sequel was branded as significantly inferior to its 2019 predecessor and became a huge box office bomb.

The Flash (June 16, 2023)

Wonder Woman in 2023's The Flash

Andy Muschietti's The Flash marked the final appearance of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in the DCEU, appearing only briefly at the beginning of the film to help Ezra Miller's Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, and Affleck's Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, to stop a robbery in Gotham City. The Flash was based on DC Comics' 2011 Flashpoint event, which included a monumental war between Wonder Woman's Amazons and Aquaman's Atlanteans, but this storyline was not adapted for the DCEU film. There had been speculation that Wonder Woman 3 could be produced for the new DC Universe, but it now seems very unlikely that Gal Gadot will be returning as Wonder Woman​​​​​​.

Key Release Dates