Comic book fans react to casting announcement, call for boycott

Dec 5, 2013 08:17 GMT  ·  By
Gal Gadot looks too much like a model to make a convincing Wonder Woman, fans believe
   Gal Gadot looks too much like a model to make a convincing Wonder Woman, fans believe

Comic book fans are again very upset with and some downright angry at Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder for choosing who they believe is the wrong person for the role of Wonder Woman in the upcoming “Man of Steel” sequel, “Batman vs. Superman.”

Gal Gadot has been confirmed for the role, with Snyder saying he believes she’s the right actress to finally bring America’s most beloved female superhero to the big screen. Fans would beg to differ and they’re venting their frustrations in the aftermath of the announcement on social media.

You can get an eyeful under the Twitter hashtag #WonderWoman, for instance, but forums are also overflowing with fans complaining about the casting choice and listing the many reasons and ways in which Gal is wrong for the part.

The fact that she never had a “breaking” role is the lowest on the list because it’s topped by physical considerations which, fans say, make her the least suitable person to play the part. Wonder Woman isn’t just a woman dressed in fancy clothes doing random acts of kindness, she is, as Wikipedia puts it, “a warrior princess of the Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and is known in her homeland as Princess Diana of Themyscira.”

She is an Amazon princess, not a model – and a model is exactly what Gal looks like, with her slender frame, lean body, and lack of curves. Oppositely, Wonder Woman is well built, inspires the idea of strength, and has killer curves.

As such, it’s no wonder that angry comic book fans have already rushed online to point out the obvious: unless Gal hits the gym to add some muscle to her tiny frame and unless Warners is willing to spend the extra buck on CGI and good costumes, there’s absolutely no way she can make a convincing Wonder Woman.

Some fans even take the time to stress that they’re not looking to body-shame Gadot for looking the way she does, saying she’s most probably healthy and has a figure that many women would consider ideal. However, as far as Wonder Woman goes, this is not how she looks, as the comics prove it.

The furor right now is comparable to what happened right after Ben Affleck was announced as Batman in the same movie. In other words, expect petitions asking to have Gadot uncast to pop up online and expect her to go under the radar until the madness dies down.