'Wonder Woman 1984': Excited Doesn't Begin To Describe It

I've never really been one to wish my life away, as it were, but I am so looking forward to November 2019.

Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to the hugely popular Wonder Woman, is slated to hit theaters then, and when some shots from the production hit Twitter earlier this month, I was a happy camper. While I do enjoy movies and superhero movies at that, the pleasure I felt at seeing these very early still shots was akin to the excitement I feel whenever promos for the new Star Wars movies hit the small screen or the internet.

The initial Wonder Woman movie truly took me by surprise when it hit theaters in 2017, though everyone's first exposure to the new Wonder Woman was really in the critical flop Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, which I enjoyed largely because of Wonder Woman. Granted, Gal Gadot only was on screen for about 10 minutes of the movie, but damn, she grabbed that role and made it her own from the second she walked onto the frame.

I never liked the initial iteration of Wonder Woman that I was exposed to back in the 1970s. I liked the idea of a strong female trying to do good in the world, and I'm not trying to cast aspersions on Lynda Carter's interpretation of the Themysciran princess, but the Wonder Woman I first saw on screen was not one I could connect to. Looking back, I think it was that she seemed somehow too "girly," although there was nothing too overt in that regard with how she appeared on screen. As I'm delving through my childhood memories of seeing the original Wonder Woman series on screen, I feel as though the emphasis was on her as a woman, rather than her as a hero, and that didn't really interest me at the time.

I've never been one to embrace what many would feel is my "feminine" side, at least as far as my personal appearance goes. I tend to avoid makeup as a rule - I find I don't really apply it all that well, and really, I don't feel like I have a whole lot of time in the morning to put it on. I have always avoided lower cut tops, skirts and heels; these are just clothes that make me feel uncomfortable, and given I'm broad shouldered and 6 feet tall, I often feel like a colt learning to walk if I attempted to throw on a pair of nice heels. I also have hair that is more or less buzzed short, as I am quite active and it's just easier.

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the beauty of these things, but these are things that I tend not to wear as it's just not how I express myself. I think because the Wonder Woman of the 1970s and early 1980s seemed very girly to me at the time, I just kept looking at her and trying to figure out the appeal.

Maybe it's the fact of me being older now - I don't know - but seeing Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman, her own standalone movie and Justice League has given me an appreciation of Wonder Woman that I never had previously. There's no question that Gadot is stunningly beautiful and feminine - I'd be blind for not recognizing that much - but the character itself is so much more than it seemed to be when I first saw her on screen when I was a kid.

She's the first female superhero that I recall fighting alongside men without needing rescue, for starters. I've always been irritated with female heroes who, when things get tough, all of a sudden need a man to come in and save the day. While there comes a time where every woman might feel in need of rescue, it bothers me that this happens on a regular basis in the movies. This version of Wonder Woman fights with the men and just does not hold back - not even a little.

She's actually good in a fight. There's a point just prior to the big fight scene in Batman v Superman - "She with you?" "I thought she was with you!" - where she's in her fighting stance, sword and shield at the ready, and I swear she looks like she's smiling at the prospect of battle. That is cool, and not really something we've ever seen from a woman before on screen.

Even though she's a warrior, she still embraces life and humanity. Whether she's about to set things right in No-Man's Land - probably one of the absolute best scenes in the movie - because it's what she must do, or telling a street vendor he should be very proud of his ice cream, or lighting up with that smile upon seeing a baby, this version of Wonder Woman, while unquestionably physically and emotionally strong, still has a sweetness and charm about her that is impossible not to like.

I am going out on a limb and saying that I'm probably not going to care too terribly much what the exact storyline of Wonder Woman 1984 will be. What excites me is the prospect of seeing one of the strongest female cinematic figures I have seen in recent memory hitting the big screen once more. Do I want the story to be, at the very least, moderately interesting and fun? For sure, but the draw for me is seeing the further development of this new Wonder Woman.

She's strong, she's clever, and she's got emotional depth - this is a Wonder Woman I can finally relate to, more so than I ever could before.