Joss Whedon's 'Wonder Woman' Script Causes Controversy

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When it was announced that Joss Whedon would be helming the DCEU’s upcoming “Batgirl” on the heels of the anticipated box-office success of “Wonder Woman,” there was some excitement. After all, Whedon has oodles of cred in the realm of writing strong, female lead characters, having after all made his name with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Patty Jenkins herself, the director of “Wonder Woman,” is quoted on the subject: “I’m excited about it. I think it’s super exciting. The tone of Joss’ work is great for female superheroes. He takes such a fun approach and I think he’ll have fun in the DC universe, which will be excited to have him.”

Recent events, however, cast a shadow over the “Batgirl” prospects as a feminist follow-up to “Wonder Woman.” It’s common knowledge that about a decade ago, Whedon came very close to directing a Wonder Woman film for Warner Bros based on a script that he had written. Said script has now allegedly been leaked online and has become fodder for internet outrage regarding its treatment of Diana Prince herself.

READ MORE: Patty Jenkins Explains “Mixed Feelings” About All-Women ‘Wonder Woman’ Screenings

In a thread that has since gone viral, Twitter user @_sashayed has compiled a tweetstorm of Whedon’s Wonder Woman offenses, complete with multiple screenshots of the script. She begins by pointing out the fact that Whedon’s script begins focused not on a female character, but on Steve Trevor (played in Jenkins’ film by Chris Pine).

Some more of her observations:

It didn’t take long before a line was drawn between Whedon’s questionable take on Wonder Woman and his upcoming “Batgirl” project:

Whedon’s own statements since the announcement of “Batgirl” have done nothing to assuage the discomfort surrounding his questionable take on Wonder Woman; upon being asked why he chose to make a film about this particular character, he said: “She came up, and I started getting obsessed with how a young woman could get hardcore enough to need to put on the cowl. Like, what’s her damage?” he told THR.

Here’s hoping that in the intervening years, Whedon’s approach to female superheroes has evolved more than that quote indicates.

The full Whedon “Wonder Woman” script, though not officially confirmed as legit,  is available to read for full context, as @_sashayed eventually notes:

Some are coming to the director’s defense, mentioning a piece a speech he gave about strong female characters, even if some are arguably dealing in false analogies.

Bear in mind: many are challenging the veracity of this script and asking whether it’s a first draft (first drafts have a tendency to be… well, bad). And some have asserted the only script you can judge is a final version. Not to mention the fact that Warner Bros. never actually made the film, presumably due to some of the issues raised here. Check out the full Twitter swirl around Whedon’s “Wonder Woman” below.