The Solution To James Gunn's Wonder Woman Problem Has Been Staring DC In The Face For 5 Years

Published Sep 12, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

Derek is the Training Lead for ScreenRant. Before his current position, he spent 20 years working in games, TV, and film while also writing for several entertainment sites.
Derek is also the co-host of three pop culture podcasts: Across the Omniverse, The Bad Batch, and Watch Men.

The moment James Gunn and Peter Safran became the caretakers of DC and announced plans to reboot the cinematic universe, there were three characters everyone wanted to know about: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The first was answered quickly, with David Corenswet putting on the famous red cape and starring in the studio's first movie. Batman seems to be trapped in a sort of limbo, as Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are deep into their own trilogy of Caped Crusader movies, and Gunn doesn't appear to be in a rush to introduce a second version of the character just yet. And now it seems like the third figure, Wonder Woman, may be showing up sooner rather than later.

Rumors that Andor's Adria Arjrona is playing Wonder Woman in Man of Tomorrow have been spreading like wildfire. Adding fuel to the flames, Arjona has dodged questions about who she is playing in the Superman follow-up while promoting her movie, Onslaught. Even our own Liam Crowley couldn't get it out of her, though she admitted to him "I don't want to lie, but I also want to protect the audience's experience."

If Arjona is indeed playing the iconic Princess of Themyscira, then she has some pretty big boots to fill. But if there's one thing fans have seen in the last few years, Gunn and Safran aren't afraid to take DC's heroes in directions no one would have expected, leading to new, interesting versions of the characters. And they could be doing it again with Wonder Woman.

Gal Gadot Has Become The Vision Of Wonder Woman In Many Minds

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Whoever ends up being the new Wonder Woman will instantly be compared to the last actor to bring the role to life: Gal Gadot. While reactions to Wonder Woman 1984 were decidedly mixed, there is no doubting that 2017's Wonder Woman was met with ecstatic praise, with more than a few people declaring Gadot as a perfect choice to play the character. And, with the actor being the first person to play Wonder Woman in a live-action movie, she instantly became the version of the character general audiences would see in their minds, good or bad.

Trying to replace Gadot so soon after her last appearance — 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods — could be a difficult endeavor. Take, for example, Andrew Garfield's attempt to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man five years later. Garfield did a great job, but the comparisons to Maguire, who brought the character to life, were inevitable. In the end, Garfield became something of a palate cleanser, making it easier for audiences to accept Tom Holland when he stepped into the role two years after Garfield.

But DC isn't looking for an unintentional Wonder Woman palate cleanser, they are looking for someone to become the embodiment of the character. So the question becomes: how do you make the audience accept a new Wonder Woman without forcing comparisons? The answer may have come from Joëlle Jones in 2021. DC Studios could sidestep a lot of problems if, instead of trying to reimagine Diana, they introduced Yara Flor, the Brazilian Wonder Woman.

Adria Arjona Could Play A Newer Version Of Wonder Woman

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Introduced as part of DC's Infinite Frontier event, Yara Flor is a member of the Wonder Woman family. But unlike the others, who are connected to the Greek gods, Yara is steeped in Brazilian mythology with connections to Themyscira. The daughter of a Brazilian river god and the Amazon warrior Aella, Yara was raised in the literal Amazon and became the protector of a tribe of Themyscirans living in the rainforest.

Bringing Yara Flor to the new DCU would help separate the character from the previous version. Flor has her own fantastic costume design that reflects Wonder Woman's while bringing its own flair. And, if we're honest, it's going to be very hard to outdo the Wonder Woman costume Gal Gadot wore. Using Yara evades that issue pretty neatly.

Yara also helps expand the world of the DCU and helps introduce a rich mythology that doesn't get much attention from mainstream movies. The Greek myths have been done plenty of times, but Brazilian lore will be a new feature for many audiences. We know Themyscira is out there — we saw it in Creature Commandos — so Diana can always be brought in at some point, but Yara would give this version of Wonder Woman a story that hasn't been done, bringing a fresh perspective to DC.

Using the character would also help whoever plays the role build their own legacy with the character, helping separate them from what came before. If it is Adria Arjona, the more they move away from the more well-known version of Wonder Woman, the better chance she has to make her own mark without being constantly compared to what came before.