The revelation of Gal Gadot as the Wonder Woman was met by the comic and geek community with reactions ranging from skeptical to negative. The complaints were that – she was too skinny, she did not have enough muscle, and the most blowing one of them all, she simply wasn’t the right pick. If I may confess, I initially belonged to this hoard of doubters but my skepticism had evaporated after I started to read more about this awesome actor. Many minds have been swayed since the announcement but for the rest the verdict is still out as to if the right actor has been chosen to portray Princess Diana, the warrior princess of the Amazons.
This article is an attempt to get you acquainted to this beautiful actor who will now portray one of the most iconic and loved superhero. If you are one of her doubters who need incentives to read this further, let me give you a brief outline of her career so far. Gadot is 29 years old, is married and has one lovely daughter. She has been a model and an actor for the last 10 years or so. Before all of that, this beauty was the winner of a pageant and then she joined the military (as is a must in her home country).Those complaining about her lack of muscles, I assure you that she won’t be found lacking in toughness quotient. Modelling was her next step and soon that choice led her to become an actress. On paper, the list is mind-boggling, isn’t it? She has seen and done it all. In that sense, she is kind of a big deal.
Since, she is still fairly unknown to many comic book fans, here are 12 things you must know about new warrior Amazonian Princess.
1. First Non-American to Portray Wonder Woman
The name Lynda Carter is synonymous with Wonder Woman and for a good reason too. Her appearance as Wonder Woman on TV was so popular that she was asked to reprise the role in TV too. On sets, Carter raised the standards of toughness by doing her stunts. She was a sex symbol of the era and her look actually had a close resemblance to the comic book Wonder Woman. In the minds of people, her and her image will continue to be closely associated with Wonder Woman. This raises two problems for Gadot. First, what does this mean for Gadot who doesn’t fit the typical mould? Secondly, the character of Wonder Woman has come to be dominantly associated with Americanism in the mind of many. How can Gadot don the famous stars and stripes?
Fortunately, there is one solution to these two problems. Sometimes, to tackle a problem like this, often the best policy is change the game if one can’t set or at the least raise the bar. Gadot is not American, and thankfully, that’s works out well because Wonder Woman isn’t either. In the mainstream, people came to be acquainted with the character through TV and cinema. As such, they are unaware of her origin. Gadot’s lack of resemblance to the typical Wonder Woman gives DC a reason and perfect opportunity to tell that tale to the mainstream audience. Doing so will solve all the problems and not doing so will ruin everything for the already wobbly DC Cinematic Universe.
2. Two Years in Israeli Military
Gal Gadot may appear to be girly to amateurs but in real life, she has done things tougher than most macho men have. 2004 was the year she won Miss Israel. It was in the same year that she was drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces, as is mandatory for all residents. For the uninitiated, Israel is currently one of three countries in the world that allow women to serve on the front lines of combat. Israeli servicemen are given weapons and combat training. In the period of their service, the servicemen have to patrol the border line which is not an easy thing. Her know-how about weapons and ability to cope with tough training regimes was one of the reasons why Fast and Furious director Justin Lin casted her in his series.
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