Wonder Woman: War of the Gods

Theactrical release poster

Gina Prince-Bythewood

***Wonder Woman: War of the Gods*** is a fantasy superhero action-adventure disaster film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, it is the sixth installment in the DC Cinematic Universe and a sequel to *Wonder Woman* (2013). Kaya Scoledario reprises the lead role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, alongside Moses Ingram, Garrett Hedlund, Eva Green, Kristin Lehman, Michelle Rodriguez, and Clancy Brown. Taking place only eighteen months after her battle with Ares, the film follows Wonder Woman, adjusting to life in the world of Man, as a war erupts between the Olympian and Thanagarian gods. She allies with the Thanagarian warrior Shayera Hol to prevent it from destroying the Earth.

Development of a sequel to *Wonder Woman* began after the film's release in 2013, with writer Teashae Davis drawing inspiration from the 1991 comic storyline *War of the Gods.* Principal photography began in June 2014, with filming taking place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavsden and at additional locations including Rome, Chicago, and Pinewood Studios in London. The film features less of the more martial arts-inspired fight choreography and contains visual effects by The Moving Picture Company.

War of the Gods was released theatrically on March 20, 2015 to mixed to positive reviews from critics praising its cinematography, performances, and visual effects while criticizing the film's "decrease in action", writing, and execution compared to the previous film. Nevertheless, the film was a box office success, grossing $672 million against a production budget of $140 million, making it the ninth highest-grossing film of 2015 and the highest-grossing film by female director until being overtaken by *Hi, Mom* (2021). It was followed by a sequel, *Wonder Woman: Godwatch* (2022).

## Plot

The film opens with the curator of the British Museum observing the Parthenon Frieze as the museum closes for the night. As he turns to leave, he is stabbed through the heart by a cloaked assassin. The assassin turns to the Parthenon and lifts their hand, causing the sculpture to crack and splinter with an eerie red glow while an audible shout of anger can be heard. In an aircraft above Kasnia, Colonel Steve Trevor, now working with the agency A.R.G.U.S, tediously peers at a laptop while Diana sharpens her sword. Seeing this, Steve tells her that their mission is simply a rescue mission as no American military can be on is strictly a diplomatic one, hoping to broker some sort of treaty between Northern and Southern Kasnia who are in the midst of a violent civil war. Diana replies that she knows but sometimes fear is a good applicator which prompts a small chuckle from Steve; Diana’s face morphs into a frown. Steve quickly asks her what’s wrong and she tells him she thought the existence of beings like herself and Superman would change the world but they have had no effect. Steve reminds her that they are in Kasnia because some people believe she can make a difference. The pilot tells them they are approaching the hangar as Steve peers out the plane’s windshield, remarking on the “storm approaching”. In the heavens atop Mount Olympus, Zeus, still guilty over allowing the death of his son Ares, visits the blacksmith Hephaestus to discuss the construction of a war machine to “punish the mortals”. Hephaestus is initially hesitant until Zeus reminds him that mortals are losing faith which is slowly weakening them. As the two converse, a light pierces the clouds surrounding Olympus which alarms Apollo. He races to warn Zeus and Hera as Olympus falls under siege by the Thanagarian gods. A grueling battle ensues between the two pantheons with Zeus collecting his thunderbolt to fend off the foreign gods while Apollo attempts to usher Hera to safety. He witnesses Hecate seemingly escape within the clouds. Battling to a stalemate, Zeus uses his thunderbolt to cast a devastating storm down from the heavens, causing it to rain all over the world. Down below, Diana and Steve attend the meeting for the peace treaty which becomes heated when the respective military leaders of North and South Kasnia begin arguing. Diana steps away from the meeting and finds herself staring out a window when a Thanagarian warrior comes crashing through, knocking Diana down. The warrior engages Diana and the two begin a tense fight that destroys much of the small political office. Steve attempts to intervene but Diana urges him to get the leaders to safety. She then uses her Lasso of Truth to incapacitate the warrior before knocking her unconscious. As Diana is visibly confused by who and what the warrior is, Steve directs her attention to the window where they look up to find the sky on fire.

On the plane headed back to Washington D.C., Steve and Diana keep tedious watch over the unconscious Thanagarian warrior who awakes in anger, desperately writhing to escape her binds. Diana attempts to discern her identity to no avail but she reveals to Steve that her name is Shayera Hol and her purpose on Earth is kill the Amazon that murdered her father. She further informs him of the war between the Thanagarian gods and the Greek gods which alarms Diana who tells Steve they must return to Themyscira. He refuses, telling Diana they have to take care of the matters at hand: the civil war in Kasnia and the captive Shayera. As they bicker, the plane is struck by lightning and crashes near Central City. Diana tells Steve she must contact her mother Hippolyta and he insists after they rendezvous with A.R.G.U.S. Diana then attempts to convince Shayera to help them but she refuses, convinced that Diana and the Amazons have declared war on their people. Elsewhere in Italy, Hecate emerges from the shadows outside of a fancy hotel which she enters. Inside, she finds a room where she meets with her disciple Circe who expresses a desire to kill the Earth goddess Gaea. Back in Central City, Steve leads Diana and the captive Shayera to one of his contacts in the city: a man named Charlie Keaton who works for the Central City Police Department’s forensic labs. Steve contacts Etta Candy in D.C. to brief her of the situation while Keaton informs Diana of a murder at the Central City Museum, explaining a night guard was killed and a Greek artifact was destroyed. Explaining what this means to Shayera, Diana gains her trust and the two form an alliance to stop the war of the gods. She informs Shayera that their best course of action is Themyscira but as she does, a massive lightning storm causes a fire to rage in a neighborhood close by. Diana and Shayera race off to intervene as a rogue bolt of lightning strikes the forensics lab, hitting a chemist who unfortunately spilled chemicals on himself. After rescuing the citizens and successfully extinguishing the raging fire, Diana receives a message from Hera by the god Hermes, informing her of the war and the toll it will take on the Earth. She tells Diana that Zeus is dying and she is the only one who can save him while Shayera contemplates praying to her gods. Diana becomes frustrated with not knowing who would want to cause a war between two different pantheons of gods before realizing that the war isn’t the goal, destroying the Earth is. She tells Shayera that they must venture to Tartarus.

Traveling to Xanthi, Greece, Diana and Shayera meet with the Amazon Artemis who provides them with a key to Tartarus. The two use the key to open a gateway into the abyss, with Diana and Artmeis sharing an emotional farewell. Descending into Tartarus, Diana and Shayera are greeted by Eris, who acts as the jailer of the abyss. Deducing why they are there, she informs Diana and Shayera of Circe, a sorceress who was imprisoned in Tartarus after an attack on the queen of the Amazons which was forbidden by Hera. Diana realizes that Tartarus is a living abyss and Circe wants to hurt it by killing its mother: Gaea. In Italy, Circe and Hecate remark on their work, staring into the fiery sky with glee. However, Circe interrupts their moment of levity by finally asking Hecate why she didn’t speak up when Hera imprisoned her. Before Hecate can speak Circe seemingly kills her with an Amazonian sword, causing her body to wither and turn to ash. Back in Tartarus, Eris gifts Diana with the eye of a dead gorgon which she claims will aid her in finding Circe. Meanwhile in D.C., Steve and Etta Candy attempt to find a way to stop the meteorological damage that the war between the gods is causing. Using the gorgon’s eyes, Diana and Shayera track Circe to Rome where they find her awaiting their arrival. She reveals that as soon as she escaped from Tartarus, she began her plan to pit the most powerful pantheons of gods against one another to destroy her enemies without effort, adding that she personally killed Shayera’s father. In a fit of rage, Shayera rushes Circe and the two begin a fight which Diana joins. The trio battle intensely as the sky begins to rain fire, causing destruction all over the world. Diana and Shayera relentlessly beat Circe with Shayera incapacitating Diana in order to strike the killing blow herself. However, Diana is able to convince her not to kill Circe and Shayera summons the Thanagarian god Ichultu who arrives with a recovering Zeus and Hera. Shayera drops her mace and allows the gods to take Circe away, who cries in agony as she is pulled into the sky. Having defeated Circe and stopped the war, the skies seem to return back to normal. Diana asks Shayera what she will do now that her father is avenged and Shayera tells her that she will return home to Thanagar, suggesting that Diana return to her home as the world of man has nothing to offer her. Although she doesn’t say it, Diana believes Shayera. A week later, she and Steve watch as Shayera departs Earth before they are approached by Amanda Waller who informs them that they still have work to do. Steve tells Diana it’s time to go to work before turning to find Diana gone. On Themyscira, Artemis and Queen Hippolyta discuss how life has changed as they tend to the garden. Hippolyta looks up and to her surprise, sees Diana, who is standing there with tears in her eyes.

In the film’s mid-credits scene, Steve Trevor is called to A.R.G.U.S. headquarters for a meeting with General Sam Lane and Superman to discuss recent events and the whereabouts of Wonder Woman while the post-credits scene shows archaeologist Barbara Minerva traversing a jungle before pulling out her satellite phone to contact someone, informing them that she’s found the lost city.

## Cast

* Kaya Scoledario as Princess Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
* Moses Ingram as Shayera Hol
* Garrett Hedlund as Steve Trevor
* Eva Green as Circe
* Kristin Lehman as Hera
* Clancy Brown as Zeus
* Michelle Rodriguez as Artemis
* Geena Davis as Queen Hippolyta
* Asia Argento as Hecate
* Emma Duncan as Etta Candy
* Geoffrey Rush as Hephaestus, previously played Vulko in *Aquaman* (2014)
* Harry Jensen as Apollo
* Dan Smart as Hermes
* Elizabeth Berkeley as Eris
* Kevin Grievoux as the voice of Ichultu
* Robbie Mano as Charlie Keaton
* Alfre Woodard as Amanda Waller
* Tom Welling as Superman (cameo)
* Tommy Lee Jones as Sam Lane *(cameo)*
* Jack Quaid as chemist (Wally West/The Flash) *(uncredited cameo)*