We have our first glimpse, thanks to some merchandise art, at what Kristen Wiig will look like as Barbara Minerva after gaining the power of Cheetah and it’s a surprising departure from the comic.
A graphic on a mug available at Comic Con Experience in Brazil shows her wearing a leather jacket with a cheetah-spot pattern and leopard print pants or skirt. Needless to say, this isn’t her usual sultry were-creature form.
A photo surfaced online. You can view it directly below. The language on the box is “official product” in Portuguese.
Aside from Pascal’s Maxwell Lord, I’m most looking forward to Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah. I think it will be something special. pic.twitter.com/0zi8u5ovTD
— Walt (@UberKryptonian) December 5, 2019
Different as it is, folks on social media – like @UberKryptonian – are optimistic. Minerva could undergo her full transformation and they are simply keeping a lid on the twist until the trailer drops Sunday or later.
Spoilers indicate she gets her abilities from Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and a wish, but there is a curse attached. Morphing into a half-feral cat beast maybe it.
Related: Set Video from ‘Wonder Woman: 1984’ Shows Off Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah Powers
The following test footage leaked last year. It’s of Wiig practicing wirework and gives the impression she’s rehearsing a scene where Cheetah uses her powers to jump high. No sign of a costume or transformation is evident here either.
EXCUSE ME pic.twitter.com/gFpODuEBa7
— grace (@newsflxsh) July 11, 2018
Previous reports strongly hint Cheetah’s origin is changed dramatically in WW1984. Dating back to the Golden Age, the Cheetah identity has existed for decades, belonging first to an aristocrat with split personalities and a debutante. It passed to Barbara Minerva after Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Minerva was a British archaeologist and heiress searching for the lost city of Urzkartaga in Africa. She turned into the were-cheetah woman mentioned above after undergoing a ritual to make her the vessel of a tribal god.
Wiig is thought to play her as an awkward plain Jane who admires Diana Prince and her heroics. Wanting to be a hero herself, she makes the wish that empowers her and becomes an adventurer. She and Diana suffer a falling-out and are at odds after the latter realizes she has to stop Max Lord, whom Barbara owes her new lease on life.
This new origin echoes ways Catwoman was written for the screen twice (in Batman Returns and the 2004 Halle Berry catastrophe). But it keeps its distance from the Post-Crisis comic-book origin which is too similar to Enchantress’ arc in Suicide Squad. In that respect, Patty Jenkins is playing it safe.
Related: Wonder Woman 1984: Cheetah’s Origin Could Get Tweaked
That could be for the best if her film is indeed a reboot of the DC Extended Universe. We’ve heard the word is Warner Bros. wants to go ahead with a reset of Snyder’s continuity sooner rather than later. It won’t happen with The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, since that project keeps getting delayed.
Wonder Woman 1984 comes to theaters June 5th, 2020 – six months from now. The trailer debuts at CCXP this Sunday. Emanating from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the trailer premiere will be live-streamed via Twitter and WW1984’s official account, @WonderWomanFilm.
Comments, reactions? Excited for Wonder Woman 1984 or the trailer? Leave ’em in the usual spot.