The climactic battle in Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, where she triumphs over Ares, the God of War, is now widely regarded as a significant blunder in the franchise. This particular moment has been criticized for swiftly draining the movie of its charm and depth. It erases the moral ambiguity of Diana’s character throughout the war and eliminates the moral conflicts that were carefully built up until the God of War showed up.

Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Made One Blunder

Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, by killing off Ares at the end of the 2017 film, left fans questioning the purpose of the entire narrative. Although the movie was initially grounded in the nuances of moral compass, Diana’s steadfast beliefs, and the mental warfare she endured throughout the film, all these complexities seemed to dissipate fast enough in the final battle when she defeated Ares and stood victorious.

Repeatedly, Diana hears that humans are inherently inclined to harm one another, and resolving the issue of war demands a fundamental change in the nature of their very existence. Thus, she struggles to accept this harsh reality, but the evidence all around her compels her to believe otherwise. And up until this point, the movie was deemed one of the greatest.

The narrative that followed that moment in the movie was widely criticized for cheapening the overall experience, according to many on the internet. The CGI-heavy battle between the two powerhouses, where Diana unquestionably emerged victorious, was not what audiences had anticipated the movie would become towards the very end.

Warner Bros. Pushed the Director for This Ending!

The blame for this blunder doesn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of the director, as reports suggest that Warner Bros. Studios might be the true culprits behind this disastrous ending. Patty Jenkins in a chat with IGN revealed,

“The original end of the first movie was also smaller, but the studio made me change it at the last minute. So that’s always been a little bit of a bummer that that’s the one thing people talk about, because I agreed. And I told the studio we didn’t have time to do it, but it was what it was. I ended up loving it, but that was not the original ending of the movie.”

Jenkins’ original ending for Wonder Woman remains shrouded in mystery, but given that the most significant criticism of the Ares fight, opting for a smaller conclusion might have been better received by the audience than such a grand and meaningless one. Anyhow, fans now hope James Gunn does justice to the character that is yet to enter the 2.0 world of DCU officially.

Wonder Woman is currently available on Max to stream.