Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman is one of the many highlights of the DC Extended Universe, with Gadot being perfect for the DC hero role for numerous reasons, both subtle and overt. Superhero fiction became an A-list movie genre by the mid-2010s and thus was saturated, with multiple comic adaptations releasing every year, yet Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman performances stood out, both among the DCEU movie roster, and among superhero movies in general. Gadot’s onscreen presence and accuracy to the Wonder Woman of DC’s comics instantly placed her alongside Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and J. K. Simmons’s J. Jonah Jameson as one of the genre’s most memorable and all-time best castings.

Gal Gadot’s future as Wonder Woman remains uncertain, due to a combination of the DCEU’s imminent soft reboot coming in 2024, but also conflicting reports on her potential reprisal of the role. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has debunked claims that Gadot was “booted” from the role, and Gadot herself has said in multiple interviews that she is working with Gunn on another Wonder Woman film. However, later reports would say that Gal Gadot is not returning as Wonder Woman, further confusing matters. Whether or not Gal Gadot returns as Wonder Woman, she is a perfect match for the character in numerous more clear ways, but also because of many subtle reasons.

10Gal Gadot Uses Her Own Accent As Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman has been portrayed by a variety of actresses in the realms of both live-action and animation. Notably, all portrayals before Gal Gadot’s DCEU debut depicted Wonder Woman as having an American accent. While Diana Prince was raised on the Mediterranean island of Themyscira for thousands of years, it is believable to assume she imitated an American accent upon emigrating to the United States. Modern Age Wonder Woman comics, however, have described Diana as speaking with a Mediterranean accent for decades, so Gal Gadot using her native Israeli accent is not only fitting but also accurate to the source material.

9Gal Gadot Gave Wonder Woman Distinctive Character Tics

Gal Gadot also added smaller behaviors to her portrayal of Diana Prince that may be overlooked. For example, Wonder Woman tends to look up at the sky to calm herself when anguished. She does this shortly after Superman’s death in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and on two other occasions in 2017’s Wonder Woman. The first time is after Wonder Woman accidentally harmed her mentor, Antiope, and the second is in London, following Steve Trevor’s death. Gal Gadot also gave Wonder Woman the habit of attacking an opponent’s ankles in combat, as seen when she battles German soldiers, Black Clad terrorists, and even Doomsday.

8Gal Gadot Improvised One Of Wonder Woman’s Most Memorable Scenes

2017’s Wonder Woman is renowned for many reasons, one being the chemistry between Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. In one of the film’s most memorable slow and character-driven moments, Diana and Steve travel to London by boat, with the two discussing both Diana’s heritage and the differences between Amazon and human cultures. The scene is full of amusingly human moments from both characters, but more impressively, it was improvised by Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, demonstrating their respective acting chops both individually and as a duo.

7Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Becomes A Mentor Figure

Gal Gadot is well-known for excellently playing Wonder Woman as a fish out of water in the 2017 film, but her dynamic with human characters is reversed in her other appearances. In Dawn of Justice, the older and wiser Diana Prince defuses a tense encounter with Bruce Wayne, despite her superpowers making her an equal potential threat to humanity in Wayne’s eyes. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman forms the most meaningful bonds with her teammates, trading witticisms with Alfred, recruiting new members with Batman, and forming a strong friendship with Aquaman that bridges their respective cultures.

6A Signature Wonder Woman Fight Scene Detail Was Improvised By Gal Gadot

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition

One notable moment in Wonder Woman’s battle against Doomsday in Dawn of Justice sees her knocked back by the Kryptonian monstrosity, prompting a mischievous grin from Diana before she leaps back into combat. Gal Gadot revealed in interviews that she improvised the grin, feeling it was in character for Wonder Woman, who rarely faces a truly challenging opponent in a battle. The detail was left in the film, pleasing viewers with its expression of Wonder Woman’s personality that was also accurate to her comic counterpart.

5Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Uses Brains As Much As Brawn

Considering Wonder Woman’s powers and fighting skills, it is easy to overlook her exceptionally high intelligence, though Gal Gadot made this trait from the comics quite prominent in her performances. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman evades Batman himself and, to a lesser degree, Lex Luthor in Dawn of Justice, as well as immediately recognizing a sword purported to have belonged to Alexander the Great as a mere replica. Wonder Woman’s emotional intelligence is equally prominent, with Diana proving herself as an ally to the skeptical Wayne and forming close bonds with her Justice League teammates. Gal Gadot herself has noted in interviews the prominence and importance of Wonder Woman’s emotional intelligence.

4Gal Gadot’s Martial Arts Expertise Made Wonder Woman’s Fight Scenes Even Better

In the comics, Wonder Woman is the world’s greatest martial artist, according to Batman himself. Not only is Wonder Woman the most highly-trained member of the Amazons, a superhuman warrior culture, but she has also practiced her combat skills for thousands of years. Fittingly, Gal Gadot is an avid martial artist, having black belts in Krav Maga and Karate, continuing to practice the former and incorporating her expertise into her movie roles. As such, Wonder Woman’s fight scenes throughout the DCEU are not only entertaining, but also have a degree of authenticity.

3Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Has a Balanced Approach To The No-Kill Rule

The big three superheroes of DC Comics all have different approaches to their no-kill rules from the comics. Superman adopted a no-kill rule after reluctantly killing General Zod. Batman follows a no-kill rule before and after the events of Dawn of Justice as part of a character arc. Wonder Woman is different, lacking a genuine no-kill rule but generally avoiding lethal force when possible. As such, Wonder Woman kills German soldiers in World War 1 and terrorists in a hostage situation, but only incapacitates criminals in a shopping mall. This applies to her villains as well, with Wonder Woman using non-lethal force against Cheetah and Maxwell Lord, but killing Ares and Steppenwolf.

2Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Had The Best Character Development In The DCEU

With two starring roles, one co-starring role, and one major supporting role in the DCEU, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman has the most character development of the franchise’s Justice League heroes. In each film, Wonder Woman gains a robust character arc that informs her next appearances, with Diana starting out as a somewhat naïve newcomer to the world outside of Themyscira and gradually experiencing the dark realities of humanity without losing her idealism. By the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman is the franchise’s wisest and most mature hero, while also remaining perhaps the most faith in humanity. Gal Gadot’s performances reflect these gradual changes while retaining Wonder Woman’s relatability.

1Gal Gadot Doesn’t Forget Wonder Woman’s Sense Of Humor

Gal Gadot also gives Wonder Woman a rather subtle sense of humor that reflects her status as a polymath who has lived among humans for roughly a century. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman interrupts a terrorist’s speech about his motivations, having likely heard them all, by deeming it boring. Upon learning that Alfred is developing energy-absorbing gauntlets for Batman, suggests that he use a lasso as well (in black). Even as a newcomer to human society in 2017’s Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot improvised a humorous moment, smelling the fake flowers on a hat presented to her, having never seen fake flowers before.