As if Batman didn’t already have enough of a reason to brood, a new synopsis for Justice League has dramatically demoted the Dark Knight in favor of his more uplifting superhero colleague Wonder Woman.
On Mattel’s packaging for the toy company’s upcoming Justice League-themed Barbie dolls, a new plot synopsis for the movie elevates Wonder Woman into a more prominent role than she first appeared to be in in the official synopsis released by Warner Bros. One of the most widely-shared images of the new synopsis comes from Papusile Mele, a Romanian blog for Barbie fans, on its Facebook page.
On the packaging for a Mera doll, the synopsis reads:
“Once again, Wonder Woman must demonstrate her ability as a fierce warrior. Facing a great enemy, she and Batman join forces to recruit a group of meta-humans to stand against this newly awakened threat. Having formed an unprecedented league of heroes, they set out to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
For comparison, below is the synopsis previously released by the studio, which puts more attention on Batman:
“In Justice League, fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of meta-humans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
Perhaps because the new Wonder Woman and Mera Barbie dolls are marketed towards young girls (although it should be said, toys are for everyone), Mattel has chosen to spotlight Wonder Woman on its girl-centric items rather than simply copy and paste the same summary that talks about Batman. Still, one can’t help but plainly see how much of an impact Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman has had in pop culture, especially in the realm of mass merchandising.
Justice League will be released on November 17.
