DC/WB Films/Worlds (No Spoilers)

[Gaius]

Pretty sure it was Greg Rucka, not Johns, who turned Max Lord into a Wonder Woman villain.
I'm not sure how many of Johns' ideas have made it into the WW films.

Was Johns the creator who made Diana and Barbara Ann friends before she became Cheetah or had another writer done that before him?

I know he focused on that when he had Cheetah appear during his Justice League run.

Rucka is the one who made them friends pre-Cheetah curse, looking it up Johns seems to have made it to they knew who one another pre-Cheetah curse, along with being a member of a cult, but it doesn’t really seem to indicate anything deeper.

[SiegePerilous02]

Johns made them friends, or at least made Diana believe they were. He had Barbara deliberately turn to Cheetah.

I think Rucka made improvements on the set up

[Frontier]

I think Rucka made her too sympathetic, so I'm glad it seems like Barbara in this movie is relatively more in-control and willing as Cheetah.

They don't have to use the dwarf version of Psycho. Earth One modernized him and could easily be translated to a movie.

I don't see what's wrong with the dwarf version. I mean, he was pretty much pitch perfect in the Harley Quinn cartoon and nobody really seemed bothered by him being a misogynistic tool while also having dwarfism.

[SiegePerilous02]

I think Rucka made her too sympathetic, so I'm glad it seems like Barbara in this movie is relatively more in-control and willing as Cheetah.

I think the movie seems to be going for a good balance of making her willing and have some agency in her down fall while also not making her a one note slasher villain like Johns who just wanted to kill people.

spoilers:

Though it seems she may be corrupted by the influence of whatever's granting wishes which causes her to slide into the Cheetah. If she ends up being a done-in-one villain who is freed from this influence, she will end up more sympathetic than Rucka's. Who keeps sliding back into villainy and escalating how monstrous she is due to her own hubris and deflecting blame onto others, chiefly Diana

end of spoilers

I don't see what's wrong with the dwarf version. I mean, he was pretty much pitch perfect in the Harley Quinn cartoon and nobody really seemed bothered by him being a misogynistic tool while also having dwarfism.

Psycho has come under fire for the "Depraved Dwarf" stereotype/abelism when such parts are already few and far between. He can and has worked in some cases despite this, but it's shaky ground when you can just go for the Earth One version that captures the same themes while being of average height.

[Frontier]

I think the movie seems to be going for a good balance of making her willing and have some agency in her down fall while also not making her a one note slasher villain like Johns who just wanted to kill people.

Which sounds like more of an ideal take on Cheetah in my opinion.

Psycho has come under fire for the "Depraved Dwarf" stereotype/abelism when such parts are already few and far between. He can and has worked in some cases despite this, but it's shaky ground when you can just go for the Earth One version that captures the same themes while being of average height.

I get that, but I feel like his stature kind of lends itself to more uniqueness and memorability compared to the Earth One version.

[Gaius]

I'd have preferred it if they went with Cale instead of Lord, though either version of Psycho would also be preferable to Lord.

[Agent Z]

Pretty sure it was Greg Rucka, not Johns, who turned Max Lord into a Wonder Woman villain.
I'm not sure how many of Johns' ideas have made it into the WW films.

Max being a villain was an editorial mandate if I recall correctly.

As for Cheetah, I'm okay with the Rebirth version and the movie might be good. Still, I'd like to see an adaptation that deconstructs the "adventure archaeologist" like Perez did in his original take.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I probably would've just combined Max Lord with a WW villian like the Duke of Deception or Doctor Psycho. He's just a front they created.

[Frontier]

I'd have preferred it if they went with Cale instead of Lord, though either version of Psycho would also be preferable to Lord.

I think they have more to say topically with Lord in this version than they would if they used Cale.

[SiegePerilous02]

I think they have more to say topically with Lord in this version than they would if they used Cale.

Cale probably know if they are taking shots at Trump, but a little re-tooling for someone like Psycho or Deception could have accomplished that without needing to use a non-WW character.

[Frontier]

Cale probably know if they are taking shots at Trump, but a little re-tooling for someone like Psycho or Deception could have accomplished that without needing to use a non-WW character.

I'm not saying they couldn't have re-worked a Wonder Rogue into this, but Jenkins might have seen Lord's status as a manipulative businessman in the comics and thought that would be a good fit for the story she was trying to tell.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Cale probably know if they are taking shots at Trump, but a little re-tooling for someone like Psycho or Deception could have accomplished that without needing to use a non-WW character.

The trailer heavily implies Lord is a negative response to Trump IMO. He has the whole vibe down, he's a corrupt 80's business magnate.

[achilles]

I wouldn't hold out much hope for the Wonder Woman 84 villains. I still remember Ned Flanders as Ares, Dr. Scenery Chewing and her buddy General Overacting, and their buddy Terrible Writing. After all, Wonder Woman itself was a pretty bad movie, on the lines of a bad episode of the 80s show The A-Team, but without all the good acting to save it. It's only saving grace was that it was still leagues better than....well, League, plus Superman and Batman vs Good Movies, and Man Of Weird Sci Fi Invasion Movies masquerading as a Superman Movie.

So...if they work down to the level of the first movie, expect bad bad guys, (and gals).

[achilles]

I'm not saying they couldn't have re-worked a Wonder Rogue into this, but Jenkins might have seen Lord's status as a manipulative businessman in the comics and thought that would be a good fit for the story she was trying to tell.

I never liked Lord's heel turn into an enemy for a character he barely had contact with prior to that. Or indeed the concept of his heel turn itself. I view the practice of "suddenly and without warning evil now" as the equivalent of weddings, marriages, and funerals on TV shows, the fabled shark jumping points for shows that have nothing else left. I'd have rather they created an entirely new bad guy than do that; Wonder Woman is beyond needing leftovers from other heroes.

[Frontier]

I wouldn't hold out much hope for the Wonder Woman 84 villains. I still remember Ned Flanders as Ares, Dr. Scenery Chewing and her buddy General Overacting, and their buddy Terrible Writing. After all, Wonder Woman itself was a pretty bad movie, on the lines of a bad episode of the 80s show The A-Team, but without all the good acting to save it. It's only saving grace was that it was still leagues better than....well, League, plus Superman and Batman vs Good Movies, and Man Of Weird Sci Fi Invasion Movies masquerading as a Superman Movie.

So...if they work down to the level of the first movie, expect bad bad guys, (and gals).

I thought WW was a pretty good Superhero movie, thought admittedly I think I liked the villains more than most.

I never liked Lord's heel turn into an enemy for a character he barely had contact with prior to that. Or indeed the concept of his heel turn itself. I view the practice of "suddenly and without warning evil now" as the equivalent of weddings, marriages, and funerals on TV shows, the fabled shark jumping points for shows that have nothing else left. I'd have rather they created an entirely new bad guy than do that; Wonder Woman is beyond needing leftovers from other heroes.

I'm fine as long as they do Cheetah justice.