BLACK.
QUEEN HIPPOLYTA’s voice echos:
“The Amazon were created to guard against the evils of the world. Strong, wise, and compassionate, HERA gave breath to the AMAZON…”
FADE IN:
QUEEN HIPPOLYTA and A THOUSAND AMAZON WARRIORS, armor-clad and adorned in SILVER BRACELETS, stand ready for battle.
GENERAL PHILIPUS stands by her side. Camera pans to reveal TEN THOUSAND MEN AND MONSTERS led by
ARES, GOD OF WAR. They advance on the Amazon.
Hippolyta erupts in a battle-cry as the Amazon meet the ARMY OF MAN in battle. The action is EPIC like
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring prologue.
Hippolya faces Ares amidst the bloodshed:
“You seem as eager to meet me on the battlefield as you once did in the bedroom, Hippolyta.”
“Then pray you prove more skilled in this arena, Ares.”
SWORDS CLASH as the two lock in battle.
CUT TO—
Across the battlefield, the Amazon are superior warriors but Man’s army is overwhelming them. One enemy in particular, a CLOAKED WARRIOR, slaughters dozens of Amazon.
“To protect the world from devastation, the Amazon would do anything... even FLEE.”
Hippolyta leads TWENTY AMAZON SHIPS into open waters with an armada of Man’s army in hot pursuit…
“We sailed forth without a destination, guided only by our faith. Then, Hera heard our prayers.”
Hippolyta leads the Amazon towards a HEAVENLY STAR and through a RAGING STORM which engulfs Man’s ships…towards the island paradise THEMYSCIRA.
“Themyscira has been the Amazon’s home for THREE THOUSAND YEARS—a place where we could live in peace. Protected from the ravages of time and shielded from the chaotic world of man, we created a UTOPIA and reclaimed our purity of spirit…”
“And then, Hera heard my prayers a second time… A CHILD. One not created through unholy union.”
On a STORMY NIGHT, Hippolyta sculpts a child from the SHORES of Themiscyra. She holds the clay facsimile above her head as LIGHTNING strikes it. Wiping away the clay, a NEWBORN BABY GIRL is revealed.
“Diana…”
WONDER WOMAN
SUPER: NORTH AFRICA, 1945
STEVE TREVOR, a handsome AMERICAN SPY, infiltrates a Nazi base run by
BARONESS PAULA VON GUNTHER (“the BARONESS OF WAR”).
He steals her NOTEBOOK filled with blueprints for WEAPONRY AND VEHICLES far too advanced for the 1940s and an ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION revealing the location of a facility housing a NAZI SUPER WEAPON— OPERATION: PHALANX. The Allies need to see this…
Steve’s cover is blown and he’s pursued by Baroness’s second-in-command
REITER and his BLITZKRIEG SQUADRON (Nazis outfitted with advanced tech, JET PACKS and purple-colored BLASTERS). Reiter and Steve have an instant rivalry.
Baroness is exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat. And remarkably STRONG…
Steve makes it to the hangar and steals a STEALTH PLANE—one of the featured designs from Baroness’s blueprints. Taking heavy Nazi fire, Steve escapes but the aircraft is LEAKING FUEL midair.
Later, needing a place to land, Steve sees an ISLAND appear out of nowhere in the MEDITERRANEAN SEA and heads towards it…
“Where did the landing strip come from?”
SUPER: THEMISCYRA, HOME OF THE AMAZON.
A MAJESTIC GRECIAN CITY hugs the coastline and stretches up mountains.
Steve maneuvers the aircraft safely away from the city into the WATER. He struggles to escape when Hippolyta’s daughter, DIANA, now a young woman, arrives. She rips the hull of the cockpit WIDE OPEN, and STEVE SEES DIANA for the first time.
“You’re an angel...”
“You’re a man…”
Steve starts to stumble backwards; despite his charm, he’s been BADLY INJURED.
The AMAZON GUARD arrives to apprehend Steve, led by General Philipus who helped raise Diana. The Guard travels both by HORSEBACK and aboard HOVER CHARIOTS, armed with PURPLE RAY SPEARS.
But Diana disobeys and calls for her loyal BLACK MARE, SERGE, to bring her and Steve to the TEMPLE OF HERA. Inside, there’s a GIANT PURPLE FLAME that she uses to heal Steve.
The Guard catch up once more. This time, with QUEEN HIPPOLYTA.
Steve’s arrested and later stands trial at the GRAND HALL. Philipus reveals to the GATHERED COURT that Steve’s recovered plane is powered with PURPLE RAY technology—explaining why it’s so advanced for the 1940s. And why Themiscrya’s cloak allowed his aircraft to pass through.
Hippolyta speaks:
“Our greatest gift from Hera. The Purple Ray. An eternal light to be used to protect. To Heal. To Love…For years, my sisters, we’ve upheld our sacred oath to keep this power outside Man’s reach. But we know the lecherous grasp of Man has no bounds…”
She interrogates Steve with the GOLDEN LASSO OF HESTIA. He is truthful—to a humorous fault:
He just wants to complete his mission and deliver the notebook back to command to help SAVE LIVES. He has no knowledge of the Purple Ray but Hippolyta still sentences him to death. Diana protests and calls her mother’s actions MURDER:
Hippolyta dismisses the Court and speaks to her daughter alone, citing the Amazon’s first law:
“Your eyes are clouded…no man shall set foot on this island lest the Amazon race should perish…”
“My eyes are clear, Mother. Maybe for the first time.”
Later that night, Diana visits Steve inside his palatial PRISON SUITE but he’s not interested in being the “princess’s encyclopedia on the real world”. Any hope of his escape is quickly dashed by ARMED GUARDS patrolling the entryway and balcony. Steve slumps onto his lush chaise with the notebook in hand as Diana leaves, conflicted.
Philipus finds Diana inside the Temple of Hera kneeling before the PURPLE FLAME.
“Every night, while your mother sleeps, you come here to Hera’s temple. What do you ask for?”
“I ask…I ask
what to ask. To know…what I want, to be content…(quiet passion) I am not what I should be. I can be more. I was meant to be more. To do something worthy. (looking off) I ask Hera what
that is…”
“And you don’t think she’s answered? Don’t be a child, Diana. Don’t ask for guidance. Tell Hera what you want. Maybe then you’ll hear her reply.”
The next morning, Diana invokes the RIGHT OF TRIAL against her mother to save Steve’s life and earn the right to escort him home and investigate the source of Purple Ray weapons.
Mother and daughter DUEL inside a MASSIVE COLOSSIEUM in the center of the city. Hippolyta continues to warn Diana about the dangers of Man’s world as their SWORDS CLASH but she knows Diana’s capacity for love. Hippolyta yields and embraces her daughter as Philipus beams with pride amidst the crowd of hundreds of AMAZONS, clothed in ornate colorful garb.
MONTAGE as Diana prepares for her journey:
Her costume —
a MAROON RED BODICE & GOLDEN BREASTPLATE with STAR-SPANGLED SKIRT, a customary sign of respect and peace as emissary to the foreign nation;
AMAZON BRACELETS, formed from shards of Zeus’ shield by Hephaestus;
AN AMAZON SHIELD, forged by the strongest of Gaia’s precious metals,
GOLDEN LASSO OF HESTIA, unbreakable and any whom it binds, must speak the truth;
“I am ready, Mother.”
Hippolyta removes her GOLDEN TIARA and places it on her daughter’s head. The STAR emblazoned on the tiara momentarily GLOWS…
“We followed Hera’s star to eternal peace. Life. (looking at Philipus, then Diana again) Love… Go, daughter. Be that burning star against the darkness of death and destruction of Man…And when your mission is complete, let that light guide you home…”
As the sun begins to set, the INVISIBLE JET descends into frame — an advanced Amazon aircraft powered by Purple Ray energy that far outclasses any Nazi design. It has a SPACIOUS COCKPIT with enough room for two, and is the size of a small PRIVATE JET.
Steve boards the plane as Diane hugs her sisters farewell…
Steps away, Hippolyta stands with Philipus:
“Am I a fool, Philipus? To think that this could end any differently? The vile corruption of Man’s World. Of War—“
“The past is the past, My Queen. You must trust in Diana now. Let her make her own path. Her heart is pure and strong…like her mother’s.”
The two hold hands as the Invisible Jet takes off, and the MUSICAL SCORE SWELLS—
“Yes, Philipus. I believe in my daughter...”
We follow Diana’s reaction in the Jet as she journeys farther from home than ever before. She looks back at Themiscrya until the island is a DISTANT SPECK behind them. The star on her tiara glowing softly…
She looks forward on the open horizon.
ACT II
Underneath a STARRY NIGHT, Diana and Steve bond aboard the Invisible Jet as they set course towards LONDON.
She tells him that her mother sculpted her from clay, the two have a FLIRTATIOUS BANTER.
“We’ll that’s neat. … where I come from, babies are made differently.”
CUT TO— A top secret NAZI BASE.
Inside her office, Baroness is reprimanded by
GENERAL OTTO KLAW for her failure during the attack in North Africa. He demands an update on development of the SUPER WEAPON PHALANX. The Führer expects progress or they the Axis will divert much-needed resources elsewhere.
Baroness responds: “It will be completed soon and live to destroy the Allies. You…will not.”
Without warning, she KILLS Klaw with her BARE HANDS, surprising even Reiter who stands at the door.
“My apologies, Herr Reiter, but we both knew we could grow no further in Hitler's shadow. Hitler speaks of a thousand year Reich, but he cannot feed his army for a month. He is no closer to achieving his goals but we…we are assembling an arsenal to destroy
my enemies in one stroke. Wherever they are, regardless of how many forces they possess. They will be no match. Phalanx has enough destructive power to decimate every enemy country on Earth. Quite simply… I have harnessed the power of the GODS.
Baroness reveals her weapons’ power source — a basketball-sized ORB of PURPLE RAY energy. Reiter, in awe, kneels before the Baroness.
SUPER: LONDON
“Welcome to jolly old London”
At dawn, Diana awakens as the Jet approaches the city. Steve took the controls while she slept, “handles like a dream.” The Jet quietly descends.
As they walk the streets, Diana is immersed by the culture of MAN’s WORLD—she sees a baby for the first time. Much of the city has been DEVASTATED by WWII but there’s an ALLIED FIGHTING SPIRIT felt.
Steve takes Diana shopping for new clothes and GLASSES for disguise where they meet his contact
ETTA CANDY, a fellow AGENT of the OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES (OSS). She’s a CODE BREAKER to help decipher the location of Baroness’s base. Etta leaves for the OSS OFFICE ahead of Diana and Steve with both Diana’s cumbersome SHIELD and the ENCRYPTED PAGE when she notices a MAN watching the duo walk away from the store.
Diana and Steve are tailed by NAZI ASSASSINS and attacked in an abandoned alleyway (homaging Richard Donner’s Superman). Diana uses her AMAZON BRACELETS to deflect their bullets and protect Steve, stepping on her glasses during the fight—this
isn’t Superman. Etta arrives, stopping the last man using Diana’s shield but he swallows CYANIDE before they can interrogate him.
At the OSS office, Diana meets
GENERAL PHILLIP DARNELL who walks with a cane. He gives her and Steve an audience in front of collected ALLIED OFFICIALS inside their WAR ROOM. As many are ready to dismiss her, she deciphers the encrypted communication with Etta—it’s a blend of modern NAZI CODE and ANCIENT OTTOMAN and SUMERIAN TEXT.
Operation: Phalanx is located in MARKOVIA, small Nazi-occupied European nation near real-world Austria.
But the Allied Officials deny the existence of the super weapon and refuse to send more troops. Diana vehemently protests but Steve pulls her out of the room. As the two leave, Diana’s words echo with Darnell…
“You would sit there and do nothing as INNOCENTS DIE? Where I come from, generals don’t hide in their offices like COWARDS, they fight alongside their soldiers. They DIE with them on the battlefield.”
Outside, Steve and Diana argue until Steve binds his hand in the LASSO OF TRUTH—
“I am taking you to Markovia. We are…(honest realization) probably gonna die. This is a terrible idea.”
Darnell arrives behind the two with Etta, inspired by Diana’s fighting spirit — “Then you’re going to need reinforcements.” And though his leg injury from his days on the Western Front in WWI makes him useless on the battlefield, he can still help…
“CAPTAIN WILLIAM CLOUD AND THE LOSERS… Don’t let the name fool you. These boys have served their country and the OSS WITH HONOR. Time and again. They already have a man on the ground in Markovia and can aid your mission.”
CUT TO a crowded London BAR as Diana, Steve, and Etta meet their “reinforcements.”
WILLIAM CLOUD is an expert infiltrator, fluent in many languages. He wears a fake EYE PATCH and shares stories at the bar, accompanied by his pet dog POOCH.
GUNNER MACKAY is a sharp shooter—the youngest of the group.
CLAY SARGE is a mercenary specializing in explosives and heavy artillery, fiercely protective of Gunner whom he treats like a brother.
(We’ll meet the fourth member in Markovia).
But Diana is not impressed. The night ends with Sarge in a FIGHT defending Gunner until Diana ends it SINGLE-HANDEDLY.
Storm speaks for the team: “I’m both frightened and aroused.”
The next morning, Diana, Steve, Etta and the Losers (with Pooch) board the Invisible Jet to Markovia.
Diana sees the HORRORS of war as the Invisible Jet silently tours WWII Europe. Instinctively, she reaches to hold STEVE’S HAND.
SUPER: MARKOVIA
They land in Markovia, ENTRENCHED IN WAR. Gurneys carry the wounded and dead.
“This is awful.”
Steve responds, “it’s why we’re here.”
Meanwhile Baroness addresses her followers inside her FORTRESS from atop a RAISED GANTRY. Sparks fly as FINAL CONSTRUCTION continues on the PHALANX WEAPON.
“The FUHRER has FAILED YOU. Each day the Allies grow stronger while his Axis crumbles. But ambition must cannot die! We stand on the edge of ULTIMATE GLORY. Ready to ride as masters of this world, borne to victory on the wings of OUR PHALANX. Our enemies' weapons will be powerless against us. Are you with me?!”
The troops SALUTE UNILATERALLY and CHEER as Reiter delivers a TELEGRAM from London about agent Trevor and an UNIDENTIFIED “BULLETPROOF” WOMAN who dispatched five Nazi assassins. Baroness smiles wickedly as realization sets in.
“Herr Reiter, what do you know of the Amazon? (off his blank stare) Let me tell you a bed time story…”
On the hangar floor, we hold for a small glimpse of the Phalanx—a HEAVILY ARMED, ADVANCED ZEPPELIN BOMBER the size of a football field…
As group settles at camp for the night, Diana meets
JOHNNY CLOUD, the final member of the Losers. An expert smuggler, he’s been embedded in Markovia for weeks to help locals receive FOOD and MEDICINE.
“May we get what we want. May we get what we need. But may we never get what we deserve...”
Diana learns more about The Losers, and her attitude towards them SOFTENS:
Cloud fights with the Losers after losing everything in the last war,
Gunner suffers PTSD from his time at war, unable to sleep through the night.
In the morning, as team sets out for the Baronesses’s fortress they discover a SMALL NAZI-OCCUPIED VILLAGE behind the enemy line. Diana cannot stand by and do nothing.
In a stunning action sequence, Diana fights through countless Nazi soldiers and evades advanced WAR WHEELS with only her LASSO and SHIELD. Steve is the first to follow her lead, with Etta and the Losers and Pooch shortly after. And then finally the full Allied forces.
The soldiers stand in awe at the heroics of WONDER WOMAN as the village is LIBERATED. A local Markovian takes a photograph of Diana with Steve and their team.
“You are a WONDER.”
Later, Darnell informs Steve of an emergency summit to be held by GERMAN HIGH COMMAND after their recent losses. There are rumors of a SURRENDER. The summit will take place during a GALA nearby at a Markovian ARISOCRAT’S ESTATE. OSS Intel reports Baroness von Gunther will be attending to unveil Phalanx.
That night, the team celebrates with the townspeople. It’s in these moments that Diana sees the potential for good in Man, and starts to develop feelings for Steve who fell in love with her the moment he saw her on Themiscrya.
“Do you have dancing on Themiscyra?”
Steve teaches Diana to dance as SNOW FALLS…
The next evening, Steve infiltrates the gala with Captain Storm posing as his driver. Although he tells Diana to stay back, she too manages to sneak in after stealing a Markovian guest’s GOWN.
Inside, Diana cannot help but draw attention. Even Steve is in AWE before he snaps out of it. But Baroness gets to Diana first, instantly recognizing her as the “bulletproof woman.”
“Enjoying the party? …A toast to victory.”
“The only victory worth celebrating is one of peace.”
“Peace is only an armistice in Endless War. (on Diana’s reaction) I was wondering if we would meet. The “bulletproof woman” from London…”
Baroness leads Diana away from the party to a SECRET WAR ROOM where she reveals the POISONED DEAD BODIES of Nazi Officials. Baroness killed them:
“These men were shortsighted…speaking of surrender. Never. But together, you and I, we could reshape this world. Finally take what is rightfully ours…for our sisters’.”
Baroness reveals her true name,
ARESIA, DAUGHTER OF ARES AND HIPPOLYTA.
FLASHBACK to the prologue as we revisit Ares battling Hippolyta:
“Listen to the song of death Aresia plays. Is she not a virtuoso? I will forever be grateful to you for this child you gave me...”
“I gave you nothing. You forced her upon me like a curse.”
The CLOAKED WARRIOR slaughters Amazons on the battlefield and see their face — Aresia.
Aresia explains over FLASHBACK:
“After I was born, Mother raised me amongst the Amazon in an effort to purge me of my Father’s influence. Still…for years I watched Amazon sisters fall before the sword of Man as Mother stood by and did nothing. And so, I sought to use the eternal power of the Purple Ray to lead us to salvation. With its power, we could subjugate Man’s World and finally end our suffering. But Mother rejected my ideas…and cast me out.”
We see Aresia steal a portion of the Purple Ray into a GLASS ORB we saw earlier.
“As I left under the cover of darkness, I took with me a piece of home so that I may wage a War against mankind and carve a new home for the Amazon. Over the years, I’ve whispered in the ears of Men in power—planting the eternal seeds of greed and War… But now is our time. With the power of the Phalanx, I no longer need to bend to the Will of Men to achieve world domination. Man will kneel before me as I wage a war so immeasurable…so inescapable…there will be no other course.”
“The Amazons will stop you! I will stop you!”
Diana rejects Aresia and the two FIGHT, spilling outside into the sprawling estate. Aresia’s strength and skill match Diana’s own. As two battle, Aresia STEALS Diana’s TIARA and places it on her head.
“You don’t even know the true power of your armor. Your tiara, forged by Hera’s star, is the the only way back to Themiscyra. Without it, the path home is lost.”
Aresia wants revenge against Queen Hippolyta and the Amazon for casting her out, and seeks control the full power of the Purple Ray once and for all. Even it means destroying all of Themiscrya.
She knocks Diana unconscious. “I will show you the same mercy Mother once showed me and spare your life. Enjoy your stay in Man’s World…for however long it has left.”
Later, back inside her fortress hangar, Aresia stands adorned in Diana’s tiara as Reiter and Blitzkrieg Squadron troops READY FOR WAR.
The Phalanx ASCENDS…
When Diana comes to, she and Steve rush back to the VILLAGE but it’s too late—It’s been DECIMATED by a PHALANX airstrike. Only Etta and The Losers remain.
Steve drops to his knees as Diana RAGES, temporarily DISILLUSIONED by the cruelty of the world. She raises a TANK above her head until a YOUNG GIRL stands before her. Then the girl’s MOTHER. And MORE SURVIVORS emerge from the rubble…amidst the devastation, the spirit of Markovia lives on.
Steve comforts Diana:
“We continue the fight so that they [innocents] can know peace. Diana, please…There’s still time.”
ACT III
On Themiscyra, the MORNING DAWN stretches. Philipus is first to rise and sees the INCOMING ARMADA on the horizon. Through the LOOKING GLASS she sees Aresia and alerts Queen Hippolyta. Philipus sounds the ALARM and the Amazon Army mobilizes for the first time in three thousand years.
“Hera, help us.”
Aresia stands inside the Phalanx, BARKING ORDERS as she looks on at Themiscrya through the blimp’s WINDOW PANE.
The Phalanx is flanked by ADVANCED FIGHT JETS in the air and NAZI SHIPS in the sea—all powered by stolen Purple Ray energy.
WAR ERUPTS as the Nazis reach the beach.
Hippolyta finds Aresia and their SWORDS CLASH.
“Are you so surprised, Mother? That I might return to claim what’s rightfully mine? …I’m glad your Guard kept the weapons I designed. I’ve made some improvements since I left…”
Phalanx begins BOMBING Themiscyra until several of its GUN TURRETS are destroyed mysteriously.
The INVISIBLE JET is revealed! With Donna, Steve, Etta, and the Losers inside.
Although Diana did not have her tiara to guide her home they were able to track Aresia’s forces on RADAR (with help from the OSS) and follow behind stealthily.
Diana drops from the Jet and SUPERHERO LANDS on the battlefield to save Hippolyta and face against Aresia.
Steve drops off Etta and the Losers on the beach where they join the fight—Etta even uses an Amazon spear alongside Philipus.
After an AERIAL DOGFIGHT, Steve crashes the Invisible Jet into the FLIGHT DECK of the Phalanx. Inside, he fights against Reiter again. Steve finally gains the upper hand and hits Reiter off the Phalanx where he PLUMMETS TO HIS DEATH on the battlefield below.
Steve manages to steer the Phalanx back towards the sea where it CRASHES IN EXPLOSION.
Diana’s fight with Aresia spans the entire island and the two end in front of the PURPLE RAY inside the Temple of Hera. As the Phalanx is destroyed, Diana gains the upper hand but chooses to end the cycle of violence and spares Aresia.
Unwilling to surrender, Aresia pushes Diana aside and tries to CONSUME the PURPLE RAY for herself but the power is too great and she MELTS AWAY. Only Diana’s Tiara remains…
The Amazons WIN THE DAY.
Diana can’t find Steve on the beach amongst the celebrations.
“Over here!”
Steve washes ashore, barely able to stand:
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, angel.”
The two KISS PASSIONATELY.
Later, the full team (Steve, Etta, and the Losers) are presented MEDALS. They FEAST elbow-to-elbow with the Amazons.
Hippolyta notices her daughter standing alone on A BALCONY overlooking Themiscrya:
“We can rebuild. Stronger. You’ve shown me that much, my daughter… But your destiny is not on this island. It never was.”
Hippolyta names Diana as the Amazon’s EMISSARY to Man’s World:
“It will not be easy. You will not age as one of them. But you will know them…as they truly are. The bad, and the good. Be safe my daughter. Show them peace. Show them who you are.”
The two embrace and Diana says goodbye:
“I love you.”
FINAL SHOT: Diana pilots a REBUILT INVISIBLE JET with Steve Trevor in the cockpit. The Jet soars AMONGST THE CLOUDS as the MUSIC SWELLS.
FADE OUT.
WONDER WOMAN WILL RETURN.
