Is Wonder Woman Too Similar to Captain America: The First Avenger?

After a slow start with Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, the DC Extended Universe seems to be getting the hang of making good movies. Wonder Woman is now in theaters and has been receiving a generally warm reception. But it’s not without its critics who have been quick to nitpick. One of the biggest criticisms has been that the movie is too similar to Captain America: The First Avenger.

Is that fair? The answer is complicated.

While the movie does have some parallels, it’s also a completely different film. The two films have different settings, and their protagonists are very different from each other. The differences are most apparent when it comes to the storyline.

In the original film, Steve Rogers (Captain America) crash lands on an island and meets a mysterious Amazon princess named Diana. Both are separated from their homeworlds, and both have to battle the forces of evil. Their destinies become intertwined as they fight side by side in a war to end all wars.

This is an interesting parallel, but it’s not as deep as you might think. The main difference is that Wonder Woman isn’t an American hero. She’s an immortal demi-goddess, and she wears the red, white, and blue not because she feels particularly patriotic, but because it’s the tradition of the Amazon tribe to wear the colors of the nation that they visit. This isn’t a huge deal, but it’s important to keep in mind.