It’s been five years since Wonder Woman opened in theaters. The character had been one of the most popular superheroes in the history of comics, making up part of the DC trinity alongside Superman and Batman; yet despite this, it took over seven decades for her to get her own movie. The character’s feature film debut may have been in 2016’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it was the first Wonder Woman film that connected with audiences and made the character, star Gal Gadot, and director Patty Jenkins sensations overnight.

Wonder Woman grossed $412 million domestically and $821 million worldwide. The sequel Wonder Woman 1984 was set for a big summer release in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the film and Warner Bros. released it in theaters on Christmas day in theaters and HBO Max on the same date. Critical reaction was not as positive to the sequel, but audiences are still eagerly anticipating the release of Wonder Woman 3. No release date has been set for the film, but both Gadot and Jenkins are set to return, and with the recent delay to Jenkins’s Star Wars-directed film Rogue Squadron, it is highly likely Wonder Woman 3 is closer than audiences realize.

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As with any superhero sequel, part of the fun is speculating on the film. While the current state of movies in the DCEU is currently up in the air following the recent merger of Warner Bros. Discovery, it appears more answers will be answered following the release of The Flash in June 2023, which is rumored to give the franchise a soft reboot. While it is unclear what this means for Wonder Woman 3, it is likely the studio still has plans for this profitable franchise. The two previous feature films have been inspired by the character’s original comic book origins and the 1970s Lynda Carter series leaving plenty on the table for the third chapter. With over 81 years of comic book stories, the filmmakers have plenty of great material to draw from. Here are five things that should be included in Wonder Woman 3.

A Contemporary Time Period For Wonder Woman

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Due to Wonder Woman’s demigod status, the character does not age, and the filmmakers have been given great opportunities to tell a variety of stories across different time periods with a variety of different tones. The first film was a war movie set during World War I, while the second film jumped to 1984 and each invoked strong unique color palettes to convey this sense of time that made each film distinct. The character has also had stories set in the present day with both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.

While there are still plenty of points in Diana’s history that could be explored, the franchise needs to move into a contemporary setting, particularly following the events of Justice League, to see her interacting with a world that is fully aware of her existence. Director Patty Jenkins has already committed to Wonder Woman 3 being a contemporary storyline, and that will open the door to many exciting story possibilities.

Department of Metahuman Affairs

     Warner Bros.

In keeping with the contemporary setting, Wonder Woman 3 has the chance to further incorporate the larger DC Universe into the storyline and could introduce the Department of Metahuman Affairs. The 2006 “Who is Wonder Woman” storyline saw Diana working for the fictional department in the comics. While the DCEU hasn’t had the same output as the MCU, films like Shazam! and The Suicide Squad have established both the publics’ larger awareness of superheroes but also a rise in people with powers, so it makes sense for The Department of Metahuman Affairs to be incorporated. Wonder Woman could be an agent or lead the organization. Wonder Woman working with this organization fits with her depiction in Justice League, which showed how the character’s compassion helped encourage heroes like Flash and Cyborg.

While the version in the comics is typically a government surveillance agency, the concept could be reworked more to fit with Wonder Woman’s characterization in the DCEU as a social outreach program, helping people young and old a better handle on their superpowers as well as creating a safe environment for them using teaching Diana learned from Themyscira. It grows Diana as a character and fleshes out the universe.

A Woman as the Central Villain

     DC Comics

Both Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 follow a similar structure, with the primary antagonist being a man (Ares/Maxwell Lord) and the secondary villain a woman who often works for the male enemy (Doctor Poison/Cheetah). The Wonder Woman franchise should shake things up with the third film’s primary villain being a woman, one that could serve as a foil for Diana.

There is no shortage of great Wonder Woman villains, from the goddess Circe, tech villain The Blue Snowman, or the powerhouse Giganta. However, one of the best choices might be Veronica Cale, who is a genius pharmaceutical tycoon and criminal mastermind which in many ways makes her Wonder Woman’s version of Lex Luthor. While a relatively new character, she was made a major player in Wonder Woman’s DC Rebirth storyline and is responsible for creating other Wonder Woman villains the Silver Swan and Doctor Cyber. This could be incorporated into the film, with Wonder Woman facing a team of super villains led by Veronica Cale adopting the Godwatch or Villains Inc. moniker from the comics.

The Introduction of Wonder Girl

One of the things that separates DC from Marvel is the company’s long-storied history of comic book sidekicks, a concept that has yielded characters so popular they were spun off into a team of their own in the form of the Teen Titans. Wonder Woman has had many sidekicks over the years, often holding the mantle of Wonder Girl.

Queer Romance for Wonder Woman

The question of Wonder Woman’s sexuality had always been a source of discussion among fans even though it has been present in the character’s creation. Wonder Woman’s creator William Moulton Marston and his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston were in a polyamorous relationship with Olive Bryne (which was dramatized in the 2017 film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women), and both women were a major source of inspiration for Wonder Woman. It always made a certain amount of sense that she hails from an island full of women. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the late great George Perez hinted at Wonder Woman’s romantic interest in women in his iconic run on the Wonder Woman title.

In 2016, both Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman: Earth One and Greg Rucka’s DC Rebirth run on the character established Wonder Woman as having past relationships with other women. The DC Rebirth storyline canonically made Wonder Woman bisexual, something many felt was a long time coming (and something original Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter agrees with), and now it’s time for it to make its way into the films.

Wonder Woman’s relationship with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) has been a major driving force in Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984, and Justice League, but after three films it is time to move on. Love is a major aspect of the Wonder Woman story, from her love for humanity to her love for Steve Trevor. Yet she can find love again, and for one of the most iconic superheroes in the world which is part of a popular film franchise, featuring a prominently same-sex love story could be a big moment for superhero movies, but also blockbuster filmmaking. These films reach a wide audience, and they can see that this is as normal as any heterosexual romance in a superhero movie. This depiction could be important for countless audience members who need to see themselves reflected on screen, and would be true to the story of the comics.