Potential Spoiler Alert: The following contains some specifics around one sequence in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.

"What’s the ‘S’ stand for?”

“It’s not an ‘S’. On my world it means hope.”

Man of Steel (2013)

Does it? Three films into the DCEU, and there hasn’t been a great deal to be optimistic about.

We’ve seen heroes consumed by doubt, rage, and an unsettling desire to see each other bleed; commit acts of murder – well, manslaughter if you’re being generous; and level major cities in action sequences more reminiscent of the Book of Revelation than a Hollywood blockbuster. But things are changing.

Based on a couple of scenes from Wonder Woman, and hearing director Patty Jenkins outline her vision for the character, it’s clear the movie is pulling the DC Universe in a brighter, more optimistic direction – to a place where it’s okay to have a hero who wants to save the world.

While Batman v Superman screenwriter Chris Terrio cited Umberto Eco’s 1972 essay The Myth of Superman and the W.H. Auden as influences, Patty Jenkins wants to talk about Richard Donner’s 1978 classic Superman. It’s not the only influence on the movie – she name-checks Casablanca and Indiana Jones too – but it’s the one Jenkins keeps coming back to.

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“Right before I came on to do this I watched it again with my son who was 6 at the time,” Jenkins tells me. “I was so stunned. It completely bolstered my plans to do this by watching it with jaded kids who’ve seen a thousand movies… Literally when the little boy picks up the car my son stood up on the couch and he…” At this moment, Jenkins leaps from her chair, places her fists to her hips, and strikes the classic Superman pose. “And I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ All these years later, and look at that. That’s how pure that is. I’m Superman – that’s what it did to me when I was 7, and then watching it with him, all these years later, still – I’m Superman. I could be Superman. That’s the movie I wanted to make for everybody but for little girls, too.”

Richard Donner's Superman (1978)

Last August Geoff Johns – an acclaimed writer for DC and the company’s chief content officer – was tasked with co-running the newly-formed film division with seasoned Hollywood exec Jon Berg. Ostensibly the goal was to unify the multiple projects DC had in production, but it’s widely believed it was to re-centre the tone of the wider DCEU. When Johns talks about DC’s heroes he frequently uses the words ‘hope’ and ‘optimism’. (Incidentally, Johns’ first break in the industry was as an assistant to Richard Donner in the late ‘90s.) It’s no surprise to find out that Johns has been working on Wonder Woman since its inception.

“Geoff and I were already kindred spirits,” says Jenkins. “So even when I was talking about this project years ago, Geoff was in the room, and [our] eyes connected because I love Richard Donner's Superman and he loves Richard Donner's Superman, and we started talking about it years earlier… So when I came on aboard to this movie he was one of my strong allies. He loves her and the comics the same way I do.”

That shared vision was clear in the second of two scenes I saw. Jenkins describes it as the most important scene in the movie, a sequence which perfectly captures not only Diana’s compassion but her unselfconscious desire to be a hero.

DC Extended Universe: Every Upcoming Movie 26 IMAGES

Steve Trevor (a World War 1 spy who crash lands on Wonder Woman’s island, played by Chris Pine) has taken her to the frontline of the war – she believes that’s where she’ll find Ares, the god of war, because only he could be behind such suffering. As Trevor leads her through the sodden fields and into the trenches, she sees horses sinking into the mud and fatally wounded soldiers; she wants to stop, to help them all, but Trevor tells her to leave them behind. She doesn’t understand.

“We have to stay on mission,” he says, seeing the bigger picture. “This is No Man’s Land, Diana. It means no man can cross it. This battalion has been here for nearly a year and they barely gained an inch because on the other side are a bunch of Germans pointing machine guns at every square inch of this place. This is not something you can cross. It's not possible."

“So we do nothing?”

"No, we are doing something. We are. We just... We can't save everyone in this war. It's not what we came here to do."

Diana turns away, puts on her tiara and as she walks away, lets her coat fall to the ground, revealing the full Wonder Woman costume.

"No, but it's what I'm going to do."

She confidently ascends a ladder, stepping out onto a potholed strip of land lashed with barbed wire and barricades. The Germans begin to fire, but Diana runs straight at them, repelling bullet after bullet, swatting away artillery shells like flies. She becomes the shield that allows the Allies behind to mount the charge that overthrows the enemy.

It's unquestionably the best superhero moment in a DC movie so far because she's choosing to be a hero. It helps that it’s also beautifully shot, movingly scored, and culminates in a pure moment of aspirational heroism. Jenkins’ has her Superman moment – the scene that will make little kids leap into the air.

The DC movies so far have had those moments too. Take this moment from Batman v. Superman. It might just be the best single moment from that movie.

With Metropolis falling around him and its people fleeing for their lives, Bruce Wayne chooses to run into hell. He's being a hero. But ultimately moments like this were submerged in a movie about killing gods and heroes turning cruel. A lot of it comes down to tone. People die in that scene from Wonder Woman, but it doesn’t register in the same way. “Indiana Jones is something I looked to for that. I was like, ‘They just killed f***ing 70 people in that scene’ but you’re not feeling [heinous] because they don’t want to have to do that. They have to get through something, and they’re defending themselves… Necessity. Don’t glory in it, don’t overly see anything, don’t ever get hard about it. I have these little rules.”

It extends deeper into all aspects of the character and what’s consistent with who she has been across her 75 year history. “There were moments when movies were pitched or shown to me which were vengeful – punching someone in the face – and I was like, ‘she wouldn’t punch someone in the face’. That’s not a way to take someone out – that’s not the quickest way. She might punch and end up hitting someone there, but she’s not doing anything for humiliation. I think that’s her strength.”

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Wonder Woman certainly offers a more hopeful, recognisable incarnation of its hero, but I think the mistake would be to assume this makes for a less complex or ambitious movie than its predecessors, which spoke of men battling gods in biblical tones. This is where rigid genres can be misleading and restrictive. We typically think of comedies or romances – incidentally, one of Jenkins main goals is to commit a great romance to film, hence Casablanca cited as an influence – as less substantial, more frivolous. But that’s no more true than saying you’re film is dark and edgy guarantees depth. Ultimately, it’s what you do within that tone.

Wonder Woman’s conflict is as epic as anything in BvS; it’s a coming of age story, but Diana’s plunged into a world not ready to accept what she has to say and shocked by what she’s capable of. The subtext is clear but never thickly painted on. Wonder Woman is a feminist icon – that’s indisputable – but as Jenkins points out, she would never think of herself as one. Why? Because it would never occur to Diana Prince to treat someone differently, which is a stronger statement. Wonder Woman definitely feels like the hero and the movie the DCEU needs right now.

Maybe that 'S' can still be a symbol for hope.

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Editor. He sometimes writes about movies, too. You can be part of the world's most embarrassing cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.