Is Adria Arjona Playing Wonder Woman In James Gunn's DCU? Here's Why Fans Are Convinced

Superman's release last year finally rid us of the ghosts of the ill-fated DCEU, ushering in a new dawn with DC Studios and the newly formed DCU, the brainchild of new joint CEOs James Gunn (who wrote and directed the film) and Peter Safran.

The sequel, Man of Tomorrow, was quickly greenlit for 2027 and, for the first time, we will see Superman against Brainiac on the big screen. But is a familiar face set to join him? Apparently, it is all rumours, and they are far from true, but fans have been here before. Remember the Sadie Sink/Jean Grey Spider-Man fakeout? Or Andrew Garfield playing a real-life game of Werewolf?

So, have Gunn and Co. set up another ruse? Is Adria Arjona really playing an alien conqueror and Superman-obsessed Maxima – or is she our new Wonder Woman? We unpack the theories…

James Gunn Has Already Said How 'Great' Arjona Would Be as Wonder Woman

It began back in April this year, when news broke that Hit Man and Andor star Arjona had been cast in the upcoming sequel after a series of screen tests, beating out other actors for an undisclosed role, later announced as Maxima.

However, almost immediately, rumours began that she was, in fact, to play Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, and they started with Gunn saying to Extra that she “would be a great Wonder Woman” when asked at a press junket for Superman.

Indeed, he and Arjona have known each other for years, since he helped cast her for 2016’s The Belko Experiment, which Gunn wrote and produced with his DC cohort Safran.

Later, Arjona began her workout regimen for the film, and it only added fuel to the fire. Even playing Maxima, she would still have to go through the same type of preparations, and while many put her increased strength and body shape down to the role she's been linked to, it doesn’t quite make sense.

Arjona Has Been Playing Along With Rumours

The biggest hint came as recently as this month when Arjona set off on the press junket for her new film, Onslaught, released on September 13.

On the tour, many journalists, of course, asked her the Wonder Woman questions, and to her credit, Arjona managed to answer them all pretty much unscathed – apart from two.

First, at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, whilst promoting Onslaught, EW asked her about the rumours, to which she replied, “I’m going to go now,” and promptly left the interview before returning moments later and saying: “I love James so much… They are family, and I'm so happy to be part of the DC universe.”

Then, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz got her to open up about how she knew what role she was auditioning for during her screen tests. When pressed about playing Maxima, Arjona replied, “It could be”, before the two staked a wager, with Horowitz betting $500 that she is Wonder Woman, and Arjona saying she will give $500 if she is Maxima, which the winner will give to charity.

Fans went into overdrive as it was the closest confirmation we have so far of who she is really playing.

You have to feel for Arjona and everyone else who has been put in this position in recent years, like the aforementioned Sink, Garfield and more. They are hiding to no avail, and all they get in return is fuelling the rumour mill. When doing press for films that have nothing to do with their superhero exploits, talk will always turn to them countless times a day at a press junket.

This could be the first time we fall foul of an internet-created ruse or rumour, where Arjona is, in fact, playing the character mentioned in her initial casting, but the history of such things suggests otherwise.

So, Is Adria Arjona Wonder Woman?

Gunn has been quick to shoot down the rumours again, taking to Threads to say the film is very Superman- and Lex Luthor-focused, with Nicholas Hoult returning as the villain, saying:

“It’s [a] movie about Lex and Clark. People shouldn't expect substantial amounts of other characters…. Things have been blown way out of proportion, and most stuff is just dead wrong.”

So, right now, the honest answer is: we don't know.

DC Studios has not officially announced Arjona as Wonder Woman, and there remains a perfectly plausible alternative in Maxima. That theory has genuine foundations, including the reports surrounding actresses testing for the role and the character's connection to Brainiac.

But the Wonder Woman theory has become considerably harder to dismiss, and the mystery makes things much more fun – potentially creating a big surprise for audiences next summer.

If not, well, Arjona will no doubt be great either way.