“Wonder Woman” digs into the origins of the character by embroiling her in the conflict of World War I. Diana of Themyscira’s introduction to the world of humans is full of funny mercenaries and a few eerily creepy bad guys. Here are all the people who find themselves hanging out with Wonder Woman, from thinnest to most interesting. Warning: Spoilers beyond this point!
11. General Ludendorff (Danny Huston)
As the red herring villain for most of the movie, Ludendorff’s major function is just to be sneeringly evil as often as possible. But he lacks the homicidal quirkiness of Dr. Maru or the ideological anger of Ares — he’s just a guy who wants to kill a lot of people. Generally, the general is a bit dull.
10. Sir Patrick (David Thewlis)
Though the twist involving his character is obvious early in the movie, the talented Thewlis does a lot with his real role as the God of War. Still, Ares/Sir Patrick just doesn’t get much in the way of real character development — a shame, since he spends the end of the movie monologuing the themes of “Wonder Woman” and Diana’s internal struggle.
9. Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen)
Diana’s mom is pretty one-note. Most of her role is about saying veiled things that give away Wonder Woman’s true nature, and wringing her hands over Diana going to battle. The conflict isn’t bad, but Hippolyta feels more like a speed bump that slows Diana’s forward movement in getting the movie going than a full character.
8. The Chief (Eugene Brave Rock)
The third of Steve’s team doesn’t say much, but his observant nature means he gets the other guys in a way that adds a closeness to the group. “Wonder Woman” is at its best when it gets Steve’s team together with Diana. When all the characters add to the unit, it makes it a lot of fun to watch.
7. Charlie (Ewen Bremner)
Charlie does a lot of subtle but important thematic work in “Wonder Woman,” serving as the member of the team who’s damaged the most by war. He brings a lot of humanity to the character that otherwise might have felt like pure comic relief, and adds some layers to Diana’s character development.
6. Antiope (Robin Wright)
As the greatest warrior the Amazons have ever had, she’s obviously also the coolest among them, especially when she takes it on herself to train Diana to be an even better warrior. She also might have the best stunt in the movie when she takes down three enemy soldiers with one pull of the bowstring.
5. Sameer (Saïd Taghmaoui)
As the intuitive and artistic member of the team, Sami has all the best insights and interesting things to say. He also brings the most personality to the team, and his acting skills make for a couple of funny moments that lighten up the whole “stopping mustard gas from murdering thousands” plot.
4. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine)
Good ol’ Steve is Diana’s link to the human world, and as an earnestly good guy, he’s a good partner for her. He’s also pretty great at getting out of the way and letting Diana handle the superheroing. A man character would constantly be getting in the way or trying to control the situation, but Steve’s all about utilizing everyone on the team to their strengths.
3. Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya)
There’s an overarching creepiness to Dr. Maru that’s really fascinating — so much so that she could probably carry the villain end of the movie on her own if “Wonder Woman” would let her. Anaya is at the top of her game when Steve tries to seduce her with a semi-erotic discussion about things getting destroyed by fire. Maru’s easy to hate, but she’s also interesting.
2. Etta (Lucy Davis)
Despite having all the funniest lines in the movie, Steve Trevor’s secretary feels underused. She’s a useful balance to all the military-minded soldiers and is hilarious as the only non-mercenary, non-superhero regular person on the cast.
1. Diana (Gal Gadot)
The actual Wonder Woman strikes a balance between being super-smart and weirdly naive. Having never met humans before, watching her learn about their society and their shortcomings is a lot of fun. She manages to be pretty funny and pretty badass in equal measure.
