Warner Bros. and DC Films’ “Wonder Woman” broke box office records when it hit theaters this summer. Now the franchise has a prime opportunity to break new ground by following the source comics’ example and making Diana bisexual in the upcoming sequel.

The film follows Gal Gadot as Diana, princess of the Amazonian island Themyscira, as she grows up and leaves her home behind to protect humankind during World War I. In the recent DC “Rebirth” comics run — meant to bring Wonder Woman back to her origin story — writer Greg Rucka confirmed that Diana is bisexual. “The answer is obviously yes,” he said, noting that Diana has been in love and had serious relationships with women.

Director Patty Jenkins’ film laid the groundwork for this story by making coy references to the fact that the Amazons were involved in romantic relationships with each other, and now the writers of the sequel have a historic opportunity to include a character who is more overtly defined as queer. Never before has there been an openly LGBTQ — in this case bisexual — leading superhero on the big screen.

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While Rucka’s “Rebirth” run began after principal shooting for the film had already finished, “Wonder Woman 2” is perfectly positioned to pull from this storyline and take a huge step forward for the film industry. GLAAD’s most recent Studio Responsibility Index found that only 23 releases from the seven biggest studios in 2016 included lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) characters — nearly half (10) of those films included less than one minute of screen time for queer characters.

Portraying Diana as bi would also be a welcome sign of progress for comic book films. While LGBTQ characters have made huge strides on the pages of comics, very few have made the jump to the big screen.

The sum total of LGBTQ representation that GLAAD has counted in Disney’s Marvel films are seconds-long cameos, like out news anchor Thomas Roberts appearing as himself in “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3.”

Also Read: Patty Jenkins Closes Deal to Direct 'Wonder Woman' Sequel

Similarly, DC/Warner Bros.’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was only counted as LGBTQ-inclusive for cameos by out news commentators. Fox’s “Deadpool” was confirmed as pansexual in outside press though most of the film’s references to this are in service of proving how outrageous his character is. And Warner’s “Suicide Squad” completely erased Harley Quinn’s bisexual identity in her jump from the comics to the screen.

But there are great opportunities in several major studios’ upcoming slates. Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok ” will reportedly include the gay character Korg. Next February’s “Black Panther” includes Ayo, one of the leads in the miniseries “World of Wakanda” which follows Ayo’s relationship with a fellow Dora Milaje bodyguard named Aneka. However, it doesn’t bode well that Marvel rushed to issue a statement saying “that specific love storyline […] was not used as a source” when press outlets read as preview clip as romantic.

Also Read: 'Wonder Woman' Joins Top 5 Highest-Grossing Superhero Films of All Time

Fox is developing a film adaptation of BOOM! Studios’ GLAAD Media Award-winning comic series “Lumberjanes.” Warner Bros.’ “Gotham City Sirens” could include the romantic relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Meanwhile, Warner is also developing a standalone film for Justice League member The Flash that would star Ezra Miller, who identifies himself as queer — though it’s unclear what his character’s sexuality will be.

Given the mass appeal of comic book films, this genre is the next frontier in GLAAD’s work to advocate for LGBTQ-inclusiveness. Entertainment has a reciprocal relationship with society: reflecting social attitudes while also shaping them. As audiences learn about, care for, and identify with people different than themselves.

For a film with the international reach and cultural cache of “Wonder Woman,” portraying its lead character as bisexual would send an impactful message. A bisexual superhero could be a lifeline to LGBTQ youth living in areas of the world where LGBTQ people are persecuted or where acceptance is not the norm. While bisexual people make up the majority of the LGBTQ community, they are less likely than gay or lesbian people to be out to friends and family. The negative tropes that entertainment has long perpetuated about bi people, like being predatory or “confused” about their sexuality, can make coming out difficult.

Also Read: 'Atomic Blonde' Accused of Using #BuryYourGays Trope (Spoilers)

“Wonder Woman” fans are speaking up. As part of Bisexual Awareness Week, Gianna Collier-Pitts (a GLAAD campus ambassador) started a Change.org petition calling on Warner Bros. to commit to portraying Diana as bisexual in the sequel.

Diana’s character is grounded in the power of being truthful and forthright. Being an out and proud bi woman would be in line with her ideals to fully live her own truth and recognize all parts of herself. While Wonder Woman is already a hero to girls and women around the world, letting her be fully out would make her a hero to an entirely new community of people hungry for a hero who reflects their lives.

These 13 Movies Were Rated the Most Damaging to LGBT People in 2016 (Photos)

From perpetuating stereotypes to using violence against queer people as a plot device or straight-up refusing to clarify the orientation of meaningful LGBT characters in film, these portraits were considered the most damaging or ineffective from any major Hollywood film in 2016. [Source: GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index]
Handout
"Deadpool" (Fox)
This irreverent superhero was impossible to deny in any way -- except, of course, if you count how the film denied its own promise to feature a "pansexual" Deadpool. Director Tim Miller said he was intent to show the potty-mouthed hero as one not limited in his choice of sexual preference, but it never manifested on the screen.

There was also plenty of conversation about a scene where Reynolds' Wade Wilson is "pegged" (penetrated with a strap-on by his scene partner Morena Baccarin) but "the scene was played as a joke and as a painful moment that Wade himself was not actually wanting to engage in other than as a favor to his lover."
20th Century Fox
"Demolition" (Lionsgate)
This Jake Gyllenhaal indie sees the actor befriend a young closeted gay man, whom he advises to remain in the closet until he can move to a bigger, more accepting city. The boy ignores this advice and attends a local gay bar, where he is jumped by a group of straight men. The gay character "never seemed to be actually uncomfortable with himself to begin with, [so] it is disheartening that the film decided to use this kind of violence as a plot device."
Lionsgate
"Zoolander 2" (Paramount)
Where to begin with this sequel 15 years in the making, but one GLAAD called "incredibly dated in both story and its attempted humor."

That's a compliment compared to what comes next.

"Prior to the release of Zoolander 2, a petition was launched calling for a boycott of the film after the first trailer included Benedict Cumberbatch as a non-binary model named All. The character is a completely cartoonish portrayal of a non-binary person. [Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson] obsess over the idea of what kind of genitals All has, asking if they 'have a hot dog or a bun.'"

The study found that while "comedy can be a powerful too to hold a mirror up to society and challenge expectations, cheap jokes constructed without thought that use an already marginalized community as a punchline only reinforce ignorance and prejudice. Further, positioning an LGBTQ identity as something which is inherently absurd and worthy of mocking does real harm to actual people who experience harassment and violence on a regular basis."

Paramount
"Sausage Party" (Sony)
This animated orgy from Seth Rogen might as well be disqualified given how offensive it was to all of god's creatures (and some our finest foods and beverages). GLAAD raised one point, however, about reinforcing stereotypes.

"Characters are a shallow pun based on their name, including Twink the Twinkie and the overly effeminate produce who are not actual characters so much a series of jokes based on the derogatory term 'fruit,'" they said.
Sony Pictures
"Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" (Fox)
In their quest to land plus ones, Zac Efron and Adam Devine interview many candidates -- including a man in a wig trying to pass as female.

"This very clearly furthers the dangerous cultural narrative that someone who does not look conventionally female is a joke to be laughed at, and that straight men might be 'tricked' by a woman who’s 'really a man,'" GLAAD said.
20th Century Fox
"Nocturnal Animals" (Focus)
It's surprising that a film directed by a gay icon (the notoriously provocative designer Tom Ford) would get dinged by GLAAD -- but the film's two gay characters (one played by Michael Sheen, one only referenced in the history of characters played by Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal) did not pass muster.

"Though it is clear that this film takes place in a world inclusive of gay characters accepted by the protagonists, it is disappointing that their stories are centered on the straight women in their lives," the SRI said.
Focus Features
"Zootopia" (Disney)
A same-sex couple lives next door to crime-fighting bunny rabbit Judy Hopps, but vagueness kills any clarity and, therefore, visibility.

"While confirmed inclusion is a step forward for children’s films, we would like to see these characters be more forthrightly defined within the film itself going forward."
Disney
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (Warner Bros.)
The film got points for cameos from out journalists Anderson Cooper and Andrew Sullivan playing in fictionalized versions of themselves, but these do not gay characters make, the study said.

"We continually hope that future superhero films will include substantial queer characters. While more out comic book characters are making the leap from the page to television, mainstream hero films are still cutting them from the big screen."
Warner Bros
"Hail, Caesar!" (Paramount)
In this Coen Brothers old-Hollywood dramedy, Channing Tatum plays an ambitious actor-dancer who sleeps with his director (Ralph Fiennes) to get ahead. It's also revealed that an established star (George Clooney) climbed the ladder the same way.

"The trope of predatory gay characters bribing or pressuring a straight man into sex is both offensive and incredibly overdone through the years," GLAAD said.
Paramount
"Dirty Grandpa" (Lionsgate)
GLAAD had zero respect for this elder, calling the film "one of the more offensive lms released recently
by a major studio." The crux of their issue came from an African American gay male character named Bradley, who "has no agency or story, and is only present as a punchline for Dick’s racist and anti-gay jokes."
Lionsgate
"Central Intelligence" (Warner Bros.)
This film ties with "Dirty Grandpa" for top offender. The Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart (a top repeat offender in this annual survey) buddy comedy is described as "a near two-hour gay panic joke that relies on the long-running homophobic 'sissy' stereotype for most of the lm’s intended punchlines."
Warner Bros
"Suicide Squad" (Warner Bros.)
GLAAD was bummed that this widely-panned film did not reference Harley Quinn's bisexuality -- explored in many of the comic books, especially a romantic relationship with fellow villainess Poison Ivy.

"If they follow the source comics, audiences can look forward to seeing some of the romantic relationship between Quinn and Ivy. This would be a huge moment for superhero films, which continue to leave out meaningful LGBTQ characters," the study said.

"While Harley Quinn is bisexual
in the pages of many DC Comics and continually veers between her love for fellow anti-hero Poison Ivy and returning to her abusive relationship with The Joker."
Warner Bros
"Finding Dory" (Disney)

Much ado was made about two women being a same-sex couple in the animated film -- but their cameo was so fleeting and, as the study points out, director Andrew Stanton refused to confirm or deny this as true. GLAAD did not count the characters in its tally of 70 represented in mainstream films -- a big missed opportunity given the film's voice star Ellen DeGeneres is arguably the most visible lesbian in the world.
Disney

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GLAAD’s annual Studio Responsibility Index takes the major studios — and their harmful content — to task

From perpetuating stereotypes to using violence against queer people as a plot device or straight-up refusing to clarify the orientation of meaningful LGBT characters in film, these portraits were considered the most damaging or ineffective from any major Hollywood film in 2016. [Source: GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index]

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