Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins’ 2017 film starring Gal Gadot as lasso-wielding superhero Diana Prince, was weighed down with expectations. Not only was it the first female-led superhero film in more than a decade, it was the first superhero film ever to be directed by a woman – and Jenkins was only the second female director in history to work with a budget of more than $100 million.

As a result, the pressure was on. Everyone knew that if Wonder Woman flopped, it wouldn’t just be seen as a verdict on the film itself. It would become a cautionary tale, used to reinforce the narrative that women directors can’t handle big-budget action blockbusters and that female superheroes don’t sell cinema tickets. There seems to be no limit to how many lacklustre male-led comic book films Hollywood can churn out – but if Wonder Woman was unsuccessful, it could have been a very long time before another female director (or protagonist) was given a shot.

Wonder Woman 1984 review: does Patty Jenkins’ superhero sequel live up to its predecessor?