The DC cinematic universe is about to take some big steps forward with Friday’s release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will finally bring together two of the most popular superhero characters in history on the big screen for the very first time. The film is a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel, but is being billed as a match-up of titans Batman and Superman while also taking DC fans into a new cinematic adventure that Warner Brothers hopes will mimic the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Naturally, most of the attention focuses on Batman and Superman going head to cowl, but the long-awaited arrival of Wonder Woman could be what makes or break the movie.

Deadline Hollywood reports a survey of Fandango users found 88 percent of those surveyed are excited to see Gal Gadot suit up as Wonder Woman. Unlike Batman and Superman, who have been the featured characters in roughly a dozen featured films (seven Batman films, including the Dark Knight trilogy, four Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, Superman Returns and Man of Steel), the last time Wonder Woman had any relevancy on TV or in film was when Lynda Carter was starring in the Wonder Woman TV show in the late 1970s.

So it has been a while, and fans of DC’s most notable heroine are starving for a faithful adaptation of Wonder Woman. They may be about to say the wait was worth it.

We will soon find out just how Wonder Woman is introduced into the DC cinematic universe, although she has made appearances in the BvS trailers leading up to the film’s release. From those brief glimpses, we have seen the Amazon warrior princess in action and causing some confusion between the man of steel and the caped crusader. It is the hope of many that Wonder Woman is simply not dropped into action for the sake of introducing Wonder Woman. How well her character is refined will be pivotal, because there will be a featured Wonder Woman film coming our way in 2017. Because of that, some room for unanswered questions may be viable in Batman v Superman, but at least provide us with some information.

And that should be a valid concern for those going to see BvS in hopes this will be DC’s biggest success story. The trailer footage has already shown us a shot of Doomsday and the deceased General Zod. We also know Lex Luthor is up to some shenanigans, and it may be related to Doomsday. We also are “meeting” Batman for the first time and also getting Wonder Woman. There are a lot of characters that need at least some introduction, and we can probably safely assume we will get at least a look at the Bruce Wayne background story, even though that has been replayed time and time again. Batman is like Spider-Man. We know who he is and how he became a superhero at this point. We don’t need to be too tied down by those particulars when we finally see them in Batman v Superman and in Captain America: Civil War (although Spider-Man is a slightly different case, which we can discuss another time).

But Wonder Woman is not quite as well known to the common people out there. I’ll be honest in saying I have no clue how Wonder Woman becomes Wonder Woman, so I may require a little more background to be brought to my attention in film. But that, along with the fact that there haven’t been any female superhero movies, might be why so many people are seemingly most excited about the introduction of the character. We’ll find out, starting Friday (or with advanced screenings Thursday night).

[Deadline Hollywood]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.