Jack's jokes about Wonder Woman in Red One highlight a significant problem with the movie, and are also very awkward when considering Dwayne Johnson's professional relationship with Gal Gadot. The story of Red One follows Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), the North Pole's Head of Security, who teams up with Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), a bounty hunter, to save Santa after he is kidnapped. While this sounds like a fun premise, the star power of Johnson, Evans, and the rest of Red One's cast has not been able to inject the Christmas spirit into audiences.
Reviews for Red One have not been strong, and many critics have pointed out that multiple jokes in the Christmas action-comedy do not land. Out of all the jokes in Red One, the worst is an ongoing joke that Evans' character really wants a Wonder Woman toy so that he can make her real. This joke is extremely unflattering, as it disrespects Wonder Woman and presents powerful women in Hollywood as nothing more than objects.
Red One Repeatedly Jokes About Wonder Woman As A Sexual Object
Jack Is Obsessed With Wonder Woman in Red One
In the trailer for Red One, it was revealed that Callum Drift has a device that can make toys real. Callum uses the device to turn a toy car into a real, life-sized car. In response, Jack runs back into the toy store and asks for a Wonder Woman toy, suggesting that he wants to make her real and use her however he pleases. Chris Evans tries to deliver this joke as an innocent line, but it comes across as quite vile, since it is clear that he only views Wonder Woman as a sexual object.
Upon the release of Red One, it was revealed that Jack's toy store joke was not the only time he mentions Wonder Woman in the movie. He jokes about Wonder Woman several times throughout Red One, and it becomes clear that he has a sexual fantasy about her. While a solitary ill-judged Wonder Woman would be forgivable, the recurring gag becomes more and more awkward with every new joke, and can even make Red One an uncomfortable viewing experience.
Red One's Wonder Woman Jokes Are Odd Given The Rock & Gal Gadot's History
Dwayne Johnson And Gal Gadot Have Starred In Multiple Movies Together
While Dwayne Johnson's character in Red One isn't the one who is actually making the jokes about Wonder Woman, they are still awkward given his professional relationship with Gal Gadot. Red One's Wonder Woman jokes may not have been meant to target Gal Gadot specifically, but most viewers will immediately think of her since she was the last actor to play the Amazonian superhero. Since Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot starred in Red Notice and three Fast & Furious movies (they both made surprise appearances in Fast X) together, these jokes are even more uncomfortable.
Johnson and Gadot are also set to reunite in two Red Notice sequels, so they will continue to have a professional relationship moving forward. Dwayne Johnson starred in Red One, but he also served as a producer on the project. Therefore, he had a lot of creative control on Red One, and could have fought to remove the Wonder Woman jokes, but chose not to. This may make Johnson and Gadot's eventual reunion in Red Notice 2 quite awkward.
A Gal Gadot Cameo In Red One Could've Fixed The Poor Jokes
Jack Should Have Learned From His Inappropriate Wonder Woman Jokes
Since Wonder Woman is mentioned so many times in Red One, it would not have been unreasonable for certain audience members to expect a Gal Gadot cameo. This could have been similar to the cameo she made at the end of Shazam: Fury of the Gods after Wonder Woman was mentioned many times throughout that movie. It actually could have been a good resolution to the ongoing Wonder Woman jokes if Gadot appeared near the end of Red One to put Jack in his place and teach him to show more respect.
However, Gal Gadot did not have a cameo in Red One. As a result, the movie's Wonder Woman jokes ultimately lead nowhere, and are only present in the movie as shallow remarks that disrespect women. This is disappointing, since movies like Red One are a perfect platform for challenging harmful stereotypes. The failure to do so makes the movie feel slightly like a missed opportunity.
