LOS ANGELES • Maybe, just maybe, not all superheroes are treated equally.

Indeed, there is a section of superhero-loving social media that is convinced that Wonder Woman has been getting the short end of the Warner Bros stick when it comes to promotion.

But director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot did take to Twitter separately on April 27 to release two new 30-second teasers for the film. And during Monday night's episode of Gotham on Fox, a new minute-long sneak peak of Wonder Woman debuted.

Vanity Fair magazine also pointed out in a recent article that, five weeks out, Warner Bros has spent about US$400,000 (S$558,000) more in television advertising on Wonder Woman than it did on last year's Suicide Squad - which went on to be a big hit - in the same timeline.

So why do some fans think that DC Comics' most iconic female superhero is not getting the same commercial treatment as Squad and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)?

Is it a lack of action figures?

No duelling cereal boxes like the Batman/Superman ones that came out last year?

With exactly one month to go before Wonder Woman's June 2 release, Warner Bros (WB) and DC Entertainment should be keenly aware of how important this franchise is to the future of DC's solo superhero films.

The movie is another chance for WB/DC to show their DC Comicsinspired movie universe through the eyes of someone besides Zack Snyder. Snyder, the polarising fan favourite/villain, directed the first two connected, live-action superhero DC movies, Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, which both received middling reviews.

The first non-Snyder attempt at a WB/DC movie was David Ayer's Suicide Squad, which produced another money-making - but critically panned - DC movie.

After Wonder Woman, Snyder is back in the driver's seat with November's Justice League.

Before that, WB/DC will be counting on Jenkins' female-led film to deliver a commercial and criticapproved hit. It may help boost positive buzz for League, a film that could have its sceptics because of Snyder's involvement.

The last Wonder Woman trailer was released in March and, with a month still to go, it is possible that Jenkins and WB/DC could have one more trailer to stoke excitement.

Or the producers could decide that they have revealed all they wanted to already.

Think about that last Batman V Superman trailer that revealed Superman villain Doomsday would make an appearance. For many fans, it felt like the entire plot had been revealed through trailers at that point.

You cannot say that with Wonder Woman, a movie that has gone out of its way to hide the main villain (presumably Ares, the God of War) and has only briefly hinted that Wonder Woman's true biological origins must remain a secret forever.

But WB/DC's selectivity of what they have revealed means fans do not know if any of this is true.

Whether you believe the advertising has been plentiful or lacking, one thing has not changed.

Many are counting on this movie to bring new life to the future of DC Comics on film.

WASHINGTON POST