Action Show ‘FUBAR’ Proves Monica Barbaro Could Be the Perfect Wonder Woman

With a reboot of Wonder Woman coming soon, casting the titular Amazonian warrior has brought speculation and suggestions alike. Wonder Woman, alias Diana Prince, is fierce, intelligent, and a master of hiding her true identity from everyone around her.

Diana has a lot in common with Emma Brunner, played by Monica Barbaro, on Netflix’s FUBAR. FUBAR highlights Barbaro’s acting breadth and adds to her already impressive action-role past. With movies like Top Gun: Maverick and television shows like Chicago P.D. on her resume, Barbaro has taken on fighter jets and terrorists alike.

Numerous names have been suggested when it comes to a new Wonder Woman, including Barbaro. FUBAR proves Barbaro might just be the perfect choice for the part.

‘FUBAR’ Showcases Monica Barbaro’s Strength And Agility

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On FUBAR, Monica Barbaro plays Emma Brunner, a woman leading a double life. No one knows she’s a CIA operative, including her father, Luke. It turns out Luke (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has also been hiding his CIA operative career. When Luke is sent on one last mission to save an operative, he finds out it’s Emma. The pair end up working together, making a dangerous line of work even more complicated.

As Emma navigates her life with her kindergarten-teacher boyfriend, Carter (Jay Baruchel), and her CIA missions with her father, operatives Aldon Reese (Travis Van Winkle) and Roo Russell (Fortune Feimster), her efforts at striking a balance become increasingly difficult. She resembles Diana Prince, who similarly desires a normal life, but keeping her true identity a secret limits her ability to be honest with the people she cares about.

Barbaro’s athletic abilities are on full display throughout FUBAR. Barbaro talked about taking on action roles in 2023, specifically noting how her past as a dancer helped prepare her:

“In ballet, there’s such an attention to detail in literally every limb of your body and how it moves exactly. I think learning stunts and choreography and a character’s physicality requires that same attention to detail.”

There’s no doubt that the role of Wonder Woman requires an ability to portray a unique type of character complexity. FUBAR has added another layer to Barbaro’s potential, and the Academy Award-nominated actress has essentially proven there’s nothing she can’t do. Her effortless on-screen presence works on big and small screens alike, and FUBAR makes it clear she’s as versatile as she is dedicated.

‘FUBAR’ Gave Monica Barbaro a Chance To Work With Her Second Action-Movie Legend

FUBAR allowed Monica Barbaro to watch and learn from one of the biggest action stars in history, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The star of Conan the Barbarian, Predator, Terminator, and a host of other action movie classics, Schwarzenegger brought a lot to the set and proved himself to be, in Barbaro’s words, “such a legend.” She explained to Lauren Conlin from Pop Style TV,

He could absolutely show up to set unprepared if he wanted to, but he never did. He worked really hard.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner and Monica Barbaro as Emme Brunner in Fubar

‘FUBAR’ Star Explains Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Healthy” Boundaries on Netflix Action Series

Monica Barbaro reflects on working with the action legend on their hit Netflix action series.

When speaking with TV Insider, Schwarzenegger credited Barbaro for her stunt abilities in FUBAR. He admitted, “It was really wild to have her crawl around on a train on a high-speed rail that goes like 160 miles an hour or so.”

Schwarzenegger isn’t the only iconic action star Barbaro has worked with. After making Top Gun: Maverick with Tom Cruise, Barbaro talked about how the two movie stars compared, calling Cruise and Schwarzenegger “complete opposites” but “very professional.” Schwartzenegger added one more tidbit about Barbaro’s action acumen, one that also linked back to Top Gun:

“I think the reason why they chose Monica is because she has proven to be a very, very good actress. She was fantastic in “Top Gun,” which became the most successful movie of that year and one of the most successful movies of all time… I was very excited about that because she was spectacular in that and to have someone like her be that good with action. So that to me was really important. And she came to the set. She really worked well with the stunt coordinators and with the stunt people and did a fantastic job in doing all the action and stuff like that.”

This affection between Barbaro and Schwarzenegger in FUBAR attests to mutual respect, but it’s also a key element to what makes the show work. FUBAR is about action, spies, and stunts, but it’s also a show with heart. The relationship between Barbaro and Schwarzenegger on and off the set makes it even more enjoyable to watch.

Monica Barbaro Has Been Included in Conversations About the Next Wonder Woman

Whoever is cast in the next Wonder Woman will be picking up the lasso from Gal Gadot. It’s not clear why Gadot isn’t continuing in the role, but it’s believed James Gunn decided to go a different direction with his DC contributions. After the success of 2025’s Superman, Gunn talked about accelerating plans for a forthcoming Wonder Woman movie. Former Supergirl screenwriter Ana Nogueira will write a Wonder Woman reboot, but Gunn made it clear:

We’re also not casting WW, nor even discussing it, until a script is finished.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Proves He’s One of the Best TV Dads With Sweet Instagram Post

There’s nothing like getting the approval of your “father.”

Gunn sparked talk of the role going to Adria Arjona (Hit Man, Andor) when he said, “She’d be a great Wonder Woman,” but she’s one of many actresses fans have speculated might get the part. Additional options include Barbaro as well as Melissa Barrera (Scream), Ana de Armas (No Time To Die, Ghosted), and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding).