“Israel’s love affair with Gal Gadot is reaching fever pitch right now,” Amit Cotler, a reporter for Israel’s leading news site Ynet said.
But after scoring the role of Wonder Woman in 2013, Gadot shot up to the top of the list.
Gadot got her start as a model, winning the Miss Israel pageant in 2004. She then went on to serve in the Israel Defense Forces as a physical trainer, where she whipped IDF soldiers into shape.
While Refaeli was exempt from the draft because she was married at the time she would have been compelled to serve (Israel exempts married women from the armed services), Gadot served her two-year mandatory service.
Gadot has not been shy about her support of the IDF. During 2014’s conflict between Israel and Gaza, she caused a bit of a stir around the world when she uploaded a photograph of herself praying with her daughter Alma.
The post garnered an impressive 200,000 “likes” as well as about 19,000 comments, both in support of her position and against it. But, according to Colter, it only made her more popular in Israel.
Her support of Israel has also become a sticking point. On Wednesday, a theater chain in Lebanon, an enemy of Israel, announced that “Wonder Woman” had been banned in Lebanon.
But that obviously hasn’t hurt her at home, where she’s seen as down to earth.
But now Israel is enjoying the dawn of Gadot.
“She’s a mensch,” he added.
"Wonder Woman" is the first big budget, female-fronted superhero film since 2005, and the first of the current era of comic-book blockbusters, but it hopefully won't be the last. As the film directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot shapes up to be a likely big hit for Warner bros, here are some other female superheroes that should get their own stand-alone films.
Fan favorite Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has been a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010's "Iron Man 2," but it's about time the assassin-turned-Avenger headlines her own solo film.
Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, is Marvel Comic's first female Muslim superhero, and a huge success for the publisher among fans and critics. She'd make a great addition to the increasingly diverse Marvel Cinematic Universe too.
Evangeline Lilly will portray The Wasp next up in "Ant-Man & The Wasp," but the character has plenty of comic book history separate from Ant-Man to make up at least a few solo adventures.
The second Miss America in the comics would be Marvel's first Latina and LGBTQ superhero onscreen. Her own standalone comic launched this past March.
Dafne Keen's turn as the young mutant Laura -- AKA X-23 -- was a standout of Fox's late winter hit "Logan," and could easily headline her own film. The idea even got support from "Logan" director James Mangold. "I thought she was just such a great character, but with what Dafne did, I think that certainly that's possible," said Mangold.
Zatanna would be DC's answer to Marvel's "Doctor Strange" -- she's both a stage magician and a real sorceress. She's set to appear in the still in-development "Justice League Dark," which could serve as a springboard for a stand alone story.
One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Black Canary came into greater prominence as one of the more popular characters from the CW's Arrowverse. WB and DC are already double dipping with film and TV versions of The Flash, giving precedent for a cinematic Black Canary.
Rogue has been one of the most prominent members of the X-Men since the 1980s and a major part of the Bryan Singer-directed X-men films and some sequels, portrayed by Anna Paquin. Paquin has said more than once would love to reprise her role.
The next "X-Men" film is rumored to be based on "The Dark phoenix" saga from the comics, considered the Jean Grey story. But character's enduring popularity warrants a stand-alone film - and why not? Wolverine got three of them.
Another mutant from the "X-Men" comics that can headline her own film is the Storm. Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp played her in the "X-Men" films.