Serena Williams Is Wonder Woman in DC's Comic Book for DirecTV

Serena Williams slams another backhand winner—THWAP!—and the crowd erupts in delight: CLAP! CLAP! YAY! Suddenly, strange RUMBLES! and CRAAACKS! interrupt play, as imposing bots invade the stadium and shoot fiery bolts into the stands: PTHEW! PTHEW!

That all-caps scenario opens “Serving Up Justice: Featuring Serena Williams & Wonder Woman,” an illustrated adventure from agency Critical Mass that anchors digital outreach promoting DirecTV’s new streaming service.

Devised with DC Comics, the four-part story follows Williams’ turn as Wonder Woman in a commercial timed to the U.S. Open. That spot was purely a romp, the first in a series of movie-themed ads starring tennis G.O.A.T. Serena.

In the socially conscious comic, however Williams finds herself “on the other side of the multiverse,” per campaign materials, “as families are being torn apart by RetroBots who arrest people based on the potential for future crime.”

See the first 10-page comic below.

Critical Mass group strategy head Jen Goldberg explains: “Wonder Woman has always been a cultural icon for equality. As we crafted the comic, it was particularly important to make sure the story aligned with both DirecTV and Serena’s values—and reflect the real-life superhero that she is. It mirrors Serena Williams story so well: She’s worked so hard to rise to the top while standing up for representation in sports.”

“Serena and Wonder Woman are icons to women everywhere,” Goldberg adds, “and it felt like an unmissable opportunity to celebrate women trailblazers in every way we could. And it’s not just in the story; the DC team behind the art is an incredibly talented group of women.”

Bestselling author Amanda Diebert and her wife, illustrator Cat Skaggs, led creative development.

The campaign also includes a custom Wondrous Serena emoji triggered by the hashtags #GetYourTVTogether and #DirecTVStream. A Snapchat AR portal launches as a platform takeover on Oct. 6, timed to the comic’s third installment.

CREDITS

DIRECTV STREAM + DC COMICS
SERVING UP JUSTICE: FEATURING SERENA WILLIAMS AND WONDER WOMAN
Campaign Credits

Launch Date: September 21, 2021

DIRECTV Marketing
Vince Torres – Chief Marketing Officer
Kendall Thaker – VP, Advertising and Go-To-Market
Mandy Martin – AVP, Marketing Management
Sheri Holmes – Director, Product Marketing Management
Nick Bianchi – Director, Social Media
Jenn Wang – Lead Product Marketing Manager
Jessica Elizardo – Lead Product Marketing Manager
Tracy Threlkeld – Lead Product Marketing Manager

Critical Mass
Val Carlson – Chief Creative Officer
Andrew Lavery – Group Creative Director
James Maclean – Creative Director
Meghan O’Neil – Assoc. Creative Director
Javier Olivares – Assoc. Creative Director
Megan King – Senior Art Director
Ryan Mesnchuk – Senior Art Director
Taylor Lumley – Art Director
Ana Benitez Duarte – Designer
Melissa De Sa – Senior Copywriter 
Peter Lagosky – Senior Copywriter
Daisy Swain – Copywriter

Jen Goldberg – Group Strategy Director
Kyle Bottoms – Strategy Director

Maria Hodgeson – SVP Client Partner
Lauren Rappaport – VP Client partner
Andrew Burke – Account Director
Haley Dodd – Sr. Account Manager

Sydney Woodman – Executive Producer
Ashleigh Fehmie – Sr. producer
Vicky Patel – Sr. Producer

TBWAChiatDay LA – “Get Your TV Together” Partner Creative Agency

DC Comics – Original Artwork