Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has shown her support for two Sri Lankan cosplayers who were mocked online after they dressed up as the Marvel heroine.

The two fans dressed up as Gadot’s character for Comic Con 2017 in Colombo, Sri Lanka , but soon found themselves subjected to cruel jokes and comments when their image circulated online.

Speaking to the BBC, one of the cosplayers, Amaya Suriyapperuma, said: “First I was shocked. I didn't really let it get to me although I was genuinely baffled at why these people would spend their valuable time hating someone they don't even know."

Her friend Seshani Cooray added: "I was offended and shocked at how the internet reacted. Most of the memes and comments I received seemed to objectify me."

However the girls were supported by their friends, who began quietly reporting the cyberbullies.

"There was immense support on the Facebook page of Geek Club of Sri Lanka and people I didn't even know personally were messaging me asking me to stay strong,” Amaya said.  "It was amazing."  

More: Wonder Woman Sequel Set For Cold War Setting

The girls' story soon went viral and eventually caught the attention of Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, and the film’s director Patty Jenkins.

On Thursday Gadot retweeted a pic of the pair and added: ‘Looking amazing ladies!’, while Jenkins wrote: ‘They look so great, strong and beautiful!!! Such amazing work and costumes.

‘You're the real thing. Out there representing with honor and a great spirit. A real amazon. You made us all proud. Thank you!’ the director added.

After receiving the seal of approval from Wonder Woman herself, Amaya said: "It definitely feels amazing to be recognised and praised by Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot herself!

"I'm a huge fan of Gal Gadot so this has been amazing." Seshani added: "It felt amazing - my inner fangirl is never going to forget this!"

The girls also feel that their experience has started an important conversation about cyberbullying. "I think it's actually a good thing that this is a public story,” Amaya said.

"If we didn't get this much coverage this would've been just another case of cyber-bullying. But now everyone knows it and thus we have opened a very important conversation about bullying and body shaming."