Finally, the excruciating wait for the release of Wonder Woman 1984 is over. After the original December 2019 release date was pushed back several times as a result of the pandemic, Wonder Woman 1984 will be releasing in theatres across the world later this December.
Now given that it’s been quite some time since we last saw DC’s lasso swinging, Amazon warrior, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) in action, Fandom is here to bring you up to speed. So read on as we tell you everything you need to know about Wonder Woman 1984.
Finally Back in Action
The first solo Wonder Woman movie saw Diana fight in World War 1, taking her from her home on the hidden island of Themyscira, on a globe-trotting adventure around the world.
In Wonder Woman 1984 we fast forward several decades to the neon spectacle that is the 1980s (the clue is not-so-hidden in the title), at the height of the Cold War. Here we encounter a more mature, confident, but guarded Diana who has made her home in America while working at the Natural History Museum. Though she has certainly not given up the fight for peace, as she continues to use her heroic Wonder Woman alias also.
Other locales, both new and familiar will also make an appearance in Wonder Woman 1984, such as Wonder Woman’s home island of Themyscira.
What is the plot?
This time around Diana will face not one but two adversaries; the first being Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a dangerous businessman and powerful media mogul. The second is Barbara Ann Minerva (Kristen Wiig), Diana’s former friend and colleague who goes on to become the dangerous apex predator known as the Cheetah.
From the trailer, we know that Lord is offering to make peoples wildest dreams come true, but it seems his benevolent promises are more like those of a snake oil salesman in very fine clothing. Meanwhile, Barbra – dealing with confidence issues exacerbated by being so close to a literal goddess princess – has her world turned upside down by a mysterious museum benefactor with an interest in rare gems…
The Heroes
Diana Prince is, of course, the least surprising mention here; after all, what’s a Wonder Woman movie without a Wonder Woman? Still, as we mentioned previously, this is a different side of Diana; not quite the naïve warrior princess from the first movie, nor the optimistic, unifying powerhouse from Justice League (2017). Instead, here we are presented with something in-between; we witness a Diana who struggles to reconcile with the consequences of her immortality as the world races past her.
Despite this, the decades since Wonder Woman have left Diana with some nice new tricks to show off; like using her lasso to whip across lightning bolts in the sky and to catch bullets.
Also seen in the trailer is that Diana will at some point swap out the familiar red, white and blue amazon gear for some shimmering golden plated amour (complete with wings). Though this will be the first live-action debut of the ‘Golden eagle amour’ it is not at all new to DC lore. The amour has made several appearances in comics and other media, with the first being in the infamous 1996 comic series, Kingdom Come.
Steve Trevor makes a surprise return from his supposed heroic sacrifice at the end of Wonder Woman. Despite the mysterious implications surrounding his return, the reunion between Steve and Diana looks to be a positive one. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see Steve back in action; the character is one of the most recognisable and important allies from the Wonder Woman lore (you know, besides Superman and Batman).
Where Diana struggled to understand the world in the first movie, here it’s Steve who will struggle to adjust to all the changes that have taken place since his disappearance many years prior. So get ready for a healthy amount of 80s tropes and jokes at his expense.
Unravelling the nature of Steve’s return will undoubtedly play an important aspect of the story, with fans speculating about a potential connection to villain Maxwell Lord. Speaking of…
The Villains
Maxwell Lord IV may not be one of DC’s most recognisable villains, but he is certainly one of the most dangerous. The character has had many different incarnations of the years, with the most frequent traits carried across being his immense wealth and telekinetic/psychic abilities, which are usually used to persuade/brainwash unwitting victims.
The villain is no stranger to Wonder Woman either, having frequently crossed paths with her and the rest of the justice league’s heavy hitters. Lord proved to be a powerful adversary, pushing Diana so far that in one instance, she killed him to save Superman (much to superman’s behest), though he would later return to life.
It’s unclear as to what Pedro Pascal’s version will be like in Wonder Woman 1984 and what, if any, powers he will have. Pascal himself has said, ‘The thing I love most about Max Lord is he’s not a fighter – his shirt doesn’t come off, he doesn’t have any moves or anything like that.” That that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. What we do know is that he’s the head of Black Gold international, fleecing investors of their money under the promise of oil that he’s yet to find. Whatever his involvement with Diana, it’s safe to say that this villain will prove to be a big problem.
Barbara Ann Minerva is the third character in DC comics history to carry the villainess moniker, The Cheetah. The Cheetah is one of Wonder Woman’s oldest and most dangerous foes, similar to Lex Luthor and Superman, or the Joker and Batman.
In most depictions of the character, she is cursed to carry the guardian spirit of the Cheetah, which as well as providing her namesake, endows her with enhanced strength, and lightning-fast reflexes that rival Diana’s. Alongside that Cheetah also has razor-sharp claws and fangs.
The Wonder Woman 1984 version of the Cheetah, played by Kristen Wiig, seems to be a combination of the villain’s different DC origins; Barbara will start as Diana’s friend and colleague before the allure of Lord’s offer takes her down a dark path, starting her transformation into the ‘apex predator’ known as the Cheetah.
Wonder Woman 1984 looks set to be an exciting, unexplored chapter of Wonder Woman. Positive early-reactions already indicate that the film was certainly worth the wait! So we hope that you enjoyed our crash course on Wonder Woman 1984 and that you’re just as excited to see how it will impact the rest of the DCEU.
