Wonder Woman 1984 Details That Still Have DC Fans Puzzled
Spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984 ahead!
2020 has been a very strange year for movies, but it's going out with a bang thanks to the release of Wonder Woman 1984 in theaters and on HBO Max in an unprecedented move from Warner Bros. The superhero sequel picks up several decades after the events of the first film, with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) officially living among humanity. While she's still reeling from the loss of her love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), she puts on a brave face to fight crime and be a savior to residents of Washington D.C.
During one of her heroic exploits, she discovers a rare relic with the ability to grant wishes. She inadvertently wishes to be reunited with Steve, and lo and behold, that's exactly what happens. Of course, Diana isn't the only person who has grand desires, and soon, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) are making wishes on the artifact.
As one might expect, the world goes haywire when too much power gets into the wrong hands. It's up to Wonder Woman to save the day, and while many critics have enjoyed the film, there also seem to be aspects of it that raise a few eyebrows. A massive Reddit thread centering on Wonder Woman 1984 has plenty of fans chiming in to offer their opinions on the movie, and several viewers have pointed out details that don't quite add up.
What happens to the handsome man's soul when Steve Trevor inhabits his body?
When Diana makes her wish for Steve to come back, he doesn't just materialize out of thin air. Instead, he's first introduced in the body of a guy who's only credited as "Handsome Man," played by Kristoffer Polaha (who likes an awful lot like original Steve Trevor actor Lyle Waggoner). While the audience views him through Diana's perspective (meaning we see Steve Trevor as played by Chris Pine), the fact remains that he's taken control of the body of someone with a family and a soul.
Redditor MovieMike007 asks the question, "When Steve Trevor's soul inhabits this hot random dude's body where exactly is that guy's soul? Diana seems very unconcerned that her wish may have killed this poor sod." This conundrum has raised a ton of questions with fans. Later in the movie, for instance, when Diana and Steve need to travel to Egypt, they apparently can't fly the conventional way because Steve doesn't have a passport. But as u/megaman7677 points out, "Did they forget he was inside another person's body who probably had a passport?" This is a common theme seen throughout the Reddit thread as fans parse through the ramifications of Steve controlling someone else's body for most of the film's runtime. It raises questions that hamper some people's enjoyment of the film to varying degrees.
How does Steve Trevor know how to fly a modern jet?
In the first Wonder Woman film, Steve Trevor is an ace pilot in the first World War. While he was great back in the day, aviation technology has come a long way in the nearly 70 years between the two films. Many fans seem to take umbrage with the fact that Steve is able to just hop into a modern jet and fly it without issue.
Redditor MovieMike007 returns to suggest, "I know Steve Trevor is supposed to be this amazing pilot but I call bulls*** on his ability to fly a modern fighter jet." It's all the more confusing when you consider the first turbojet was invented in 1939, a full 20 years after Steve sacrificed his life in the first movie.
However, Steve being able to fly a modern jet isn't the only issue some fans have with the scene. He and Diana commandeer the aircraft from the Air and Space Museum, and as u/MovieMike007 highlights, "Does the 'Air and Space Museum' keep their exhibits fueled and ready to fly? Asking for a friend."
Why doesn't Steve Trevor know what fireworks are?
After Diana and Steve get the jet in the air, they fly through a fireworks display in Washington D.C. Steve looks at the explosions incredulously, amazed at what he's seeing... which is kind of strange when you consider that fireworks have been around for thousands of years, so he definitely should have seen them at some point in the early 20th century when he was first alive.
"Not only have they been around for centuries," Redditor thedayisminetrebek points out, "they celebrated [the] signing of the [Declaration of Independence] with fireworks." This sequence in particular has really drawn analysis from viewers who take issue with Steve learning to fly a modern jet within a matter of minutes but not knowing what fireworks are the next. It's all the stranger to consider that Steve, not knowing what these explosions are, decides to fly directly into them. After all, fireworks are still filled gunpowder and could have easily damaged their jet before they even got a chance to leave the city.
How does Cheetah effortlessly rip up Wonder Woman's golden suit of armor?
About halfway through the movie, Diana tells Steve a story about a brave Amazonian warrior named Asteria who wore a golden suit of armor to protect her home from invading armies. We even see a flashback of this battle, in which Asteria is able to withstand an attack from a horde of combatants. Later in the film, Diana dons this armor when she goes to confront Maxwell Lord and ends up getting in a battle royale with Cheetah, who proves to be a worthy adversary.
As Redditor wlane13 goes on to explain, "Magic Super-Armor that was so powerful that armies of Men [couldn't] harm it... Cheetah rips that s*** up to [shreds] in no time at all and Diana discards it." While the base armor remains in decent condition for the rest of the fight, Diana ends up getting rid of the wings when they're too badly damaged to be of further use. It's possible that an explanation for this is to show how powerful Cheetah is, being just as strong as an entire army of men, but it's understandable some fans would be disappointed to see this armor, which was so hyped up in the trailers, quickly lose some of the grandeur behind it.
Wonder Woman 1984 leaves behind a lot of unanswered questions, and whether those details hamper the experience will vary from one viewer to the next. If you need another viewing to make up your mind on how you feel about the movie, you can rewatch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max through January 24, 2021. With Wonder Woman 3 already confirmed, perhaps we'll see some of these questions addressed in the sequel.