Wonder Woman 1984 is available on HBO Max. It seems to be the cheerful, upbeat tale we need right now. Really, get that into our veins right away. The message of hope does not preclude the existence of some fresh villains, though. Let’s examine Diana’s sequel’s main characters in more detail.
Antiope (Robin Wright)
Antiope, the battle-tested warrior and commander of the Amazon army, is Diana’s aunt and also goes by the name General Antiope. Antiope is the person to thank for making Wonder Woman the tough and nearly unbeatable combatant she is today. Although this is a little different from how she is shown in the comics, it doesn’t matter. Hippolyta, Diana’s mother, has reservations about letting daughter train alongside the other Amazons, but Antiope persuades her to agree. Knowing that one day her niece will have to fight the God of War, Ares, who is, as you may have guessed, a bit of a jerk, Antiope pushes her farther, faster, and longer than the other Amazons.
Antiope was killed in the first movie by dodging a bullet that was aimed at Diana; in fact, Diana dons Antiope’s tiara as Wonder Woman. However, there are no spoilers for the sequel, so you’ll have to see it to find out if Robin Wright is actually back and alive this time or if her parts are flashbacks. Whatever the case, additional images of a fiery Antiope using her superb archery abilities are always welcome.
Barbara Minerva/Cheetah (Kristen Wiig)
Finally, we reach the villains. The first is Cheetah, who has been Wonder Woman’s sworn nemesis since 1943. The Cheetah title has been carried by a few characters over the years as one of Diana’s most recognisable adversaries, but I’m going with the current comic book Cheetah, Barbara Minerva, much like the movie.
Minerva is a wealthy archaeologist in the comics, so you’d think it would be enough for her to prosper, but it isn’t. Instead, she is extremely neurotic and insecure, and in the comics, she is the type of woman who enjoys sport-hating other, more self-assured women. She gains the abilities of a legendary cheetah goddess and has the capacity to actively assume the form of a cheetah-human hybrid. She is stronger, faster, and more agile than even the most powerful big animals when she transforms into a cheetah, and she also has the cat’s natural stealth, night vision, and superhuman hearing. Oh yeah, and enormous claws and teeth. However, her most lethal weapon is her envious hatred. I can’t say I’m not worried about the character using questionable CGI on the Cats-level, but Kristen Wiig will provide a fantastic performance.
Diana/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)
The warrior heroine herself must come first in any analysis of the Wonder Woman film. Since 1941 and since 2016, our gal marvel has been saviour of the day. The basic arc of her origin narrative is now well known to the majority of people: Diana is reared by her aunts on Themyscira, a mystical, undiscovered island of Amazon women. Diana is the child of the Greek gods Zeus and Hippolyta. Diana decides to take on the role of an Earth guardian after being endowed with tremendous godlike abilities such as super strength, flight, near-invulnerability, superhuman speed, semi-immortality, and a command of combat and military tactics. She also possesses some wicked cool gear, such as the God Killer sword, the Golden Lasso of Truth, bulletproof gauntlets, and an invisible jet.
Gal Gadot has supplanted Lynda Carter as the iconic live-action Wonder Woman for a completely new age. Jenkins’ treatment of the role and Gadot’s portrayal are stunning because they emphasise Diana’s incredibly sensitive nature. Wonder Woman is a breath of fresh air in a sea of superhero movies that mostly concentrate on the battles and the emotional toll of it all. Yes. This. Please do this more often.
Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen)
Diana’s mother and the head of the Amazons is Hippolyta; to you, she is known as Queen Hippolyta. Although the movie’s specifics diverge from the comics’, her story’s beats remain the same. Diana is trained in the ways of wisdom by Hippolyta, not Antiope, who teaches her the methods of combat. Hippolyta imparts to her daughter knowledge of the gods and their history as well as compassion. Like all moms, she only wants to shield her child, but she eventually gives in and lets Diana train because she realises it’s the moral thing to do.
Hippolyta is present when Diana decides to leave Themyscira for the world of men in order to pursue Ares because she survived the battle in the first film. Hippolyta tells her daughter that Diana is her greatest love before giving her Antiope’s tiara, even though she disagrees with Diana’s choice and it tears her heart. Even so, she concealed the fact that Diana, not the sword, was the true God Killer, leaving Diana speechless when Ares reveals that information to her in Act III. Therefore, it is likely that there is some unfinished business there. After all, it always seems to work out so beautifully in movies when parents lie to their children about who they really are their entire lives.
It’s a fun world to play in with Wonder Woman 1984 being set in 1984 and embracing everything ’80s. It will be fascinating to see how Patty Jenkins transforms the new comic book characters into something that fits the neon, shoulder pad, and hair band era. On Christmas Day, when it premieres in theatres and on HBO Max, we’ll learn more.
Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal)
There must be a few wicked, power-hungry rich businessmen in any fictitious superhero universe. Comic comics are exactly like real life in that way. Enter Maxwell Lord, a wealthy trust fund child born without any special abilities. It’s interesting to note that Lord had noble intentions when he took over the business from his father after his death. He even revived the Justice League at one point in the comic book canon. But it turned out he really just wanted to control them, like comic book villains do, to take over the world.
Later, it was revealed that he was born with the potent metahuman skill of telepathy. Lord was once powerful enough to completely and totally Winter Soldier a person’s mind, but he now only uses suggestions and persuasion to get individuals to act on their own unconscious inclinations. Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Lord in Wonder Woman 1984 seems to be closer to the original depiction of his abilities, with Lord being able to significantly influence someone without actually taking control of them.
Steve Trevor (Chris Pine)
You might be thinking, “Wait, didn’t that guy, er, die in the first Wonder Woman?” You’re entirely right. He did, in fact! But for the follow-up, he’s back. I won’t tell you how because I don’t want to give away one of the biggest surprises in the film. Let’s call it comic book logic for now. Simply accept it. He’s back, and this time, he’s sporting a fanny pack. All we require to know is that.
Robert Rockwell Since 1941, when he first appeared alongside Diana in the same comic book, Trevor has been Diana’s friend, ally, and potential love interest. His backstory has been altered once or twice, like many comic book characters, but the first film (largely) kept with his present tale: He is a British intelligence agent who is an American spy who crashes and becomes stuck on Themyscira in World War I (WWII in the comics). The gender roles in their relationship are frequently inverted, with her saving him rather than the other way around. In the first film, Chris Pine played this to perfectly while also adding some much-needed humour to keep things in perspective. I don’t care how he gets there; I just want to see this unproblematic ruler again on TV.
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