The latest movie in the DCEU, Wonder Woman 1984, is now out and inciting debates across the internet, but that hasn't stood in the way of it being enough of a success for Warner Bros to confirm that director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot will be back for another installment.
Wonder Woman 3, or whatever the sequel will be called, is still a few years away, but thanks to nearly 80 years of comic adventures it's possible to deduce what popular villains Diana Prince could face off against. Wonder Woman 1984 lays the foundation for a few of these villains to appear too, and it's possible at least one character could return.
Circe
The sorceress Circe most famously appeared in Homer's Odyssey, where she transformed most of Odysseus's crew into pigs. Circe is also well known as one of Wonder Woman's most dangerous foes, and made a notable appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy" where she forced Batman to sing. After Cheetah and Ares, she is probably the most likely villain for Wonder Woman 3, and Wonder Woman 1984 potentially sets up her appearance, as Barbara Minerva may be looking for another godlike magic user to help return her to being the Cheetah, which Circe could easily do.
The First Born
A relatively new villain for Wonder Woman during the New 52 era, The First Born would be a neat change of pace, allowing Diana to face an opponent who was actually terrifying. The First Born is named for being the firstborn son of Zeus and Hera, so the half-brother of Diana, who was destined to sit on the throne of Olympus but was presumed dead. With all the other Old Gods out of the way, it would come down to Diana, the Godkiller herself, to stop him in Wonder Woman 3. The only awkward part would be his tendency to fight naked.
Grail
Introduced in the Darkseid War in 2015, Grail would be a fascinating inclusion as a villain for Wonder Woman 3, especially if the reports of the movie being set after Justice League prove accurate. Grail is an Amazon who was born in secret the same night as Diana, and Darkseid was her father so she was kept secret.
Eventually, she teamed up with the Anti-Monitor to fight her father and get the Anti-Life Equation for herself. Grail would provide a neat link to the DCEU's abandoned Darkseid storyline, and she's someone powerful enough to fight Diana who doesn't need CG, which would be a relief to fans after the Ares and Cheetah fights of the last two movies.
Doctor Cyber
Interestingly, considering her modern-sounding name, Doctor Cyber first appeared in the '60s as the head of a global criminal network, before being disfigured and turned into a Doctor Doom/Darth Vader-like cyborg. She was more recently reintroduced to comics as Dr. Adrianna Anderson, a scientist under Veronica Cale, who becomes an artificial construct trapped in cyberspace when her physical body is killed. She also played a major role in pushing a cured Barbara Minerva into becoming Cheetah again, something that could easily play a part in a Wonder Woman sequel.
Mongul
The cruel ruler of Warworld, the super-strong conqueror Mongul is a major villain in the DC universe, and is most well-known for helping to destroy Hal Jordan's Coast City during the end of the "Death of Superman" event. Mongul isn't particularly known as a Wonder Woman villain, but the two did memorably face off against each other during Alan Moore's famous "For The Man Who Has Everything" comic story, as well as the Justice League Unlimited adaptation of the same story. Maxwell Lord was similarly famous for just one particular encounter with Diana, and Mongul would challenge her in a way only really Steppenwolf has so far.
Veronica Cale & Godwatch
Introduced in 2003 prior to the "Infinite Crisis" story arc in the comics, Veronica Cale is a Wonder Woman villain comparable to Lex Luthor, who had dealings with Circe, Ares, and Doctor Psycho. More recently during "DC Rebirth", she is the leader of Godwatch, a group dedicated to finding Themyscira, whose members include Doctor Poison, Cheetah, and Doctor Cyber. She is directly responsible for turning Barbara Minerva back into Cheetah, which combined with the Godwatch angle would make a compelling plot thread for the next Wonder Woman movie.
Doctor Psycho
Dr. Edgar Cizko, otherwise known as the telepath Doctor Psycho, is one of Diana Prince's oldest adversaries, having been introduced to her comics in the '40s by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston himself. He actually began as a pawn of the God of Lies, whose Dreamstone causes so many problems in Wonder Woman 1984.
He is a misogynist with a deep hatred of women, particularly Wonder Woman. A more comedic version of the character is currently appearing in the Harley Quinn animated series, played by Tony Hale, so audiences are more aware of Psycho than ever.
Silver Swan
The Silver Swan has had multiple aliases but has consistently been a major Wonder Woman adversary since the '80s. Her powers include flight, strength, and a sonic scream similar to Black Canary's. The most recent incarnation of Silver Swan is Vanessa Kapatelis, who was severely injured and rescued by Wonder Woman. Vanessa deluded herself into thinking Diana was a close friend, but in reality, was just possessive and wanted Diana all to herself. She twisted the experimental nanite therapy she was undergoing to create a silver suit similar to Wonder Woman's golden armor in Wonder Woman 1984, and it would work well if Diana was forced to fight an evil version of that armor in a sequel.
Hades
The ancient Greek lord of the underworld, Hades would require a little explanation if he were to appear in Wonder Woman 3, given that Ares was supposed to have killed all the Old Gods. Hades, however, is the god of Hell and essentially the Devil, and previous attempts to kill him in the comics failed because he's technically already dead. He once attempted to marry Wonder Woman, and she only escaped by professing her love for him with the Lasso of Truth, which she passed because Diana loves everyone. In the Justice League animated series, it was suggested that Hades was actually Diana's father, which would be an interesting thread to pull on.
Cheetah
By far the most likely villain to appear in the next Wonder Woman movie is a villain audiences have already encountered: Barbara Minerva, who survived the events of Wonder Woman 1984, but was left without the powers of the Cheetah at the end of the movie. Director Patty Jenkins has hinted that Barbara may return for Wonder Woman 3, and if so she will probably be attempting to recover the powers she lost. As Barbara probably won't be the only villain in the movie, it's likely she'll team up with someone like Circe or Veronica Cale to get back to being the Cheetah, just like she did in the comics.