Wonder Woman 1984 resolved some loose ends in the DC Extended Universe by filling in blanks about Diana Prince's time on Earth after 1918, but it also left audiences with a myriad of questions about new villains, allies and superpowers. The introduction of Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), Cheetah (Kristin Wiig) and Asteria (Lynda Carter) in Wonder Woman 1984 raised questions about their abilities, while the ending of the movie left the door open for reappearances by all three characters. Wonder Woman also gains several new powers in the movie, whose applications are largely unknown.
Wonder Woman 1984 starts with Diana working as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian and still struggling to get over the love of her life, Steve Trevor, 66 years after his death in World War I. When a mysterious artifact with the power to grant wishes arrives at the Smithsonian, Diana inadvertently brings Steve back from death. The Dreamstone also gives her coworker, Barbara, the powers of an Amazon. When power-hungry businessman Maxwell Lord gets his hands on the Dreamstone and starts granting wishes en masse, chaos ensues. It's revealed that the wishes come with a price — Diana starts losing her powers and Barbara becomes villainous. Diana must give up her greatest wish in order to save the world.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a standalone movie, continuing Wonder Woman's legacy but able to stand independently of the DCEU. Although it does raise questions about the future of the DC franchise (mostly about its tone and storytelling style), the majority of lingering questions are about how new concepts introduced in the film will affect the next two Wonder Woman movies. The movie's open ending leaves a lot of loose ends when it comes to the future of characters and their powers.
What Happens To Barbara Minerva?
In the final scenes of Wonder Woman 1984, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) transforms into the iconic villain Cheetah, an animal-human hybrid, only to have her powers stripped away a few minutes later. Unlike anyone else in the film, Barbara gains her powers through two wishes — one to become more like Diana, giving her Amazonian speed and strength, and the second to become an "apex predator," giving her a catlike appearance along with claws, fangs and an animalistic edge. When Diana defeats Maxwell Lord, Barbara seems to lose her animal enhancements. She is seen sitting on the edge of a cliff with a fully human appearance. But since Barbara never renounced her original wish, it begs the question of what superpowers she may still have.
Is Barbara still a match for Diana when it comes to fighting? Does she still have the same grace, confidence and poise? It seems likely that Barbara will retain the powers granted to her with her original wish, including some the audience may not have seen in Wonder Woman 1984. Those powers were given to her through the Dreamstone directly, while Barbara's Cheetah transformation was "granted" by Lord. Since the villain has such a long history with Wonder Woman in the comics, Cheetah could also make a reappearance in Wonder Woman 3 and 4. How she might be restored to her hybrid form is a question that has yet to be answered.
Will Asteria Reappear In The DCEU?
The DC Cinematic Universe made waves when Lynda Carter, famous for her role as Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV show, made an appearance as ancient Amazonian warrior Asteria in the post-credits scene of Wonder Woman 1984. Asteria is said to have fought off the armies of men while her sisters escaped to Themyscira, her fate unknown. In the post-credits scene, it's revealed that Asteria is alive, still walking the streets of the world, and casually saving people in her day-to-day life. Will Carter's Asteria appear in future Wonder Woman movies?
While Wonder Woman 1984's post-credits scene could be a way to introduce Asteria as a more prominent character in the DCEU, it could also simply be a fun standalone scene that calls back to the history of Wonder Woman. Descriptions of Asteria's character in Wonder Woman 1984 are vague, and discussions of her backstory are short. It's hard to know whether she will make an appearance in Wonder Woman 3 or 4. One thing's for certain — Carter would be a welcome addition to a franchise that is aiming to highlight female characters and friendships.
What Happens To The Invisible Jet (And The Golden Eagle Armor)?
Wonder Woman's invisible jet makes a somewhat incongruous appearance in Wonder Woman 1984 when Diana practices her newfound ability to make objects disappear. In a visually stunning scene, Diana succeeds in keeping the plane off radar and making it invisible to the eye, but it may be the first and last appearance of the plane. The jet comes in handy during Wonder Woman 1984, but will Diana use it in future films? Her ability to fly, gained by the end of the movie, makes the jet somewhat redundant. Plus, it's got to be hard to find. Will Diana remember where Steve parked it if it's needed by the Justice League, or will it get lost like that invisible mug?
Diana's Golden Eagle armor is another addition to her tool belt in Wonder Woman 1984, but if DCEU adheres to canon, it will only be brought out for the most intense battles. It also needs some repair work after getting battered by Cheetah in the movie's last battle (Maybe Asteria could help)? The real question is, where is Diana keeping all of her equipment? During Wonder Woman 1984, she's operating out of her tiny Washington, D.C. apartment, with the Golden Eagle armor tucked away in a corner.
How Will Diana Use Her New Superpowers?
Diana gains an array of new superpowers in Wonder Woman 1984, including flight and the power to make objects invisible. She also finds a new use for the Lasso of Truth in a scene critical to the movie's resolution. How will Diana use these new abilities in the future? Diana's ability to fly is explained in the movie as the ability to catch and ride the currents of the wind, inspired by Steve Trevor. Diana also uses her lasso to propel herself into the sky and catch clouds and lighting to accelerate her forward momentum. Diana could use her flight in the future to escape enemies, catch enemies or quickly travel to conflicts around the globe. Like her ability to hide objects, Diana's ability to fly is seen only briefly, and many of the questions surrounding the new skill are unexplored. Her new powers could have infinite applications.
Likewise, the Lasso of Truth also has several uses not yet seen in the DCEU movies. In the comics, the lasso has limitless length and strength, giving Wonder Woman the ability to use it to do much more than just ensnare bad guys. The lasso has also been used to teleport and compel people to follow Diana's orders. Future uses of the lasso depend only on Diana's needs and the screenwriter's imagination.
Will Maxwell Lord Remain On The Right Moral Path?
Wonder Woman 1984 ends with villain Maxwell Lord reaching redemption and reuniting with his son after Diana is able to defeat him by showing him the truth of the Dreamstone and persuading people worldwide to renounce their wishes. She doesn't kill him or contain the power of the Dreamstone in any way, though it is clearly the implication that Lord renounced his wish, but that still leaves open a couple of possibilities. Firstly, the Dreamstone could have re-manifested in its original form to be used by someone else, which would clearly be an issue, and more importantly, it doesn't entirely solve Lord's story.
Lord realizes the pitfalls of his power when Diana hits him with the Lasso of Truth, but what's to say he won't be tempted to nefarious deeds again in the future? He was, after all, tempted by something within him - perhaps even the unwitting conditioning of his father. Even though Lord has reconnected with his son and sworn to rebuild their relationship by the end of the movie, he could still fail prey to the same triggers that led him to seek the powers embodied in the Dreamstone by the Duke of Deception in the first place.
