Wonder Woman 1984: Pedro Pascal Reveals Maxwell Lord's Motivation

Pedro Pascal reveals the motivation of his Wonder Woman 1984 character, Maxwell Lord. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot are reuniting for another period superhero film following the smash hit that was Wonder Woman. This time, Diana Prince is going up against a new adversary in Kristen Wiig's Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah - the primary antagonist of the narrative. However, she may also have to keep an eye on Lord.

While previously confirmed to join Wonder Woman 1984, those behind the film initially held off on revealing what role would be Pascal's (who's had a big last few months thanks to The Mandalorian). Jenkins did share fans' first look at the actor in character which gave them the ideas on who he could be playing. Soon after, rumors, started swirling that he was playing Lord - a powerful businessman in the comics. Now that it's confirmed, people are interested about how he fits in the film's narrative. The actor obviously couldn't divulge any spoilers, but he did share what Lord's main motivating factor is in the movie.

As part of EW's feature on Wonder Woman 1984, Pascal's Lord is described as "a self-made mogul-slash-guru played as a sort of insidious mix of ’80s icons both fictional (Gordon Gekko) and real (Tony Robbins)." As for the actor, he explains that, ultimately, the character's main motivating factor is greed, and he's also intentionally taking advantage of other people's greed for his own benefit. Pascal said:

Max is a dream-seller. It’s this character who encompasses a component of the era which is, you know, ‘Get whatever want, however you can. You’re entitled to it!’ And at any cost, ultimately, which represents a huge part of our culture and this kind of unabashed — it’s greed. It’s f—ing greed, of course. But it’s also about ‘How do you be your best self? How do you win?’ So he’s definitely the face of that version of success.

The promotional clips for Wonder Woman 1984 depict Lord exactly how he's described in the interview. He's all around, advertising the idea that people can get what they want one way or another. It doesn't seem like a bad concept, especially if one's goal is to inspire, but since this is his business, it appears as if he's cashing it on people's desires. It's unclear how exactly he factors in the movie's story, but in the same feature, it's revealed that Diana is immune to his charms, but not Minerva. Her connection to him could ultimately lead her down the path to become Cheetah.

All that being said, this doesn't guarantee that Diana won't be enticed by Lord's promises. One of the biggest mysteries of Wonder Woman 1984 surrounds Chris Pine's return as Steve Trevor despite the character's death in the first film. When the sequel picks up, the Amazonian princess would've already lost those who are near and dear to her given that they're not immortals like her. With Lord being a dream-seller, he might have something to do with Trevor's resurrection. Seeing Diana succumb to her personal urges may be a sign of weakness, however, this only makes her more complex and relatable in the long run, especially with regard to how she'll overcome it.

More: Every Wonder Woman 1984 Reveal From EW's Cover Story

Source: EW