Warning: SPOILERS for Wonder Woman 1984.
Wonder Woman 1984 is undeniably a successful sequel that surpasses the original in a myriad of ways - however, there were some problematic aspects of Steve Trevor's return that went egregiously unaddressed. With Gal Gadot returning as the titular Amazon warrior, the film is a direct sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman and set decades before the previous DCEU installments. Once again helmed by Patty Jenkins, co-written with Geoff Johns and David Callaham, the DC Comics adaptation saw Diana Prince come up against the mystically-transformed Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) and megalomaniacal wish-granter, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal).
Diana's own wish came true when Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) was magically resurrected. Unfortunately, every wish came expectedly at a cost and often with some other strings attached. In the case of Steve Trevor's return, it was that he wasn't actually in his own body. Instead, he randomly awoke in the body of a complete stranger. As such, it became something of a Quantum Leap situation. While Diana and the audience largely saw the figure as Pine's established war hero, the reflection in the mirror (and the reality within the film itself) told a different story.
Frustratingly, this fact was never fully explored or addressed - to the point that the film's protagonists seemed generally uncaring. It was made clear that this man had a life that was very much in progress. He had a home that established several hobbies. Steve even acknowledged that the unnamed person had a career in engineering. That was as far as it ever went, however. The pair gave no thought to who he was, what may have happened to his consciousness, or whether he had any kind of family that may miss him. They just went about their business and adventures, Steve fascinated by a second chance at life and Diana content to have a second chance with her love. Though it tied into Wonder Woman 1984's theme, with the heroes falling prey to the same human weakness as the rest of the world, there was never any voiced moment of conflict. It markedly felt as though they hoped that, by not shedding light on it, audiences wouldn't notice.
This was most apparent during Wonder Woman 1984's intermittent action sequences. Though Diana led the charge in such moments, putting her admittedly declining powers to good use, Steve still threw himself very much into the thick of it. That was no doubt a testament to his own heroic spirit. However, it remained present that his life wasn't the only one being put into harm's way. With it unclear what happened to the other man's soul, it might have still be attached unconsciously to the body. Even if not, not a thought was spared to at least leaving the body in one piece for it to return to. Even when the time came for Diana to rescind her wish - in order to reclaim her powers and protect the world - restoring this innocent man's life was not even remotely a factor in the decision.
Most egregious of all, however, is that Diana slept with Steve while he was in the body. Yes, Steve was in the pilot's seat, so to speak, but the fact remained that it wasn't his vessel. As such, the moment carried some potentially gross connotations - ones that could have been avoided at no expense to the plot had Steve merely returned in his own body. These issues were only exacerbated by Diana's interaction with the restored man at the film's end. What could be construed as a sweet moment could also be deemed a tad dubious, given her intimate knowledge and his obliviousness. Had the genders been the other way around, it would likely have been deemed more widely controversial. As it stands, Wonder Woman 1984 had a lot going for it, including an overall hopeful message. It was just a shame that this element wasn't more fully thought out or at least more directly addressed, thus helping to keep the film from being truly great.
