Chris Pine returning as Steve Trevor is great news for Wonder Woman 1984. Patty Jenkins' sequel to her 2017 smash hit rockets the titular Amazon heroine played by Gal Gadot to the 1980s where she will face a new threat in the form of Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) a.k.a. the Cheetah. However, the director also shared a photo confirming Chris Pine is back as Steve Trevor and that Diana Prince would be reunited with her lost love 66 years after the American spy seemingly perished during World War I.

Both of the solo Wonder Woman films are set in the past, so going by 2016's Batman v Superman and 2017's Justice League, Diana seems to have moved on from Steve Trevor - or has she? The 21st-century incarnation of the Amazing Amazon is guarded and reserved about her personal life, which fans know little about besides her day job working for the Louvre in Paris. Patty Jenkins' films are exploring how Diana shed her innocence and became a superhero who protects the world, but it can be inferred from how Diana Prince behaves in the 21st century-set films directed by Zack Snyder (with reshoots by Joss Whedon) that Steve Trevor remains an important part of her past. Wonder Woman 1984 will detail how she encounters him a second time, presumably expectedly, and how that impacted her life going forward.

Meanwhile, Steve Trevor coming back from the grave creates a slew of fascinating questions and an intriguing dilemma for Diana, as well as, fans hope, a resumption of one of the best parts of Wonder Woman - their relationship. Here's why Chris Pine joining the sequel is a great idea all around.

Chris Pine And Gal Gadot Have Great Chemistry

Steve Trevor and Diana Prince in Wonder Woman

The beating heart of Wonder Woman was her relationship with Steve Trevor. From their first glimpse of each other on the beach after she saved him from drowning when his plane crashed in the ocean outside Paradise Island to their final goodbye when he sacrificed his life to destroy Dr. Poison's chemical weapons, the chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine absolutely crackled throughout their film. Fans naturally remember the inspiring No Man's Land battle sequence as the highlight of Wonder Woman, but the reason Diana and Steve really came across as loveable characters because they were so charming together.

Diana and Steve are worthy of being described as the best couple in the DCEU, and not just because their only rivals are Lois Lane and Clark Kent (or the Joker and Harley Quinn). Even Lois and Clark's romantic moments pale compared to the good times Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor had together during those pivotal few days they shared in 1918. The warmth and lightness of Wonder Woman was provided by the electricity Gadot and Pine emitted together, such as the boat ride from Themyscira when they amusingly discussed "sleeping together" (which was paid off later in Veld). Trevor and Diana bantered and argued throughout the movie as she learned about herself while testing his mettle and resolve to do the right thing, but they gradually grew to love and trust each other. Audiences felt the loss Diana suffered when Steve died and she was faced with an uncertain future living in Man's World without him.

The thought of Gal Gadot going it alone in a sequel without Chris Pine to play off of was a complex one, and now it's been side-swiped with Pine's return. What will likely happen, however, is a reversal of the scenario in Wonder Woman that could put Diana as the person in-the-know and Steve as the fish out of water.

Page 2: How Wonder Woman 2 Can Explain Steve Trevor's "Resurrection"

Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman 1984

Steve Trevor In 1984 Could Be A New Fish Out Of Water Scenario

Bringing Steve Trevor to the 1980s is a brilliant way to reverse one of the most fun aspects of Wonder Woman. There are very few details on how the ex-spy finds himself in 1984, but going by the look of confusion on his face as he stands in the middle of a shopping mall (and the era-appropriate attire of the people surrounding him), it's been theorized that, this time, Steve will be a fish out of water in the 80s. This is a welcome reversal of how he was Diana's mentor who indoctrinated her into the confusing rules of Man's World earlier in the 20th century.

The comedic beats of Wonder Woman were due to Diana's alternating revulsion at the "hideous" state of 1918 London and her delight at experiences she's never had before: she cooed at the first baby she'd ever seen (she herself was the only child on Themyscira), she gushed when she tried ice cream for the first time, and she was incensed at the barbarism of the war and the uncaring ineptitude of the British generals overseeing the death and destruction. Once Diana left her magical island, the rest of the film was her constant series of first-ever experiences and discoveries, such as shopping with Steve and Etta Candy in Harrods or visiting her first tavern to meet Sameer and Charlie. This was all balanced by Steve's comedic reactions trying to restrain her every time. All of this helped endear Diana to audiences as fans got to experience the good and the bad of 1918 through her eyes.

Read More: How Chris Pine Can Return in Wonder Woman 2

But by 1984 when she encounters Steve again, Diana will have had over 60 years of life experiences. She lived through a second World War, the division of Berlin into Communist East and West, the Kennedy Assassination, the Women's Liberation movement, the moon landing, the Vietnam War, and the continuing Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. Now, Diana can be Steve's guide in this strange era where Michael Jackson is at the height of his pop superstardom, Ronald Reagan is President, video arcades are all the rage, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous celebrates the excesses of the Me Decade. Steve was born in the 19th century, after all, so his bewilderment at how much the world has changed since World War I could even eclipse how Diana reacted to Man's World. The shoe will be on the other foot and this is a goldmine for comedy in the sequel.

Of course, all of this assumes it's the Steve Trevor. And here's the big problem that Wonder Woman 2 must overcome.

There Just Needs To Be A Good Explanation For Trevor's Return

The big question is: how is Steve Trevor back in Wonder Woman 1984? If Pine isn't playing the original character, there are other options for how this could be "Steve Trevor", such as him being a descendant of Steve (who somehow looks exactly like him) or a clone of some sort. There's no way to know for sure, but a scenario like what happened in Season 2 of Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman TV series, where she teamed with Steve Trevor, Jr. in the 1970s (who looks exactly like his father), feels unsatisfactory. Fans will definitely reject a cheap, cop-out explanation for Steve's return and they may also not like it if Pine isn't playing the same man from the first film.

It's not much to go on, but Patty Jenkins' tweet definitely indicated Pine is playing "Steve Trevor", so she gets the benefit of the doubt that this Steve is the same Steve that fans already met. If that's the case, then Steve has to be either transported to 1984 or he was somehow resurrected. Since this is a comic book superhero film that also deals in gods and magic, there are a number of ways Steve could end up 66 years in the future if he's the same man from the first film (such as a Mother Box's Boom Tube technology, for instance). While a worthy explanation is indeed important, ultimately, this would just be a means to the end of reuniting Diana with Steve, and the most important thing is getting them back together so they can hopefully resume their relationship.

However, what happens next is pivotal, because fans have already seen Wonder Woman in the present day and Steve Trevor is seemingly not part of her life anymore. In fact, Steve is a sore spot for Diana - one Batman exploited in the modern day scenes of Wonder Woman and again in Justice League. When Batman insisted on resurrecting Superman (and taunted her by mentioning Steve Trevor), Diana vehemently argued with Bruce about bringing the dead back life. Is this because she knows no good comes of it and does that tie into her experience with Steve in 1984? Could Diana have lost him a second time?

Even though the sequel could get by just detailing the heroine's conflict with the Cheetah in the 1980s, it's a brilliant move to bring Chris Pine back. Whatever happens next with Steve and Diana's reunion in Wonder Woman 1984, it illustrates how vitally important he is to her life and fans know Diana still feels the effects of Steve Trevor decades later.

Next: Wonder Woman 2: Every Update You Need To Know

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