Although Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) will be featured in Wonder Woman 1984, fans can assume the character won't be in Wonder Woman 3. Debuting in Patty Jenkins's hit Wonder Woman film from 2017, Pine's World War I pilot and Diana Prince's (Gal Gadot) love interest is returning in the sequel — despite his tragic death in the original movie. Steve's appearance several decades after his apparent death will be one of the central mysteries of the upcoming DCEU project.

Knowing full well that it will be difficult keeping the character's involvement in Wonder Woman 1984 under wraps, Jenkins and Warner Bros. opted to confirm his return themselves, releasing an image of Pine back on the set immediately after filming began in 2018. Since then, he's been prominently featured in various marketing materials, including trailers where he's seen reuniting with Diana in the '80s. With this, the focus has mainly been on how Steve's return is possible — a mystery that will not be answered until the movie comes out. Still, between what's officially revealed about Wonder Woman 1984 and other tie-in related materials, there are some clues as to how Steve is back.

Related: Every Major DCEU Event Before Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman 1984's junior novelization provides the most enlightening details about this matter; it insinuates that Steve is resurrected using the Dreamstone which comes in the form of a citrine ring. It appears as if this rock is DCEU's take on the Chaos Shard which has the power to grant wishes. In the trailers, villain Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is seen with it, which checks out with his character's description as a "dream-seller." Steve's return potentially stems from Diana's dream to reunite with her lover as official marketing for the movie also hints at her still longing for her dead lover. Assuming that this is the case, it's a nifty way to bring back Steve without cheapening his heroic death in Wonder Woman, but this scheme only works once. A similar story beat can not be repeated in Wonder Woman 3, hence making it almost impossible to bring back Steve for the third time.

With no trace of Steve Trevor in the modern DCEU world, it's safe to assume that by the end of the movie, Diana will once again have to bid him goodbye. Whether or not her asking for Steve's return from the Dreasmstone is intentional in Wonder Woman 2, she would have to intentionally let him go after learning that messing with the natural order of things always has consequences  — which also explains why Diana was so adamant against resurrecting Superman (Henry Cavill) in Justice League. The Wonder Woman 1984 junior novel backs this notion up, teasing that tragedy follows the Dreamstone, suggesting that nothing that comes out of it is ever long-term. Since Steve's resurrection may not be the only wish it has granted, since the Dreamstone could also be the source of Max and Cheetah's (Kirsten Wiig) powers, Wonder Woman will heartbreakingly have to part ways with her lover if that means stopping the villains and returning the world to its normal state.

While Wonder Woman 1984 would more likely end on a sad note personally for Diana, that doesn't mean that bringing back Steve in the sequel doesn't have its pros. The pair didn't really have time as lovers in Wonder Woman as Steve only admitted his feelings to her shortly before he boarded the plane to sacrifice himself. Reuniting them in the upcoming film is simply giving them an opportunity to fully experience being a couple. This way, Diana can finally move forward without any regrets, potentially setting up her with a new adventure in the inevitable Wonder Woman 3.

More: Wonder Woman 1984: Other DC Villains Who Could Appear

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