Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) wears her Golden Eagle armor in Wonder Woman 1984, but it has yet to appear in other DCEU movies. Despite serving as the ninth DCEU franchise installment, the Wonder Woman sequel marks the first and only appearance of the legendary outfit. Seeing as the latest film is set in the mid-'80s, it would make sense for Diana to reuse the gold-plated armor, so why hasn't she? There are a few plausible explanations for the Golden Eagle armor's absence in the majority of the DCEU.

When Diana renounces her wish, letting go of Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) after a brief reunion, the Amazon princess regains her superpowers. Diana also gains the ability to fly, but before she faces off in the climactic battle against Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) following Barbara's Cheetah transformation, Diana decides to wear the iconic armor for the first time in live-action. The winged costume is visually stunning, and its appearance marks one of the sequel's most memorable sequences, but interestingly enough, Wonder Woman seems to prefer her more traditional style of armor.

Related: Wonder Woman 1984's Biggest Comic Book Changes

Gadot's Wonder Woman made her DCEU debut in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Aside from starring in her first solo film, Wonder Woman, Diana also served as an integral figure in 2017's Justice League. In all three of her previous DCEU performances, Wonder Woman donned her red and blue armor with golden accents. Considering the timeline of Batman v Superman and Justice League, Diana should still have her Golden Eagle armor. Seeing as the wings are destroyed in her faceoff with Cheetah, it's possible that Diana retires the golden armor well ahead of the primary timeline of events. There's also a chance that she returns the costume to its rightful owner–Asteria.

Wonder Woman May Have Given The Golden Eagle Armor Back To Asteria

Wonder Woman 1984 Lynda Carter Asteria Cameo

While the Golden Eagle armor was heavily featured in the marketing ahead of Wonder Woman 1984's release, the details surrounding its existence was kept under wraps. Diana is monitoring Washington D.C. when Steve notices a large covered object in the corner of a room within her apartment. The object turns out to be the Golden Eagle armor, an ancient costume once owned by the greatest Amazonian warrior, Asteria, played by Lynda Carter. The figure wore the powerful winged suit when she sacrificed herself for her people. While investigating her culture, Diana got her hands on the Golden Eagle armor, but since she views violence as a last resort, she never felt it was necessary to wear.

That presumably changes when she is forced to battle Barbara, a desperate woman who uses the powers of the Dreamstone to become an apex predator. There's no doubt that the Golden Eagle armor is effective in battle, but Wonder Woman 1984's mid-credits scene reveals that Asteria is very much alive, and she's secretly living among normal humans. There's certainly a chance that Diana has stashed away the ancient armor, but if Asteria is still around, it would make more sense that Diana may have returned the artifact to the original owner. Asteria might not be interested in returning to battle, but she may want to hold onto it as a keepsake. Diana's realization that Asteria is alive will likely be a plot point in the future, which could provide more insight into the fate of the Golden Eagle armor in the DCEU after Wonder Woman 1984.

Next: What Wonder Woman 3 Needs To Do

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