Wonder Woman 1984 is a thrilling movie and it's also jam-packed with subtle details.
From radical color schemes to feral fashion to callbacks to comic books and ancient myth,
here are some of the small details you may have missed.
Warning! If you still haven't seen Wonder Woman 1984, spoilers are on their way!
Rainbows first pop up in a Themyscira flashback, in which young Diana and her older competitors
are required to hit targets releasing colored smoke, to signal how far they've progressed.
More rainbows pour in as we switch to 1984 and are dazzled by multicolored flashes from
Maxwell Lord's television ads. Sharp-eyed viewers will also notice that the jogger threatened
by reckless drivers is wearing a rainbow top.
The rainbows continue to appear throughout the film's runtime: Note that Max's son Alistair
is wearing a rainbow-striped shirt when he's reunited with his father toward the end of
the film. Perhaps most obviously, there is the fireworks display Steve and Diana fly
through, which creates a kaleidoscope of rainbows. Even the dangerous Dreamstone continues the
theme. Barbara notes it's made of citrine, which can contain rainbow-like sparkles.
You could just take this imagery as a nod to the neon-bright styles of the '80s, but
it's likely there's a deeper meaning intended. While Wonder Woman 1984's release date was
changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was originally meant to be released
in June 2020, which would have seen it debut during LGBTQ Pride Month. Director Patty Jenkins
made a point of not only revealing the release date on Twitter, but of unveiling a rainbow-themed
promotional poster along with it.
Wonder Woman 1984 doesn't spend much time going over the fates of Diana's friends and
allies from the previous movie. But an early scene introducing Diana's apartment and the
photos and other memorabilia she keeps there makes it clear she hasn't forgotten these
people. In particular, we see a photo of Diana with an elderly woman who can only be Etta
Candy.
Lucy Davis plays the funny and fierce Etta Candy in 2017's Wonder Woman. As Steve Trevor's
secretary, Etta takes an instant liking to Diana and helps her blend in with the people
of 1918 London. She may not be one of the more action-oriented characters of the film…
"Although, I am not opposed to engaging in a bit of fisticuffs, should the occasion arise."
Etta was also kind enough to educate the public about the history of the Amazons during the
lead-up to Wonder Woman's Blu-Ray release, predicting the story could make a "tantalizing
serial."
The picture reveals Diana and Etta remained good friends for many years after the war.
Etta's fate isn't specifically mentioned in Wonder Woman 1984, though considering she
would be roughly in her 90s by the events of the film, there's a good chance she's passed
on.
One of the first victims of Maxwell Lord's hunt for fortune is Black Gold Cooperative
investor Simon Stagg. The first time we see Max visit his offices, the place is practically
empty — Stagg is one of the only people there. He tells Max he's discovered the con
man is lying about his assets, and warns him he's going to report him to the authorities.
It may seem regrettable that Max's Dreamstone powers stop Stagg from putting Lord behind
bars, but if this Simon Stagg is anything like the one from the source material, odds
are he deserves everything Max does to him and more.
In the comics, Simon Stagg is the CEO of Stagg Enterprises. It's the offices of this company
that Max visits, just before getting Stagg arrested in the film. Stagg is most often
associated with the strange, transformation-centric hero Rex Mason, AKA Metamorpho. Rex is in
love with Simon's daughter, Sapphire, and Simon's attempt to arrange Rex's death is
what transforms Rex into the heroic Metamorpho.
While Simon Stagg isn't exactly an A-list DC villain, Wonder Woman 1984 isn't actually
his first screen adaptation. Stagg has shown up in several DC-based animated television
series, including Justice League and Young Justice. You may also recall him playing a
critical role in the 2015 videogame Batman: Arkham Knight. His only other live-action
appearance comes courtesy of William Sadler in the first season of the CW's The Flash.
The first time we see the inside of Diana's apartment, it's clear the connections she
made during World War I remain important to her. We see a number of photos of friends
and soldiers on display, as well as keepsakes and pictures of her fallen love, Steve Trevor.
One of her more prominent photographs actually implies that Diana either spent a good deal
of money paying tribute to Trevor, or visited his childhood home after arriving in the States.
The photograph accompanying Steve's watch shows Diana alone, standing under a sign that
reads "Trevor Ranch." We don't get a story to accompany the photo, but it seems likely
that either the ranch Diana visits belongs to Steve's family, or that she established
it herself at some point after World War I to honor him.
Either way, a photo of this ranch is a remarkably clever tribute if you think about it. Unlike
some of her other photos, there's nothing in the picture revealing Diana was alive during
the events of World War I, thus potentially revealing Diana is far more than an average
anthropologist.
Though curious visitors might wonder why she has a picture of herself taken at a ranch
without any horses in frame, they won't look at it and assume she's an immortal Amazon
princess.
"Diana, look at you. It's like not one day has passed."
The ruthless Cheetah is one of Wonder Woman's oldest adversaries, and Kristen Wiig's portrayal
does her major justice. For most of the film, Barbara Minerva keeps her human looks, though
she changes from the mousy scientist we meet in the beginning of the movie into an intimidating
powerhouse. It isn't until her final clash with Diana that we see her in her full feline
glory, complete with fur and claws.
There are plenty of visual cues throughout the film that set us up for her metamorphosis.
When Barbara meets Diana, one of the first things she notices are the hero's leopard
print heels. This is fitting, since it's Diana who Barbara wants to be when she makes her
fateful Dreamstone wish. Moreover, the first embarrassing outfit Steve Trevor tries on
for Diana includes a leopard print top, and Maxwell Lord's lavish office includes fur
accessories. Alongside all this feline fashion, there is also a taxidermied wildcat often
seen behind Barbara when she's at the Smithsonian.
Cat imagery isn't the only visual cue used to illuminate Barbara's story. When she begins
to discover her newfound super strength and goes to a gym to gauge exactly how strong
she is, she's dressed in a blue outfit. It's probably not a mistake that this is the same
color representing young Diana during the Themysciran games.
Plenty of DC Comics fans will likely recognize the name of the Dreamstone as soon as they
hear it. In the comics, this stone is most closely associated with the villain Doctor
Destiny and the godlike Dream of Neil Gaiman's seminal Sandman comics. But considering both
its physical appearance and its abilities, Wonder Woman 1984's Dreamstone takes inspiration
from both its comic book namesake and another DC Comics artifact.
Many comics fans have identified the mysterious object as the Chaos Crystal, or one of its
powerful shards. This crystal first appears in 2013's Batman/Superman #3. Like the film's
Dreamstone, the Chaos Crystal has wish-granting abilities. It's also said that the Chaos Crystal
comes from the Sphere of the Gods, a reality where many of the DC universe's deities exist.
Indeed, when Diana first examines the Dreamstone in the film, she's shocked to discover writing
in the language of the gods.
Notably, the Dreamstone of the source material grants the ability to reshape reality and
pull images from dreams, but doesn't actually require a specific wish. So while the artifact
in question is called the Dreamstone in the film, its abilities are arguably closer to
that of the Chaos Crystal. Though, we have to admit, Dreamstone does sound cooler.
"All you need is to want it."
On the surface, Maxwell Lord is significantly different from the Lord of the comics. His
origin story, powers, and the abilities he eventually gains from the Dreamstone aren't
at all similar to those of his comic book counterpart. But the makers of Wonder Woman
1984 pay visual tribute to the source material in a very specific way comic fans will notice.
When Max goes to the Oval Office, granting the U.S. president's wish turns out to be
more of a physical strain for Lord than any of the wish-granting we've seen him pull off
previously. Before Max can finish creating all the new missile sites for the president
and everything that goes along with it, we see a single stream of blood trickle from
Max's nostril to his lips.
This isn't a particularly unique visual, nor is it surprising, considering the epic scope
of what Max is creating. But in this case, it's a clear tribute to his comic book roots.
When Max is introduced in 1987's Justice League #1, he doesn't have any superhuman abilities.
But after the events of the 1988 DC Comics line-wide event "Invasion!" and its accompanying
miniseries, the detonation of a so-called "gene bomb" gives Max the ability to mentally
control other people's actions. Using this power always gives Max a nosebleed, just like
the one he gets in the White House.
When we first meet Maxwell Lord, he's introduced as the famous CEO of the Black Gold Cooperative.
Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that his company's logo is a warning for what the villain has
in store for the world. It bears two columns of half circles, like rings snapped in half,
facing away from each other. What, if anything, does that signify?
For the answer, we need to look at the beginning of the film, which opens with the Themysciran
Olympics. Diana must triumph in a similar competition for the right to leave Themyscira
and accompany Steve Trevor to "Man's World." In the real world, what image is most closely
associated with the Olympics? The multicolored Olympic rings, of course, which are connected
to represent the nations of the world united in peaceful competition.
If an image of linked rings is meant to symbolize a united world, then what does the logo for
Max's company represent? Its severed rings warn us of what Max's Dreamstone creates by
the end of Wonder Woman 1984: A disconnected and divided world erupting in chaos and violence.
In mid-December 2020, Gal Gadot revealed she wouldn't be the only member of her family
appearing in Wonder Woman 1984. The actress disclosed that both her husband and her daughters
would make cameos in the sequel. Not long after, director Patty Jenkins said her son
would also appear in the flick.
We can't point you towards every one of these cameos Jenkins said her son appears in the
film three different times but we know of at least one appearance. It's perhaps the
briefest "attack" on Diana Prince in the film. After Max renounces his wish and his plans
are thwarted, Diana is accidentally pelted with a snowball as a young boy and girl play
nearby. They apologize as she walks away, though obviously, Diana feels more amused
than anything else. The boy is Patty Jenkins' son, Asa, and his snowball rival is Gadot's
older daughter, Alma.
Funnily enough, Gadot was pregnant with her youngest daughter Maya while filming 2017's
Wonder Woman.
"They cut a big triangle and painted it green. And I came to work, me and Maya, we came to
work together."
So in a way, Maya had already made a cameo — though obviously without any wardrobe
or dialogue.
Wonder Woman 1984 wouldn't really be a superhero movie if there weren't a post- or mid-credits
scene, would it? Patty Jenkins makes good on this with a fun scene revealing the fate
of Asteria, the ancient Amazon hero who originally wore the golden-winged armor and held off
hordes of men so her sisters could be free. In the scene, a dark-haired woman in blue
effortlessly stops a falling wooden post with a single hand, saving a young girl. When the
girl's mother stops the mystery woman to thank her, we learn that not only is she the legendary
hero Asteria, but that she's played by none other than Lynda Carter.
If you're too young to recognize Carter or just not up on your superhero media, the actress
is best known for playing Wonder Woman in the beloved 1975 television series. Including
her as something of a predecessor to Gal Gadot's Diana in the DCEU is a wonderfully fitting
stroke of brilliance.
"What's your name?"
"Wonder Woman."
This isn't the only time Carter's been called back to the superhero world either. The actress
played the principal in 2005's Sky High, made a one-off appearance on Smallville, and landed
the recurring role of President Olivia Marsdin on the CW's Supergirl, who is forced to resign
from office when it's discovered she's from outer space.
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