The Wonder Woman 1984 Theory That Could Change Everything

DC's virtual FanDome event brought fans a new trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, the long-awaited second entry in director Patty Jenkins' series of comic book adaptations. The footage had everything — lassoed lightning, parachute pants, and Kristen Wiig, finally decked out in enough fake hair to live up to her name. Like any great piece of media advertising, the trailer left viewers with more questions than answers. How did Steve Trevor return? Where does perennially underrated villain Maxwell Lord figure into the plot? Will Hollywood ever stop turning people into anthropomorphic CGI cat monsters? Was the invisible jet in there somewhere, and whether the answer is yes or no, how can we be sure?

Adding to the intrigue is a new fan theory making the rounds on the internet: what if the "1984" of the title doesn't just refer to the year in which the story is set? What if it's hinting at the double-plus-bad state of the world presented in the film?

As everyone with a grim view of current affairs can tell you, "1984" isn't just the name of a year, it's also the title of a George Orwell novel, pretty much the gold standard in dystopian sci-fi and the preferred topic of discussion for English lit nerds around the world. If it seems like a stretch, remember that Jenkins herself tweeted out a photo of Maxwell Lord (played by Pedro Pascal) staring straight into the viewer's soul through a television screen. The accompanying message: "Can't... Stop... Watching..." It makes sense — Big Brother never could.

If calling back to George Orwell seems like a stretch, even by fan theory standards, consider this — the first movie took place during World War I. Moving the clock forward seven decades seems like a pretty specific move, and it must have been motivated by something besides the desire to bring AquaNet back into vogue. It's worth mentioning that Jenkins, according to GamesRadar, has stated that the year was picked "for a very specific reason."

There are, of course, other possible explanations. Lots of stuff happened in 1984, and maybe the production team wanted the film to revolve around real world events. In May of that year, the International Garden Festival opened in Liverpool. Bruce Springsteen's album Born in the USA became the first CD to be physically produced in the United States. In February of '84, the Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Maybe the movie is all about slalom. If those videos of cats riding skateboards are any indication, Cheetah could be a force to be reckoned with on the luge track.

Still, the possibility of a plot revolving around a controlling surveillance state seems more plausible, what with the presence of Maxwell Lord. Lord, as portrayed in the comics, is generally a shrewd businessman and power hungry puppetmaster. He'd fit beautifully into the role of surrogate Big Brother.

Wonder Woman 1984 is currently slated to hit theaters on October 2, 2020. Beast Boy: Animal Farm and Wolverine: A Clergyman's Daughter have yet to secure a release date.