Who Is The God Of Lies Behind The Dreamstone In Wonder Woman 1984?

Wonder Woman 1984 is an extraordinary movie in many ways, and its approach to villains is definitely one of them. Diana's (Gal Gadot) most formidable physical opponent is her friend Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), whose transformation into the beastly Cheetah is motivated by her own envy and insecurity. Meanwhile, the movie's global-scale threat comes from struggling businessman Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), whose wish-fulfillment powers threaten to plunge the world into chaos. However, both Cheetah and Lord get their powers from the same source — a "Dreamstone" that's connected to the movie's true big bad, who's actually nowhere to be seen, and barely alluded to at all. 

The movie features a scene in which Diana recognizes the Dreamstone as an artifact crafted by a God of Lies. The names she uses for it include Dolos, Mendacius — and, most interestingly, the Duke of Deception. That name doesn't necessarily mean anything to most viewers, especially because the mysterious being in question is never seen. Still, people who are familiar with Wonder Woman's history may very well be delighted by this revelation, because it turns out that the Duke of Deception is one of the oldest members of Wonder Woman's rogues gallery. 

The Duke of Deception is such an old Wonder Woman villain that he made his debut in her second comic book ever, 1942's Wonder Woman #2. What's more, the character even has a connection of sorts to the DC Extended Universe, seeing as the comics version of the Duke serves the War God Ares, who is the primary antagonist of Wonder Woman (as played by David Thewlis). 

It's also fitting that the Duke isn't explicitly seen in Wonder Woman 1984, because he doesn't really have an iconic look. Versions of the character have worn many faces over the years, from his original appearance as a frail, elderly man to a young warrior in blue Roman-style armor. He's also been a tuxedo-clad magician type, and even a rather creepy-looking regular dude with a leather jacket and a golden amulet. Despite his occasionally martial appearance, the Duke's powers are usually illusion-themed, but the version mentioned in WW84 may be significantly stronger, considering the world-changing power he imbued in the Dreamstone alone.  

It remains to be seen whether the Duke of Deception will make an appearance in Wonder Woman 3, and if so, in what form. Maybe the Duke will never be mentioned again, or maybe the legendary warrior Asteria (as played by Lynda Carter, star of the famous Wonder Woman television series) is not quite what she appears to be. That's the fun thing about malignant entities with the word "deception" in their very name — you never can tell.