Why The Super Powers In Wonder Woman 1984 Make No Sense

In the shadow of ever-controversial titles like "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and director David Ayer's "Suicide Squad," Warner Bros. released the first Wonder Woman solo film in 2017. Starring Gal Gadot as the titular Amazonian warrior, the movie took audiences back to the battlefields of World War 1, where the titular heroine would learn all about the horrors of human conflict and confront the devious Ares (David Thewlis). Meanwhile, she'd also meet and fall in love with the ace pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who sacrifices himself in the final act in hopes of preventing German advancement.

"Wonder Woman" turned out to be a breath of fresh air in the DC Extended Universe, securing just over $822 million at the box office and wowing fans and critics alike. To this day, the consensus is that it's one of the strongest DC Comics-based flicks Warner Bros. has released — an honor that its 2020 sequel couldn't touch. Try as it might, "Wonder Woman 1984" failed to reach the same heights as its predecessor, struggling to make its budget back amid a global pandemic and tell a simultaneously entertaining and coherent story.

Though far from the worst superhero film ever made, "Wonder Woman 1984" certainly has its noticeable flaws. For instance, the depiction of superpowers within the context of the story doesn't make a lot of sense.

To fully comprehend the mishandling of superpowers in "Wonder Woman 1984," we must start with the Dreamstone: an ancient artifact capable of granting virtually any wish. The only drawback to its gift, however, is that it takes something away in return. For Diana Prince to bring her love, Steve Trevor, back from the grave, she had to give up the powers that make her Wonder Woman. This may sound like the perfect twist to get audiences invested in the story, but it actually brought with it more confusion than legitimate intrigue.

As pointed out by CBR, it took some time for Diana's power to start slipping away, though the same rule didn't apply to her friend-turned-adversary, Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). The former social outcast wished to be cool, confident, and strong, resulting in her effectively copying all of Diana's power in no time flat. From there, she becomes greedy and uses a second wish to become an "apex predator" — almost immediately transforming her into the dangerous Cheetah. Why the effects of their respective wishes and curses take vastly different timeframes never receives a proper explanation.

At the end of the day, "Wonder Woman 1984" is a comic book movie, meaning it can operate by whichever rules it wants depending on what the plot demands. Although, there's something to be said for its apparent lack of consistency, which is perhaps no better exemplified than through the way Diana and Barbara's super-powered experiences played out.