*SPOILER ALERT*: I am about to RUIN ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, so unless you want to know the plot of the WHOLE MOVIE, turn back now or proceed with caution!
This was unavoidable. Due to COVID-19, this year’s biggest films have all been pushed back multiple times and we’re still unsure when they might actually be released. (Or how.) But movie marketing is a process that begins at least a year before a movie’s release and those schedules are hard to break. Earlier this year, Universal chose to release ‘Trolls World Tour’ as a PVOD because they felt that releasing it too long after, for example, the ‘Trolls’ glittery Oreo cookies had hit store shelves would have killed any enthusiasm for it.
On the other hand, Warner Brothers still hopes to release ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ in theaters later, even though the merchandise for the movie is already available. And among those items are kids’ books that adapt the film’s story. As a result, specifics about the plot are now out there.
Keep in mind, these types of adaptations are not always accurate, because they can be based on earlier scripts. Movies are organic and evolve over the process of filming and editing. But for now, it seems, we now know what the McGuffin of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is and how it impacts various characters including the once-dead Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).
The plot centers around the Dreamstone, an artifact from the comics, also known as the Materioptikon, first used by the Silver Age Justice League villain Doctor Destiny. Destiny used this gem to create his own artificial world, ruled by a fascist Justice League, and attempted to integrate it into the real world. Later, in the ‘Sandman’ series, Doctor Destiny reclaimed the Materioptikon and used it to commit brutal murders and create rampant chaos.
In the movie, the Dreamstone appears as a ring that is part of a collection obtained by the Smithsonian, where Diana (Gal Gadot) works along with Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). Diana discovers that the stone was created by the God of Lies. In Greek mythology, he is known as Dolos, but a more famous GoL is from Norse mythology. You might have heard of him– Loki! Hmmm, is that a subtle nod to the MCU?
Anyway, it seems that Diana uses the ring to bring Steve back to life! Mystery solved!
The ring is also the object that villain Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) is after in order to gain power. But since the Dreamstone can only grant one wish per person, Lord has to lure other people into his service to get more wishes out of it, and that includes the cripplingly insecure Barbara. The ring grants her wish to be as mighty as Wonder Woman, which leads to her evolution into The Cheetah.
Because of its ’80s setting, the film builds to a conflict that involves oil (which Max controls thanks to the ring) and the threat of a nuclear war between the US and the USSR.
Does knowing this ruin the film for you? (Well, I warned you.) Almost every movie centers around a random McGuffin (Mother Box, Infinity Stone, Lost Ark, White Castle, etc.) that, despite its true explanation and origin, is basically magic. We already knew there was something that would drive the plot in this way. Now we know what it is.
Or do we? Once again, these books may not be accurate. We won’t know until the movie is finally released. For the time being, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is scheduled to open in theaters on October 2, 2020.
Source: Bleeding Cool
