Spoilers ahead for Wonder Woman 1984. Comic book films are known for their layered references to their source material, and Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984 is no different. A sequel to the 2017 Wonder Woman, the various references and Easter eggs in Wonder Woman 1984 pay homage to Diana Prince's comic book roots and even her TV iterations. Some of these references are pretty cleverly hidden, so let's break everything down.
The Amazonian Olympics
The film opens on a flashback in Themyscira, where they're holding their own type of Olympic games. Diana participates in some of the games, which is a nice reference to her 1941 debut in All Star Comics #8. In the comics, after Steve Trevor crash lands on their island, the Amazons compete like Olympians to decide who is best equipped to accompany Steve to the United States. Naturally, Diana wins.
Pedro Pascal's Maxwell Lord
Per ScreenRant, in the comics Maxwell Lord was a businessman who worked alongside the Justice League but became more sinister as time went on. In Jenkins' version, he's still a smarmy businessman, and he ends up winning people over by giving empty promises that they can have everything they want. For many viewers it will feel like an obvious reference to Trump, and Jenkins admitted to Screen Rant that he was "definitely one of the people that we looked at" during production. But she noted that Maxwell is really meant to be an amalgamation of the business mavericks of the 1980s "who went on to be major players in our world in potentially questionable ways."
Diana's Blazer
Before Gadot portrayed her on the big screen, Lynda Carter played Diana in the 1970s Wonder Woman show. The blazer that Diana wears in the film is reminiscent of Carter's own fashion on the show.
The Dreamstone
The Dreamstone is the film's major Monkey's Paw: it grants you any wish you want, but it takes something you hold dear in return. This is how Diana is able to revive Steve in a sense, and Maxwell uses it to begin his plans of world domination. Unlike Diana and Maxwell though, the Dreamstone is a film-only creation.
Etta Candy
Lucy Davis' Etta Candy sadly doesn't return in Wonder Woman 1984, but per Digital Spy, there is a photo of an older Etta in Diana's apartment. There are also nods to her war comrades, like Chief Napi (Eugene Brave Rock), and a newspaper report about Steve's world-saving heroics.
Warner Bros.
Steve's Watch
Before Steve sacrificed himself in Wonder Woman, he gave Diana his watch. You can see that she's kept the watch in her apartment on a shelf.
Kristen Wiig's Barbara Minerva
Like Maxwell, Barbara Minerva is a character from the comics, debuting in 1986’s Wonder Woman #6. In the film, she's given her powers after she wishes that the Dreamstone make her more like Diana, and later an "apex predator." Per Vulture, this is different from the comics, where she was given her powers by a tribe in Africa.
Warner Bros.
Diana's Invisible Jet
In the golden age of comics, Diana used an invisible jet as her primary means of transportation, since she couldn't always fly. It's nearly as iconic as her lasso, and the jet finally makes an appearance in Wonder Woman 1984. Diana and Steve ride in it while watching fireworks.
The Golden Eagle Armor
Per Entertainment Weekly, Diana first donned the golden armor in the 1996 Elseworlds: Kingdom Come #3 by Alex Ross and Mark Waid. The armor is a symbol of war, and it's usually worn by someone who actively seeks out battle. In the comics, Diana puts it on to combat the threat of volatile meta-humans, but removes it once she comes around to Superman's more pacifistic point of view.
In the film, this origin has been changed. We're told the armor belonged to Asteria, an Amazon warrior who sacrificed herself to save her fellow Amazons from the world of men.
Lynda Carter
The origins of the armor were likely changed to accommodate one last cameo. In a mid-credits scene, a black-haired, mysterious woman saves a bunch of people from a falling pole. She tells everyone her name is Asteria, and “she’s been doing this for a long time.” It's revealed that Asteria is played by Carter, and the film hints that she could be another sort of Wonder Woman. While this could be a set-up for a future Wonder Woman 3, it can also be interpreted as a nice homage to the superheroines that came before.
Get Even More From Bustle — Sign Up For The Newsletter
From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person who’s on TikTok, even if you aren’t.
More like this
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSraOeZpOkunCxza2cq6yRnruusc2tZpqknGLBqbGMsKannJWneri7zJqlZmlpbYFuscCsq56qXZq0qL%2BMraZmo5WavW6x2J5kqK2kYrOwvg%3D%3D