Moral memorials of Wonder Woman 1984
One of the longest and most anticipated films of the year was without a doubt Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Pine. After being postponed over and over again, the movie was simultaneously shown in selected cinemas and via the online streaming website of Warner Bros. Pictures. In addition to stunning filmography and to many action scenes, the film also has some moral memorials to offer, from which each of us can learn.
This article contains spoilers! Please do not read if you haven’t seen Wonder Woman 1984 yet.
What we learn from young Diana
At the beginning of the movie, we get to know the young Diana (Lilly Aspell), who competes with other Amazons in a sporting competition. Despite her young age, she has led the field for a long time. She copes with task after task until a moment of inattention takes the lead. To catch up with the horse she fell from, she takes a shortcut, omitting several stages of the competition. When she first returns to the arena and makes a run for the last station, she is stopped by the game master. Diana gets angry as she watches everyone else cross the finish line while being disqualified. She feels this as a great injustice and does not yet recognize her wrong behavior at this moment.
The Gamemaster teaches her that her deceitful behavior has only shown that she is not ready to win. Those who do not achieve their goal through hard work and their own ability or strength must be able to accept this. And whoever breaks the rules of the game, cheats and takes the metaphorical abbreviation, has not earned the profit.
Moral: Cheating and taking a shortcut is neither right nor worth it. Believe in yourself and your powers. If you do not succeed at once it’s ok, there is no shame in losing, but in doing wrong things only to win.
What we learn from Max
Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) seems like the typical villain at first sight. You can see that he has no good in mind. So he pretends to be a generous sponsor of the Smithsonian’s Museum, which is only trying to gain access to Dreamstone. The Dreamstone is an artifact that was created by the God of Lies / Duke of Deception and has lingered on earth for thousands of years. It fulfills wishes, but with tricks so that the one who wishes loses what is most valuable in him. Max is aware of this and so expresses the wish to become a Dreamstone himself with the thought of fulfilling others’ wishes and in return to take what he wants from them. On the other hand, he is not a successful businessman, but is on the verge of bankruptcy and cheats his investors out of their money. His marriage has broken down and he only sees his son Alistair every other weekend. He feels like a loser all along the line.
Through his transformation into Dreamstone, Max quickly becomes one of the most powerful and dangerous men. By granting the wishes of the mighty of the world, he plunges the world into chaos and brings it to the brink of nuclear disaster. When Diana can finally ask him, we learn in flashbacks about his terrible childhood: from the parents who argued constantly, from the children who made fun of him. He didn’t want this fate for his own son, but in trying to give him a better childhood, he overshoots the mark. Diana’s lasso of truth lets him see that he is not acting in the interests of his son but has put him in much greater danger if he withdraws his wish.
When he can finally take his child in his arms again, he apologizes to him for being a loser who is not a role model for his son. Little Alistair doesn’t want a successful businessman or famous oil magnate, he wants and needs his father: “I don’t need you to make me proud. How do you love me, daddy? You are my dad. ”
Moral: Listen carefully to those you care about. Despite your good intentions, you might be doing things they do not want at all. And do not put others down or use them in order to get what you want.
What we learn from Barbara
Barbara is a typical wallflower that people blaspheme about at work or who go unnoticed. She is grateful for the attention she gets from Diana. After being ambushed by Diana after having dinner together in the park at night, Barbara from Dreamstone wishes to be just as strong, sexy, cool, and special as her work colleague. She slowly transforms into the woman who is popular with others and who takes brutal revenge on her attacker.
When it turns out that the Dreamstone was created by the god of lies and that the god takes something from the person in return for the fulfillment of the wishes, Barbara tries to prevent the stone from being destroyed so as not to lose her new, desired self. If the stone first took away her warmth, joy, and happiness, Barbara loses her humanity after she expresses a second wish to Max and turns into a beast. Diana fights against Barbara and tries to convince her to reverse her wish. That she hides her true personality through her transformation and lies to the world and herself. “Nothing good is born from lies.” Diana would be able to end the fight by killing Barbara but does not. As Diana hoped, there is still a small fraction left in Barbara that lets her see what to do. And so in the end Barbara transforms back into the person she was at the beginning of the film.
Moral: Just be yourself, everyone else is already taken! One can admire other people and let them inspire themselves to change in some aspects. But nobody should desire to copy a person as a whole.
What we learn from Diana
Diana might be an Amazone but she is human, too. When she gets the chance to make a wish in the Dreamstone, she wishes for Steve back, the only man she has ever loved. And their wish comes true: his spirit awakens in someone else’s body. Diana is overjoyed and grateful to have Steve back, even though Steve is from a different time and everything around him is alien. When she, Steve, and Barbara find out that the Dreamstone is taking something precious away from those who wish in return for their wishes, she looks for a way that bypasses the destruction of the stone so that she does not have to give up Steve. Because he’s the only joy she allowed herself. She is there for everyone and fights for the world every day, but hides from it and won’t let herself be celebrated as Wonder Woman.
Over time, her strength dwindles and Diana realizes that she has to take back her wish. Steve also confirms her: he himself has been gone a long time, he had a great life with her but this is over. Though he’s the only thing she ever wanted, Diana realizes that it’s not right for her, Steve, and the world is obsessing about keeping him in this world. In the showdown with Max, when he has become so powerful that she cannot defeat him with her strength alone, she admits to him and herself that “he’s gone, that’s the truth, and everything has a price that I’m not willing to pay anymore. ”
Moral: Holding back on something that is already gone is not good for you. It hurts to lose someone or something, but the past is the past. You’ll lose your energy, your happiness, and your strength if you do not look in the future. If you do not stop thinking you’ll never be happy or in love again, you take away your chances for it.
For more Wonder Woman coverage check out:
Kristen Wigg says her WW84 character is relatable even if she is the villain
Pedro Pascal Exclusive Warner Bros. Wonder Woman 1984 Interview
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We also learn that raping men and engaging in necrophilia is no big deal for Wonder Woman.