Big things are happening in the DC Extended Universe. We're currently gearing up for the respective releases of Aquaman and Shazam!, both of which will occur within the next year, and then we have the release of Wonder Woman 1984. There's a lot of enthusiasm to see what Patty Jenkins can do with her follow-up to the smash hit original, and the first-look at the production of the sequel has whetted our appetites for one particular reason: Chris Pine is somehow back as Steve Trevor!
Now, with Wonder Woman 1984's November 1, 2019 release date getting closer, we have decided to dive into the reveal of Steve Trevor and hash out how the beloved hero can return for the sequel. With so many exciting possibilities on the table, let's start things off by addressing the fact that this might be a son or grandson of the man we saw in the first film.
A Descendant Of Steve Trevor
When the first image of Chris Pine as Steve Trevor dropped online, many fans were quick to voice their collective confusion over the fact that he had seemingly survived the events of the original Wonder Woman. However, some fans of the classic Wonder Woman storylines from the 1970s were quick to recognize the possibility that this version of Steve Trevor is a descendant of the man seen in the first film. Sure, he looks exactly like the original Steve Trevor, and that's not at all how genetics work, but bringing Steve Trevor Jr. or Steve Trevor III into the fold would be an excellent way to honor the Lynda Carter era of Wonder Woman stories and allow Patty Jenkins to embrace the inherent absurdity of the comic book world.
Time Travel
If the year 1984 and time travel feel like natural fits for one another, that's because James Cameron's original Terminator movie debuted that year. Going one step further, however, we need to consider the possibility that time travel is somehow responsible for the survival of Steve Trevor and his eventual arrival in this new era. The science fiction/fantasy trope has played an integral role in numerous classic DC stories over the years, and with a Flashpoint movie currently in development with Game Night directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley at the helm, we need to consider the possibility of Steve Trevor's survival having something to do with the "time boom" caused by Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) when he went back to save his mother from her untimely death.
Diana Saves Him From Hades
The Wonder Woman side of the DC Extended Universe has shown little fear when it comes to embracing the idea of mythology and mythical realms where gods and demons exist. The first Wonder Woman movie and Justice League both scratched the surface of that idea by showing off various elements of Themyscira, but there's also the distinct possibility that we could eventually get a look at Hades (perhaps that's who Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal is playing?) and the underworld as Patty Jenkins moves us into the film's sequel. If that's the case, then Wonder Woman 1984 could confirm that Steve actually did die in the first movie, but Diana (Gal Gadot) went to the underworld to rescue him and bring him back to the land of the living.
The Waters In Themyscira
Remember that scene in the first Wonder Woman when Steve Trevor bathes in the waters of Themyscira after Diana saves him in the ocean and they fight off the Germans? The water is not just regular water (which we see from the way it glows), and the mystical nature of the liquid raises some questions about whether or not we saw the key to Steve Trevor's survival in the first movie end never even realized it at the time. Some fans have put even more tinfoil on their hats to suggest that the pools of water in Themyscira could also have some connection to the Lazarus Pits used by Ra's Al Ghul over in the Batman side of the DC lore, but as of right now, we have no concrete evidence to confirm that.
A Hallucination
Steve Trevor's decision to sacrifice himself at the end of the first Wonder Woman clearly weighs on Diana Prince for decades after the end of World War I. Even during the first-ever meeting of the Justice League, Diana attacks Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) for making remarks about Steve's death. With such emotional distress weighing on her mind for so many years, it's not too hard to imagine a scenario in which Diana has begun to see Steve in her head, even when he's not actually there. The hallucination option would be an easy way to bring Pine back (and it would line up with other hallucinations seen in other DCEU movies), but Patty Jenkins will need to explain why Diana imagines Steve in 1980s clothing when she does.
Another Character In Disguise
Of course, while this new take on Steve Trevor may look like Steve Trevor, we do have to provide the possibility that looks may be deceiving. That's right, we're referring to the fact that this character might be a shapeshifter who has taken the form of Steve Trevor for reasons that aren't yet clear to us. The DC lore is chock full of options to pull from, with possibilities ranging from someone like Martian Manhunter (or another member of the Martian race) to someone like Clayface from the Batman corner of the DC lore. The fact that Steve has already been revealed to us means that Wonder Woman 1984 may very well have even more twists and turns up its sleeves, so a disguised hero or villain would make sense.
Resurrection
The simplest possibility on this list (or the least complicated) would be the possibility that Steve Trevor merely has been resurrected through some form of science or magic. It's not entirely outside the realm of possibility, as plenty of other elements of the DCEU have simply presented us with bizarre plot threads in the past and told us to just go with it. Moreover, given the fact that Wonder Woman 1984 has already revealed Steve Trevor's presence in the movie, it could be DC's way of getting ahead of any potential spoiler leaks without worrying about maintaining any secrets. Viewed through this lens, it's merely a matter of the folks behind the movie saying, "Yes. He's back, and he's still alive. We will explain when the full movie debuts. Stay tuned." Now we have to wait and see how they explain this.
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