Superhero films have become their own genre, with variations ranging from the noir tales of Batman to the lighthearted and humorous Thor: Ragnarok. Although Marvel and DC’s approach to the genre may differ on the surface, they share a common denominator — figures who become lost. Often their loss stems from either becoming too powerful or being given powers that separate them from the rest of humanity.
This shared DNA results in similarities that appear in various comic books and films, such as Wonder Woman and Captain America‘s similar backgrounds. In Captain America, we see Steve Rogers meet a girl, lose the girl, lose his best friend, and travel forward in time to become a hero. He then reunites with that girl, however briefly, and later with his best-friend-turned-villain, Bucky Barnes.
Knowing that and how comic books share themes, it’s worth considering if Wonder Woman 1984 will follow the Captain America: The Winter Soldier format. Let’s break down the DNA the two share, and how they may be following a very similar format.
The Man and Woman Out of Time
Both Captain America and Wonder Woman have a lot more in common than just being paragons of virtue. The sentinel of liberty and the princess of the Amazons are people out of time. Both have been separated from their loved ones and meet new ones in their new worlds only to lose them at the end of their first installment. Peggy Carter (Captain America) and Steve Trevor (Wonder Woman), the aforementioned lost loved ones, also share similarities. Both are soldiers willing to think outside the box and support newcomers instead of treating them with scorn.
While Steve Roger’s story takes place 21 years after Diana’s, the two share remarkably common themes. Each is thrust into a conflict they don’t understand and face implacable, seemingly undefeatable evil. While they both succeed, each of their victories come at a considerable cost. Both even tie in magic, which Diana and Steve Rogers believe is simply science that human beings have yet to understand.
Despite their many similarities, there is an obvious difference between the two: Wonder Woman doesn’t have a “lost friend.” But that doesn’t mean we won’t see this story arc in Wonder Woman 1984. There are enough similarities between Captain America and Wonder Woman’s on-screen stories that they might hint at the events of Wonder Woman 1984 –and the relationship between Diana and the film’s antagonist, Cheetah.
Who Is Cheetah, and How Is She Like Bucky?
Everyone knows that Captain America’s story really took off with the introduction of Ed Brubaker’s take on Bucky Barnes. Captain America’s plucky sidekick, the Robin to his Batman, sacrificed himself to save America. In the films, Bucky also ended up sacrificing himself, seemingly falling to his death off a train and losing his arm in the process. Captain America’s best friend returns as an agent of HYDRA, brainwashed into doing the bidding of an organization that has wormed its way into the heart of American defenses thanks to corruption in the heart of the government.
Given the similarities between Diana and Steve Roger’s stories, it’s worth asking if Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah will face the same fate as James Buchanan Barnes. In the comics, Cheetah is a title shared by multiple characters. The cheetah god is a guardian of an ancient African tribe that inhabits people, conferring immortality and supernatural abilities while inhibiting the human form of those who host the spirit. The film will see the introduction of Barbara Ann Minerva, an archeologist played by Kristen Wiig, as Cheetah.
Enter Barbara Minerva… #WW84 pic.twitter.com/56f8Diu7So
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) June 27, 2018
Fans have already gotten their first look at Cheetah, but could Cheetah and Wonder Woman have a deeper connection beyond just being archeological colleagues? Sites have reported that Barbara Ann and Diana will start the film as friends. It’s just a rumor, but if the rumor is true and Diana and Barbara Ann have a friendly relationship, is there more to Barbara Ann? Could she perhaps be a friend of Diana’s, or an Amazon herself? It’s something to think about.
The Case for an Amazonian Barbara Ann
The biggest clue that Barbara may have some sort of connection with Diana that’s beyond just “friends” is buried in Cheetah’s origin story. The first Cheetah debuted in 1943, and their origin story of a white woman in an African tribe is problematic, to say the least. Wonder Woman has come under criticism for its portrayal of black women, and Patty Jenkins is no fool. While in Hall H, Jenkins shared that she wanted to create a “different chapter” while telling a “different story.”
“[Wonder Woman 1984 is] not a sequel, it’s a different chapter, it’s a whole new movie. I want to make great movies. I realized I have these characters that I love, this world that I love, and we can make this whole new movie about something pure and strong and unique as the first one, of course I want to do that,” Jenkins said.
The director is aware of her place in the lexicon of filmmaking and just how much Wonder Woman means to people. Yet, she still chose to cast a white actress as Cheetah. While her motivations aren’t entirely clear, a possible reason could be that Barbara has a deeper connection to Diana. The logical explanation would be that Diana isn’t the first Amazon to leave Thymescira. She’s the most famous Amazon to leave Thymescira, but she isn’t the only one.
Antiope is the biggest figure who has left Thymescira, according to the comic books. Knowing that along with Patty’s dedication to representation (and the lack of any black actresses cast in Wonder Woman 1984), it’s very possible that we might see a new story for Barbara Ann. Her new origin story might make her Wonder Woman’s Bucky Barnes and a very worthy foe for Diana and the Worlds of DC at large.
How Steve Trevor Might Be a Clue
One of the biggest mysteries of Wonder Woman 1984 is why Steve Trevor is back. Much like Peggy Carter, Steve has returned to provide support (however big or small) to Diana. News that Steve Trevor will be returning has led to a maelstrom of speculation about just what role he has to play in the sequel.
His presence might mean that a second God or another figure plays a role. It will be important to see how Diana reacts to Trevor because if she accepts his presence without question, what’s brought him back is something that she’s familiar with. If this entity plays a larger role in Diana’s story, it stands to reason it could also affect her friends and others close to her, including her colleague Barbara Ann.
By bringing back Steve Trevor, Jenkins and Warner Brothers have hinted that something is considerably off with Diana’s universe. Jenkins has begun shooting down popular fan theories about Trevor’s return. His appearance, however, indicates that there could be far larger forces at work that might affect Barbara. Unless Barbara’s caught in the crossfire, she might also know what’s going on with Trevor and Diana, which would have her fall into that very rare group of Amazons who have left Thymescira.
Captain America and Wonder Woman’s Common Ground
The similarities between Wonder Woman 1984 and Captain America: The First Avenger are far too glaring to ignore. Whether it’s Peggy Carter and Steve Trevor, the God of War and Red Skull, or Diana and Steve’s shared desire to do good — the two films share far too many threads to ignore.
The biggest difference between the two, however, is Diana’s lack of a friend. It’s more than possible that Barbara Ann could be human. But imagine if she were a former Amazon trapped in the world of men. It would add an extra level of pathos to her eventual transformation into such a powerful antagonist. Having Cheetah be a former Amazon, a darker version of Diana much as Bucky is to Steve Rogers, would set up a powerful storyline full of drama. It would also give us one of the few anti-heroines in a superhero film.
Making Barbara Ann more than just a second “human friend” would fix a number of problems with Cheetah’s origin. Furthermore, it would give Diana a powerful female antagonist and a great reason to continue to doubt the world of men. Wonder Woman’s Dr. Poison was more of a secondary player to Ares. Crafting a detailed character out of Barbara Ann would make Wonder Woman 1984 as powerful a middle story as Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Same Story, Different Lens
Doing so, however, would indicate that Wonder Woman is following Captain America’s format in terms of period pieces. Some might see that as a problem. But it’s actually an opportunity to apply a rarely recognized feminine lens to a story that’s been repeatedly.
The “man out of time” is an excellent story to tell, but a “woman out of time” who has a lot to lose stands to be a very special story to a lot of people. If there’s one moment where a film should follow a previous film’s format for success, it’s this one. Having Diana have her own Bucky Barnes by expanding the role of Cheetah in her first live-action appearance would be a great way to continue the Wonder Woman franchise. Much like the man out of time, it would help the woman out of time find her place in the world.
Wonder Woman 1984 opens November 1, 2019.
