5) Is Ares Really Dead?
Throughout Wonder Woman, it’s Diana’s firm belief that humanity’s pure-hearted and the true reason for the conflict is Ares, the God of War, who’s corrupted mankind. While the truth is more complicated than that, Diana is proven right and Ares does exist. In the big climax, Wonder Woman and Ares – who it turns out is her half-brother – fight to the death. During the battle, Diana unlocks some of her demigoddess powers and defeats the God of War. Specifically, he’s blown to smithereens by lightning.
But, just like Steve Trevor, we’re left wondering if Ares is actually dead. This a god who’s apparently powerful enough to kill off the entire pantheon of Greek Gods, but is taken down by Diana alone. The rules of superhero movies tell us that Ares really is gone, so that Diana can find a new nemesis in the sequel (and rumours state that it will be her other archenemy in the comics, Cheetah). Still, who knows? The Wonder Woman movies could develop the theme that war is sadly a constant, therefore Ares is ultimately invincible.
Likewise, how is Diana strong enough to defeat Ares when even Zeus fell to him? Obviously, she’s fathered by Zeus to be the Godkiller, but what exactly makes her powerful enough? A possible answer is that it’s not about her physical strength at all but her emotional strength. Zeus had a misguided faith in humanity’s goodness and probably could not have killed his own son. Diana, on the other hand, is prepared to kill Ares and understands that his influence on humanity is only half the story.