While early reactions to Wonder Woman 1984 were generally positive, the film is now facing a lot of controversy and backlash online, with many fans hailing Patty Jenkins’ sequel as the worst pic in the DCEU, which, given its unwieldy track record, is a bold statement to make.
Disregarding the lacklustre action sequences, and its numerous plot holes that haunt the coherency of the narrative, folks are also struggling with a certain element involving the return of Steve Trevor. And we’ll warn you now that spoilers lie ahead.
For those who’ve watched WW84, you’ll know that the circumstances involving the apparent resurrection of Trevor were confusing, to say the least. The character suddenly sprang up 30 minutes into the film, where he explained that his soul took possession of a random guy’s body. What makes this even more unsettling is the fact that Diana and Steve proceed to get intimate with each other in a number of scenes, which some viewers have interpreted as a form of sexual assault.
Here are just some of the things that they’ve been saying about it on social media:
(#WW84 spoilers; TW: sexual assault)
Let me get this straight about the DCEU. Superman is a mopey asshole who doesn't care about collateral damage. Batman is a killer who brutalizes his enemies. And Wonder Woman uses a man's body to have sex with her dead BF, which is rape.
— Connor Clay #Pride #BLM #StopAsianHate (@NordRonnoc) December 29, 2020
god, Wonder Woman 1984 was such a hot mess, that i feel like i have to write a review on it. i enjoyed the first one, but this one had so many weird messages? turning sexual assault victims into villains? pro-centrist/neoliberal politics? ham fisted emotional beats? ugh
— Mariamante (@MiaLossen) December 26, 2020
Bridgerton and Wonder Woman 84 both seem to have used male rape/sexual assault in their plot with little to no media blowback; why is that?#Bridgerton #WW84
— Jay Faulkner ♿ (@thejayfaulkner) December 29, 2020
Finally watched Wonder Woman 84 and oh boy. I finished it. My advice, watch the first 10 minutes and then the credits. Skip the movie. What happened to THAT male character was robbery & sexual assault. It’s all I could think about while watching the movie. 👎🏻
— Stacie (@StacieD73) December 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/HongKongHermit/status/1343450695333122048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1343450695333122048%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FBriConstantino%2FFurious-DC-Fans-Accuse-Wonder-Woman-1984-of-Promoting-Sexual-Assault-and-Racism
https://twitter.com/HongKongHermit/status/1343450695333122048
I wonder if all these "defenders" of Wonder Woman 1984 realize they're out there stanning a film that said sexual assault, Islamophobic implications, poorly-written diversity, etc is "okay" because look woman-led superhero film.
— A.J Raven (@tempest071990) December 29, 2020
I still cannot believe how Wonder Woman 1984 accidentally (???) makes wanton sexual assault the cornerstone of Diana and Steve's magical romantic reunion. Just…what the fuck were they thinking!?
— James Beckett (@KickTheBeckett) December 30, 2020
Other folks, meanwhile, had issues with how the movie handled racism and featured a stereotypical depiction of Muslims, as you can see below:
https://twitter.com/shannsational/status/1342842917988171779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1342842917988171779%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FBriConstantino%2FFurious-DC-Fans-Accuse-Wonder-Woman-1984-of-Promoting-Sexual-Assault-and-Racism
Wonder women is very disappointing movie,watched half and moved on. IMHO this movie is also racists and stereotyping large population(Egypt) and oil, Can we stop doing this? #WonderWoman1984 #WonderWoman #WW84
— Basharat Wani بشارت وانی (@basharatw) December 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/BlackGeekYul/status/1344059318774149121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1344059318774149121%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FBriConstantino%2FFurious-DC-Fans-Accuse-Wonder-Woman-1984-of-Promoting-Sexual-Assault-and-Racism
Wonder Woman 1984 is an awful movie. That's my opinion.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a racist movie because of it's islamophobia and it's erasure of the black population in Washington D.C.. That's a fact.
Don't let it off the hook no matter how you feel about it.
— Hasib (Imagine a Blue Checkmark here) (@HasibDontTweet) December 29, 2020
Of course, not to state the obvious here, but I think the mechanics involved with body possession in Wonder Woman 1984 are a bit too ambiguous to jump to conclusions. Then again, the movie dodging such explanations, which are also arguably important in the context of the narrative, doesn’t help matters, either.
What do you think about this issue, though? Let us know in the usual place down below.