Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic figures in the DC pantheon. It figures her movie version would be a force to be reckoned with. Diana Prince has the strength of an Amazon, the agility of an acrobat, and ancient weapons fit for Greek gods themselves. Even better, she’s not hindered by any physical weaknesses like Kryptonite. However, that’s not to say she’s invincible.
This version of Wonder Woman has a handful of terrible flaws. Many of these come down to the sloppy scripts, which is sadly typical of the DCEU. Other issues are normal growing pains, and she quickly moves past them. That said, they still make her job more difficult. Such a myriad of character flaws ultimately prevents Diana from reaching her full potential.
5 Impulsiveness
Why Earn Her Birthright When She Can Steal?
Fans can chalk this issue up to the naïveté of youth and her warrior upbringing. Diana tends to leap before she looks, especially when she feels that the stakes are high. After hearing of World War I, she attempts to steal her island’s sacred armor, sword, and lasso. She then immediately guns for a German soldier named Erich Ludendorff, thinking he’s secretly Ares. Once she encounters the real Ares, she tries to overcome the God of War through sheer might. It doesn’t take a genius to see the flaws in that logic.
The heroine could save herself a lot of hassle with a little restraint. Her eagerness to resolve the problem puts her at a disadvantage. Thus, she must spend much of her effort regaining that lost ground and correcting her mistakes. Patience is a virtue.
4 Subtlety
Charging In Never Gets The Job Done
Here’s another symptom of a sheltered childhood. Diana initially has no idea how to act in human society. She storms into a wartime council, walks around with a sword and shield, and loudly argues about Ares in a public place. These incidents make her look like a lunatic and a dangerous one at that. No one in their mind would bring her into a covert operation, trust her with sensitive intel, or heed her advice. Surprise, surprise. None of the generals or other officials give her the time of day.
Diana wouldn’t get anywhere if not for Steve Trevor. Not only does he handle damage control with his superiors, but he recruits a squad of old friends to help in their crazy mission. Neither of these would be possible with Wonder Woman’s bull-headed attitude. Sadly, she must play the political game to some extent.
3 Wishing Stones
The Price Is Too High With This Magic Rock
The MacGuffin for Wonder Woman 1984, this mysterious stone grants the user any wish. However, such magic always comes with a cost in storytelling, and this is no different. Though the glowing rock gives people what they want, it also takes something of similar value. In most cases, it leaves the user worse off. Despite Diana’s divine nature, she’s not exempt from this rule.
She wishes Steve Trevor back from the dead, but it takes a heavy toll. The magic drains her powers and even her life force. Not only is she unable to fight Cheetah or other crooks, but she soon struggles to stand on her own two feet. The only remedy is to sacrifice her love once again. Needless to say, this solution emotionally destroys her. With such a catastrophic tradeoff, the stone isn’t worth the trouble. Gods and mortals alike should avoid it like the plague.
2 Inconsistency
Diana Is In Hiding, Except When She’s Not
The Amazonian heiress seems changeable regarding her involvement in worldly affairs. Originally, she worked to stop Ares in World War I. When Steve sacrifices himself in the battle, Diana hangs up her lasso for the foreseeable future. In fact, Batman v Superman states that she’s been incognito as a civilian until the present day. However, she undermines this in her own sequel.
As Wonder Woman 1984 opens, Diana is an active superhero. She regularly collars criminals and saves people in spectacular fashion. What’s more, is that she does so in extremely public places. Sure, she takes out the odd security camera, but this is far from the only way to record one’s actions, even in the ’80s. That’s not accounting for the numerous eyewitnesses to her noble deeds. Considering these factors, one wonders how or why she’s even in hiding. She couldn’t be more conspicuous if she tried.
1 Forgetfulness
Who Knew Wonder Woman Had Cloaking Powers?
Of course, Wonder Woman’s high profile may be down to her shoddy memory. In another bit of WW84‘s random writing, Diana and Steve commandeer a jet. This theft obviously attracts attention. Suddenly, she remembers that she has an unorthodox power: conjuring a field of invisibility. She applies it to the plane, masking it from prying eyes. The filmmakers clearly mean to emulate Wonder Woman’s invisible jet from the comics, but it makes no sense in the context of the movie or the larger DCEU.
After decades of crime-fighting exploits, Diana just now remembers that she has this ability. It doesn’t seem like a trick that a person can easily forget. Cloaking powers would have made the spying and combat missions much easier in the first film. Granted, it could be a repressed memory, but viewers never hear of any associated trauma to warrant that. As such, they must assume that it’s just negligence on her part.
Unfortunately, having this trick slip her mind opens up a new can of worms. How can she instantly recall the method to activate it? Why does she forget about it again by the time Batman v Superman and Justice League roll around? Imagine her making the Batmobile disappear to get a surprise hit on Steppenwolf. That’s apparently impossible because she’s banished the power from her memory. It makes fans wonder what else her addled brain is hiding.
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