Batman Returns (1992)
WW84 was released at Christmas, while Batman Returns is set at Christmas (but released in June), and both DC movies sideline their hero for the plots of their villain characters. But the most obvious link between the Wonder Woman sequel and Tim Burton’s second Batman movie is Kristen Wiig‘s portrayal of a dorky nobody who is transformed into a hot, feline-inspired baddie. Both superhero movies also feature a villainous businessman named Max who wants to suck power from others while promising them more power, but in WW84, the villainess teams up with the shady suit while in Batman Returns, she means to take revenge on him. There’s no Penguin parallel in WW84, though David Rooney’s review for The Hollywood Reporter argues that Max Lord is actually sort of a cross between both Max Schreck and the Penguin.
Ghost (1990)
I’m not sure why Steve couldn’t have just appeared as himself in WW84 when Diana wished for his return. Maybe as a tribute to ’80s movies, he could have Or maybe he could have possessed a mannequin or been an invisible friend or simply in Diana’s mind as an unseen sidekick. Surely Diana could have learned to pilot a jet herself by then anyway and she could take on the bad guys on her own. Still, the movie from almost that era (it was at least filmed in the ’80s) that I feel is closest to the Diana and Steve situation in WW84 is the supernatural romance Ghost. Patrick Swayze’s Sam, who has died and is now a ghost. Near the end of the movie, Sam does possess someone’s body (Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae Brown) for a fleeting physical encounter with his girlfriend, Molly (Demi Moore) before having to say goodbye again. It’s much more emotionally affecting here than the way it’s handled in WW84, however.
Superman III (1983)
Max Lord is certainly no Lex Luthor, who is an evil genius, nor even the baddie businessman Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), the faux-Luthor from Superman III. But he has more in common with Webster and WW84 has more in common with this silly Superman sequel. In general, WW84 feels a lot like the Christopher Reeve era Superman movies, the first of which I recommended with the original Wonder Woman. The new movie is earnest enough to have some links to the 1978 Superman: The Movie but its tone is more akin to the Richard Lester reshoots of Superman II and the whole of Superman III. Especially in its opening sequence, which is clearly a nod to the slapstick opening of the third installment. I’d even throw in the so-bad-it’s-kinda-enjoyable Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (which seems to get a nod in WW84 with the mall’s production design, but that Nuclear Man-like logo on the floor was already there in the location of Alexandria’s Landmark Mall) and the 1984 spinoff Supergirl with its witchy Faye Dunaway garnering powers from a special object. Hey, I like hammy supervillains, so sue me.
The Monkey’s Paw (1948)
When discussing the corruptive magical power of the Dreamstone, Steve mentions the story of The Monkey’s Paw, which is about a magical monkey’s paw that grants three wishes yet always with a dark twist befalling the wisher. He’d have been familiar with the W.W. Jacobs short story, originally published in 1902, and maybe he could have seen the first film adaptation released in 1915 before he entered World War I, fought alongside and fell in low with Diana, and then was killed in flight. But that film is now lost, and the earliest easily available is the 1948 version from the British production company Butcher’s. Plenty of better or at least more modern-quality adaptations, as well as other films inspired by the tale, can be found, including a 2013 horror movie directly based on the story, episodes of The Simpsons, The X-Files, and Creepshow, the more recent horror movie Wish Upon, but any which way you can, you should check out some version of The Monkey’s Paw.
Bonus: Wonder Woman (2011)
No, the year above is not a mistake. I’m not recommending another look at the 2017 Wonder Woman also starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine and directed by Patty Jenkins. That’s something you were supposed to watch before seeing WW84. Instead, the 2011 Wonder Woman is technically an unaired pilot for a series that never happened, starring Adrianne Palicki in the title role. I guess that makes this first episode a sort of short film. One that’s not easily seen in full at the moment, but you can find clips at least. The reason for its recommendation is because Pedro Pascal, who plays the villain Maxwell Lord in WW84, had an early acting role in the pilot as Ed Indelicato, Diana’s police inspector friend who serves as her liaison to the police department.
Related Topics: Movie DNA, Wonder Woman 1984
