Wonder Woman 1984 Star Gal Gadot Denies Donald Trump Inspired Maxwell Lord

The release of Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max has given fans biggest superhero blockbuster of the year since Birds of Prey, finally revealing the next step in Diana Prince's legacy. Many people are praising the film's villain Maxwell Lord, a cheesy informercial host turned megalomaniac played by Star Wars: The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal. There have been a lot of comparisons between Pascal's Maxwell Lord and the outgoing President of the United States Donald Trump, but those are apparently just coincidences, as stated by both Pascal and the film's star Gal Gadot.

During a discussion with Variety, Gadot addressed the comparisons people have made. While admitting it was interesting and that the movie has political tones, Gadot said the comparisons are purely coincidental.

"Maxwell Lord has so many different versions in the comic books and I think that Patty and Dave [Callaham] and Geoff [Johns] — the writers — really took Gordon Gekko's personality," she said. "The thing about Maxwell Lord in our movie, unlike the comics, is that he's more complex because he's not just an evil villain. He is a regular person who wants to be all these things that you would see on TV."

Pascal previously reiterated a similar sentiment, referencing Michael Douglas' role as Gekko in the 1987 film Wall Street.

"What's fascinating is that there are so many ... I'll be totally honest with you, when I first started talking to [director] Patty [Jenkins] about it, I was like, 'We're doing Gordon Gekko, right? Like, this is Gordon Gekko,'" Pascal said while speaking at a SiriusXM Town Hall event. "And she's like, 'It's not one, it's not any one thing,' especially that polished. Like, we're not going to lean into that. You know what I mean? It's essentially for everyone, for every character, for Diana in 1984 and how much lonelier she is and everything that Gal [Gadot] has just described and, and the evolution of what becomes Cheetah and where Max Lord's intentions are born from, it's all so much more vulnerable than you would expect."

Pascal added, "And so, really, that was the thing that we really focused on. And then, of course, stylistically when Lindy Hemming, genius in costume design, we referenced a bunch of characters that are familiar to us, but I didn't use any of that to build this particular character. It was really what was on the page. And then just where Patty would guide me and insist."

Wonder Woman 1984 is now streaming on HBO Max and playing in select theaters.