Wonder Woman 1984 Hinges on Both Cheetah and Maxwell Lord's Villainous Roles

Wonder Woman 1984 won't make it into theaters until Christmas if all goes well, but fans are still [...]

Wonder Woman 1984 won't make it into theaters until Christmas if all goes well, but fans are still excited about the high-profiled DC Comics sequel. The film sees Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) going up against two supervillains in Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). Patty Jenkins directed the film. During a Q&A about the movie for DC FanDome, Jenkins explained how she chose the film's antagonists. "They are both quintessential Wonder Woman villains," Jenkins says. "The first one that came to mind was Cheetah. I almost wanted Cheetah in the first movie, but then when that didn't work out, she ended up being our immediate go-to for the second movie.

"Then as the story started to come to life it suddenly became clear that Maxwell Lord was also such an important part of making that story work, and that I loved the idea of the two of them together and getting to see how that confused and made things more interesting. It was a very easy go-to thing that I was super excited to see those guys, and there's plenty more I'm excited to see too."

Kristen Wiig explained how Cheetah's relationship with Wonder Woman complicates the film's hero-villain dynamic during her Q&A appearance. "The connection between Diana and Cheetah, they work together and they're friends at the beginning of the movie," Wiig explained. "Barbara Minerva, who becomes Cheetah, she really looks up to Diana and wants to be her. Diana really loves being around Barbara. it makes the relationship a bit more complicated and interesting as Barbara starts to change…The rest, you'll have to see."

In an interview in April, Jenkins hinted at what brings Cheetah and Maxwell Lord together. "What makes Barbara turn into Cheetah is feeling like she's never been as good as someone like Diana," Jenkins began. "She reminds me of certain people I've known who have such low self-confidence, that they're always holding themselves back. Then once they start to embrace change, out comes this ugly resentment built up over all those years."

Of Maxwell Lord, Jenkins said, "Max Lord is a character very much of the time period the movie is in, he's the King of Infomercials, and he's selling a dream to the public, and he'll do anything to be successful. But sometimes, when you get what you want, greatness comes with a price. So that's Maxwell Lord."

Wonder Woman 1984 opens in theaters on December 25th.

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