While it's true that Wonder Woman 1984 is a superhero movie, that doesn't mean that its hero is infallible. Diana Prince may have the powers of a god, but she also has very human weaknesses for her enemies to exploit. Diana's also not above getting herself into trouble either, as she makes a few really bad decisions that cause a lot of pain.
And it's not just Diana. Despite Wonder Woman 1984 being a more optimistic comic book film in the '80s style of Superman: The Movie, all the characters in the movie do really terrible things, either to themselves or other people. It's a good thing for the audience, however, since there wouldn't be a movie without them.
Simon Stagg: Dealing With Maxwell Lord
The owner of Stagg Industries, Simon Stagg is actually a deep cut from DC Comics lore and a surprise character for the movie to feature. In comics, he's the shady businessman who created the shape-shifting hero Metamorpho, but while the movie Stagg is tough, he doesn't seem to be corrupt. Stagg's main error of judgment was getting involved with Maxwell Lord in the first place without investigating him properly, and it costs him his company. Then again, the tax evasion crimes the FBI is investigating may be real, and Max just allowed Stagg to be caught.
Asteria: Hiding For Centuries
The original champion of the Amazons and the owner of the golden armor Diana uses in her battle with Cheetah, Asteria reveals herself to the audience at the end of Wonder Woman 1984, but not to Diana. Diana has been searching for Asteria for decades as a fellow immortal Amazon in the World of Men, but Asteria has chosen to keep herself hidden. There is no particular reason for her to do this, especially to the daughter of her queen, and Asteria should at the very least have come to Diana's aid during the fight to stop Ares.
The President: Wishing For More Nukes
In the latter half of Wonder Woman 1984, Max Lord has a meeting with the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States. Technically, in 1984 that'd be Ronald Reagan, although this seems to be an alternate reality DCEU fiction '80s President played by Stuart Milligan despite referencing Reagan's "Star Wars" missile defense program.
Nonetheless, this particular President isn't forward-thinking, as his wish to Max is to get as many nukes pointed towards Russia, and America's enemies, as possible. Max doesn't even have to Monkey's Paw the wish to make it go really badly immediately.
Said Bin Abydos: Wanting To Divide His Country
Emir Said Bin Abydos rules at least part of Egypt, including Cairo, and has enough canny oil deals that a magazine dubbed him "the king of crude." However, when Max Lord came to him to get a wish in order to steal his oil, Emir Abydos reveals he'd sold it all, prompting Max to take all his security and give him the most terrible Monkey's Paw version of his wish he could: by spawning a giant wall bisecting Cairo and placing Abydos in the center of the Cold War. Nevertheless, if Abydos hadn't been so keen to divide his country, Max wouldn't have been able to do any of that.
Alistair Lord: Not Telling His Dad He Loves Him
Maxwell Lord's son Alistair is one of the more tragic characters in the movie. While his father does him wrong, Alistair himself is often quite blameless. Nevertheless, Alistair is still guilty of one bad deed that possibly could've changed the course of the film. Most of the interactions between Max and Alistair show his son being disappointed in his father's actions, but at the end of the movie, Alistair finally tells his Dad that he's proud of him no matter what, and he loves him. Very sweet, but if he had said that before Max got the Dreamstone, it may have averted the disaster that was to come.
Hippolyta: Coddling Diana
The exciting opening scene of Wonder Woman 1984 is a flashback to young Diana on Themyscira, and her attempts to win a sporting event. Ultimately she tries to cheat and gets caught. Her aunt Antiope chews her out, reminding her that nothing worthwhile can be won with shortcuts and lies. Diana's mother Hippolyta, on the other hand, is far nicer and doesn't punish Diana for cheating in one of their most sacred events. If her mother was a little harder on her as a child regarding this valuable lesson, maybe it wouldn't have taken so long for the lesson to sink in during the events of the movie.
Max Lord: Stealing Life
Maxwell Lord accomplishes many terrible acts in Wonder Woman 1984, so it may be difficult to pin down what his single worst failing is. His greed and selfishness almost cause the downfall of civilization. Even before he gets the Dreamstone, he's already running a Ponzi scheme and hiring criminals to raid jewelry stores. He's also neglectful of his son, Alistair.
Nevertheless, his most terrible act is almost completely glossed over in the movie's finale - Max literally sucks the life out of people who are wishing to him, in order to regain his own health. At his worst moment, he becomes a vampire, and that's unforgivable.
Barbara Minerva/Cheetah: Making Her Wish Worse
A lot of what happens to Barbara Minerva in Wonder Woman 1984 isn't her fault. Her initial wish which gives her the powers of Wonder Woman, for example, was completely unintentional on Barbara's part - she merely wanted to be like her new friend Diana. She was expecting to be powerful and confident, not have the magic of a goddess. The wish also costs Barbara her humanity, something else she didn't intend. However, what is undeniably her fault is knowing that the Dreamstone is corrupted and yet still choosing to wish again, turning her into the Cheetah.
Steve Trevor: Stealing A Jet
Steve Trevor does his best. He was quietly enjoying death and was involuntarily pulled back to life by the Dreamstone seventy years after his time. He is a fish out of water in 1984, which is why the audience should be willing to forgive most of the bad things Steve gets up to in the movie. It wasn't Steve's fault that he possessed the body he's in and pushed out the other guy's soul, and his readiness to kill White House security can be put down to his eagerness to help Diana. However, whether in 1918 or 1984, stealing a plane rather than paying for travel is still wrong.
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Being A Terrible Friend To Barbara
Despite being a selfless hero who loves everyone and will fight to save the world, Diana Prince is also more than capable of dooming it with her inept social skills. While Diana makes a few bad decisions in Wonder Woman 1984, such as nearly getting herself and Steve Trevor shot by forgetting about radar, and of course there are the terrifying consent issues raised by her sleeping with Steve possessing another man's body. However, the worst thing she consciously did was simply not being there for Barbara Minerva. They got into a friendship, but Diana quickly took advantage of it and left Barbara in the dark about a lot of the dangers regarding the Dreamstone and Max Lord. If Diana had been a better friend, a lot of the problems of the movie would never have happened.
