Warning: SPOILERS for Wonder Woman 1984.
her eventual clash with the Greek god Ares amid World War I.
Returning to helm the sequel, the action was transported to the 1980s. Living a life of relative anonymity, Diana balanced her time between working at the Smithsonian and occasional bursts of local heroism. Fate ultimately conspired against her, however, when the fabled Dreamstone crossed her path. With it setting Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) on a path of global domination, Diana was forced to embark on a jet-setting journey to prevent the fall of humanity. That quest was soon made all the more difficult by her newly transformed colleague, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). It was compounded even further still when her considerable Amazonian powers started failing.
Fans could be forgiven for thinking that Barbara was responsible. After all, Diana started becoming more and more human immediately after Barbara wished to be like her. Therefore, it could be construed that there was an element of universal balance. As Barbara became stronger, Diana became weaker. However, that's very much not the case. In fact, Diana's fading powers were a result of her own wish. When she first came into with the Dreamstone, she expressed a desire to have Steve Trevor back. That wish promptly came true when Steve was resurrected (sort of). As was later revealed, though, the Dreamstone doesn't give without also taking away. In exchange for gifting people their greatest desire, it took away their most valuable possession. In Diana's case, that was her Wonder Woman powers.
Wonder Woman losing her powers was also no doubt driven by story reasons. Firstly, it added an element of tension and stakes to the action sequences. It was inevitable that Diana would live to fight another day alongside Batman, Superman, and the others. However, Diana's declining strength and the ability now be hurt was able to fuel immersion in the moments presented by the film. Wonder Woman 1984 actually succeeded in making audiences momentarily forget about other established points of the DCEU timeline. Instead, Diana's new status allowed a miraculous level of absorption and pulled fans to the edges of their seat. This went not just for what could befall her but also for what she might be unable to prevent befalling others - like rescuing Steve from a bullet or children from a runaway vehicle.
The concept was also a shrewd way of highlighting the themes of the sequel. As established in the opening flashback to Diana's childhood, any success that comes from shortcuts is no true success. That lesson was prevalent throughout the film, with several characters shortcutting their way to greatness. Conversely, Diana was born with amazing gifts. However, it was made apparent that they aren't what make her Wonder Woman. Instead, it's her commitment to the world and doing what needs to be done - even if it meant making a painful sacrifice.
For a brief moment, she served as a testament to how women often lessen themselves for the love of others. Ultimately, however, both Diana and Steve knew that was not how things should be. As such, Diana did what was necessary to restore her powers. Regardless, she went on to save the world with truth, hope, and love rather than super-strength or flight. As such, by losing her powers in Wonder Woman 1984, Diana was able to realize and demonstrate that she's just as much a hero without them.
