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->''"Citizens of the world, I am here to change your life. Anything you want, anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
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* LoopholeAbuse: He's able to grant Barbara a second wish that enhances her strength further due to replacing the Dreamstone she'd wished upon.
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Changed line(s) 68 (click to see context) from:
* GodInHumanForm: He's a Greek god, so this is a given.
to:
* GodInHumanForm: He's a Greek god, so this is a given. Back when he was still affiliated with the Olympians he was taller and had glowing hands.
!!! '''Species:''' Empowered Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' American
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' Black Gold Cooperative
!!!'''Citizenship:''' American
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' Black Gold Cooperative
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A powerful, shrewd and deceptive 1980s businessman.
to:
A powerful, shrewd and deceptive 1980s businessman. After hearing of the Dreamstone, Maxwell plots to acquire its power and achieve world domination.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: In the comics Maxwell's turn to villainy pits him against Blue Beetle [[spoiler: (which leads to the latter's death)]], here he's an enemy of Wonder Woman.
!!! '''Species:''' Enhanced Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' American
!!!'''Affiliation(s):'' Smithsonian Museum
!!!'''Citizenship:''' American
!!!'''Affiliation(s):'' Smithsonian Museum
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!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
to:
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
''Film/WonderWoman1984'' (mentioned)
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* VillainHasAPoint: The points he makes about HumansAreFlawed, HumansAreBastards and InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves are quite accurate, even though they're not enough to describe humanity, as Diana (and, about a hundred years later, Bruce Wayne) proclaims. He merely left suggestions that would keep the war going (and they did), [[spoiler: but openly advocated a peace agreement (which was largely ignored)]]. With tests like that, it's understandable that he'd see humanity as inherently violent.
to:
* VillainHasAPoint: The points he makes about HumansAreFlawed, HumansAreBastards and InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves are quite accurate, even though they're not enough to describe humanity, as Diana (and, about a hundred years later, Bruce Wayne) proclaims. He merely left suggestions that would keep the war going (and they did), [[spoiler: but openly advocated a peace agreement (which was largely ignored)]]. With tests like that, it's understandable that he'd see humanity as inherently violent.violent, even without his influence. Even after his death, Diana understood this as she witnessed a 'century of horrors' through the World War II and the Cold War.
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* FictionalizedDeathAccount: [[spoiler:While the real Ludendorff died of liver cancer in 1937, this version of him is killed by Wonder Woman in 1918.]]
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* ForTheEvulz: When gassing the German High Command, Ludendorff tosses a single gas mask in with them. Thing is, he and Dr. Poison know perfectly well that the mask won't work against the gas, and that the officers will desperately fight for it only for the winner to die anyway.
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* ForTheEvulz: ForTheEvulz:
** When gassing the German High Command, Ludendorff tosses a single gas mask in with them. Thing is, he and Dr. Poison know perfectly well that the mask won't work against the gas, and that the officers will desperately fight for it only for the winner to die anyway.
** When gassing the German High Command, Ludendorff tosses a single gas mask in with them. Thing is, he and Dr. Poison know perfectly well that the mask won't work against the gas, and that the officers will desperately fight for it only for the winner to die anyway.
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* WickedCultured: Like other German officers at the gala, he knows how to dance. He is also well-versed in historical war writings, such as the works of Creator/{{Thucydides}}.
to:
* WickedCultured: Like other German officers at the gala, he knows how to dance. He is also well-versed in historical war writings, such as the works of Creator/{{Thucydides}}. As for wicked, well...
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!![[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI 1918]]
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Changed line(s) 242,243 (click to see context) from:
!![[TheEighties 1984]]
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* SentientPhlebotinum: Possibly. There's an unsettling air whenever the stone is used that implies a dark intellugence at work. The stone seems to know exactly what to take from someone as payment (it takes what they needed to be in the first place while only giving them what they ask for/think they need). When Maxwell Lord wishes to be the dreamstone, he refers to it as "you".
to:
* SentientPhlebotinum: Possibly. There's an unsettling air whenever the stone is used that implies a dark intellugence intelligence at work. The stone seems to know exactly what to take from someone as payment (it takes what they needed to be in the first place while only giving them what they ask for/think they need). When Maxwell Lord wishes to be the dreamstone, he refers to it as "you".
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Changed line(s) 335 (click to see context) from:
* DragonInChief: While less dangerous, Barbara as the Cheetah is a far greater challenge to Diana than Lord.
to:
* DragonInChief: While less dangerous, Barbara as the Cheetah is a far greater challenge to Diana than Lord. [[spoiler:Though by the time she's beaten Barbara, Lord has become powerful enough to actually pose a threat to Diana.]]
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Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
* EvilBrit: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War. [[spoiler:Even when we find out that he's actually a Greek god, he still speaks with an English accent.]]
to:
* EvilBrit: EvilBrit[=/=]QuintessentialBritishGentleman: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War. [[spoiler:Even Even when we find out that he's actually a Greek god, he still speaks with an English accent.]]
Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* {{Irony}}: The God of War would rather have civil discourse with his enemies than fight or kill them. Of course, this version of Ares detests his name being synonymous with violence.
to:
* {{Irony}}: {{Irony}}:
** First case in point was DramaticIrony. Diana believed Ares's influence was ultimately causing the war, but he was just influencing people and letting human politics play out on its own in a bloody war. [[spoiler:Despite being a patron deity of war, he hated the matter and preferred a peaceful state of affairs, and decided that [[WellIntentionedExtremist the only way to bring permanent peace]] was [[KillAllHumans to ensure that humanity wasn't around to be waging wars]].]]
** The God of War would rather [[BreakThemByTalking have civildiscourse discourse]] with his enemies than fight or kill them. Of course, this version of Ares detests his name being synonymous with violence.
** First case in point was DramaticIrony. Diana believed Ares's influence was ultimately causing the war, but he was just influencing people and letting human politics play out on its own in a bloody war. [[spoiler:Despite being a patron deity of war, he hated the matter and preferred a peaceful state of affairs, and decided that [[WellIntentionedExtremist the only way to bring permanent peace]] was [[KillAllHumans to ensure that humanity wasn't around to be waging wars]].]]
** The God of War would rather [[BreakThemByTalking have civil
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* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Played with. This is invoked with being [[AcceptableProfessionalTargets an 80's CEO]] who's obsessed with appearances and not as successful as he likes to project; his oil wells ran dry, most of his staff have been laid off, and his company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the office building maintains an impressive foyer despite being practically empty. Early in the movie, his chief investor blatantly accuses him to his face of being a fraudster who's running a Ponzi scheme. While Black Gold's investor practices by this time aren't explored, it's clear that Lord's company had humble origins, initially operating out of a tiny office as seen in a flashback, and he legitimately built it up to a successful company, but it had fallen on hard times by 1984. It's established early that his driving goal is the superficial successes, mostly because he wants the funds that come along with it to build [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes a good life for his son]]. [[spoiler: His [[FreudianExcuse Freudian "Excuse"]] is that he doesn't want his son to be raised in the crippling poverty he himself was raised in, and he didn't want to be the angry failure of a father that his own father was.]]
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* FromNobodyToNightmare: He's a failing businessman who is implied to be a conman running a ponzi scheme, and charisma seems to be his only real talent. Once he obtained the power of the Dreamstone, he is essentially a RealityWarper. While he is neither particularly scary nor monstrous on the surface, he is very capable of and indeed came close to destroying the world with the misuse of his powers.
to:
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He's a failing businessman who is implied to be a conman running a ponzi scheme, businessman, and charisma seems to be and drive are his only real talent.chief talents. Once he obtained the power of the Dreamstone, he is essentially a RealityWarper. While he is neither particularly scary nor monstrous on the surface, he is very capable of and indeed came close to destroying the world with the misuse of his powers.
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Changed line(s) 17,18 (click to see context) from:
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' [[note]]DigitalHeadSwap in the latter[/note]]), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'' [[note]]both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version[[/note]])
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-American Spanish), Gabriel Le Doze (European French), Benoît Rousseau (Canadian French)
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-American Spanish), Gabriel Le Doze (European French), Benoît Rousseau (Canadian French)
to:
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' [[note]]DigitalHeadSwap in the latter[/note]]), latter[[/note]]) | [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'' [[note]]both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version[[/note]])
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-AmericanSpanish), Spanish) | Gabriel Le Doze (European French), French) | Benoît Rousseau (Canadian French)
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-American
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!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army, German General Staff
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!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army, Army | German General Staff
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!!! '''Dubbed by:''' Jochen Hägele (European French), Jacques Lavallée (Canadian French), José Luis Orozco (Latin-American Spanish)
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!!! '''Dubbed by:''' Jochen Hägele (European French), French) | Jacques Lavallée (Canadian French), French) | José Luis Orozco (Latin-American Spanish)
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!!! '''Dubbed by''': Elisabeth Ventura (European French), Aurélie Morgane (Canadian French), Creator/MarianaOrtiz (Latin-American Spanish)
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!!! '''Dubbed by''': Elisabeth Ventura (European French), French) | Aurélie Morgane (Canadian French), French) | Creator/MarianaOrtiz (Latin-American Spanish)
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The major antagonists faced primarily by Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.
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The major antagonists faced primarily by [[Characters/DCEUWonderWoman Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.Woman]].
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!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'' [[note]]both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version[[/note]])
to:
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''), League'' [[note]]DigitalHeadSwap in the latter[/note]]), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'' [[note]]both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version[[/note]])
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* MeaningfulName: Maxwell changes his surname to "Lord", as in "God" or "Messiah". He then gains the power of a god and advertises himself as a saving grace to all who hear him.
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* EvilKnockoff: Initially. Barbara's first wish was to emulate Diana. She later has second thoughts about this wish and mentions wanting to be even stronger. Maxwell then uses a loophole to give Barbara a second wish that presumably negated the first.
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Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
* EvilBrit: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War.
to:
* EvilBrit: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War. [[spoiler:Even when we find out that he's actually a Greek god, he still speaks with an English accent.]]
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An expy has to be intentional on the creator's part. Similarities noticed by viewers do not an expy make.
Deleted line(s) 272,274 (click to see context) :
* {{Expy}}:
** A garishly-dressed 1980s tycoon who craves power? He could well be the spitting image of [[Series/{{Dallas}} J.R. Ewing]]!
** He's also very similar to [[Film/BatmanReturns Max Schreck]]. Both are garishly-dressed tycoons who want to corner the market on energy, pressgang political figures into giving them what they want and have little redeeming qualities outside of their love for their sons.
** A garishly-dressed 1980s tycoon who craves power? He could well be the spitting image of [[Series/{{Dallas}} J.R. Ewing]]!
** He's also very similar to [[Film/BatmanReturns Max Schreck]]. Both are garishly-dressed tycoons who want to corner the market on energy, pressgang political figures into giving them what they want and have little redeeming qualities outside of their love for their sons.
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* {{Expy}}:
** A shrinking violet who is reborn via supernatural means as feline-themed enemy. She's essentially Creator/MichellePfeiffer's take on Catwoman from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.
** She's also similar to Seth Brundle from ''Film/TheFly1986''. Both are timid but otherwise kindly intellectuals who through oversight end up gaining added strength and reflexes at the cost of their humanity, both physical and emotional. By the climax, both have succumbed to their animal side and end up nearly killing people they originally wanted to connect with.
** A shrinking violet who is reborn via supernatural means as feline-themed enemy. She's essentially Creator/MichellePfeiffer's take on Catwoman from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.
** She's also similar to Seth Brundle from ''Film/TheFly1986''. Both are timid but otherwise kindly intellectuals who through oversight end up gaining added strength and reflexes at the cost of their humanity, both physical and emotional. By the climax, both have succumbed to their animal side and end up nearly killing people they originally wanted to connect with.
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* {{Expy}}: An unseen enemy of godly origins who created a trinket (which includes a metal band inscribed with a mystical language) that's coveted by mortals but will cause ruin and BodyHorror to anyone who tries to exploit its power. He's clearly meant to be the DC equivalent to [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].
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* {{Expy}}: The DC equivalent to [[Literature/LordOfTheRings the One Ring]]. An artifact created by a malevolent god that is coveted by many for its power, but ultimately ruins anyone who uses it. It's also identifiable by an inscription in an otherworldly language that causes the one person who can understand it to recoil in terror.
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-->''"I am not the god of War, Diana. I am the god of Truth."''
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-->''"You know your ancient Greeks? They understood that war is a god. A god that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. Meaning. A chance to rise above his petty mortal little self. And be courageous. Noble. Better."''
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-->''"I've got it! And if it's what I think, it's going to be... TERRIBLE!"''
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-->''"The God of Lies. Dolos, Mendacious, Duke of Deception, he’s been called by many names. But if he’s the one who empowered that stone, there has to be a trick."''
-->--'''Diana'''
-->--'''Diana'''
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-->''"Citizens of the world, I’m here to change your life! Anything you want. Anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
-–> '''Maxwell Lord under the influence of the Dreamstone'''
-–> '''Maxwell Lord under the influence of the Dreamstone'''
to:
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* BaldOfAwesome: While he had hair during his villainous years, Ares was completely bald when he fought against Darkseid.
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* DarthVaderClone: Not just in appearance, but in his actions. He appears to be an aging frail man encased in dark armor who is related to the protagonist and tries to tempt her into coming over to his side.
to:
* DarthVaderClone: Not just in appearance, but in his actions. He appears to be an aging frail man encased in dark armor who is related to the protagonist and tries to tempt her into coming over to his side. Not to mention his history as a FallenHero.
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* HeroicBuild: To portray Ares in ''Justice League'', [=Nick McKinless=] went through months of intense training to get to ''6 per cent'' of body fat, and it shows given how ''jacked'' he is in his (brief) scene in the theatrical version. More of it will be featured in Creator/ZackSnyder's version.
to:
* HeroicBuild: To portray Ares in ''Justice League'', [=Nick McKinless=] went through months of intense training to get to ''6 per cent'' of body fat, and it shows given how ''jacked'' he is in his (brief) scene in the theatrical version. More of it will be featured in Creator/ZackSnyder's version.
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* TokenEvilTeammate: To his fellow Olympians, since they fought on Earth's side against Steppenwolf and the New God invaders.
to:
* TokenEvilTeammate: To his fellow Olympians, since they fought on Earth's side against Steppenwolf the Apokoliptian invaders, with Ares dealing the most damaging blow while Zeus and Artemis focused on disrupting the New God invaders.takeover.
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[[caption-width-right:300:''"I don't want to be like anyone. I want to be an apex predator!"'']]
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[[caption-width-right:300:''"You’re not the only one with something to lose. Turns out wishing to be like you came with some surprises."'']]
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[[folder: The Dreamstone]]
!! '''''Dreamstone'''''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_12_31_wonder_woman_1984_ww84_everything_you_need_to_know_about_the_magic_dreamstone_that_grants_wishes_1_jp.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Beware what you wish for. It grants your wish, but takes your most valued possession."'']]
!!! '''Species:''' Mystical Artifact
!!! '''Appearance:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
-->''"Citizens of the world, I’m here to change your life! Anything you want. Anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
-–> '''Maxwell Lord under the influence of the Dreamstone'''
An ancient stone crafted by Dechalafrea Ero, the god of lies, meant to plague the world by using desire and giving people what they ask for but not what they want and usually taking from them what they need as a price.
----
* ArtifactOfDoom: Has appeared all over the world and whenever it turns up, the civilization it last appeared in ends up being destroyed.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The stone gives you what you ask for NOT what you want and usually takes from you what you need. It gave Barbara Minerva a magnetic charm that got people to like her but it was a shallow and superficial liking that wasn't due to Barbara's personality or character. It also took from Barabara her compassion and good-natured spirit which, when exercised with confidence, would have been able to get Barbara what she really wanted: people who liked and accepted her for who she was.
* TheCorruption: It turns the meek and cheerful Barbara into a power-crazed brawler.
* {{Expy}}: The DC equivalent to [[Literature/LordOfTheRings the One Ring]]. An artifact created by a malevolent god that is coveted by many for its power, but ultimately ruins anyone who uses it. It's also identifiable by an inscription in an otherworldly language that causes the one person who can understand it to recoil in terror.
* JackassGenie: The whole point of the stone is to plague the world and torment people by giving them what they THINK they want/need but only giving them what they ask for and taking what it is they actually needed.
* SentientPhlebotinum: Possibly. There's an unsettling air whenever the stone is used that implies a dark intellugence at work. The stone seems to know exactly what to take from someone as payment (it takes what they needed to be in the first place while only giving them what they ask for/think they need). When Maxwell Lord wishes to be the dreamstone, he refers to it as "you".
* WeaponOfMassDestruction: Designed by the God of Lies to trick humanity into destroying their civilisations by giving them whatever they want regardless of the consequences.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 17 (click to see context) from:
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version)
to:
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both League'' [[note]]both versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version)version[[/note]])
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* WithGreatPowerComesGreatHotness: Before she gained her powers, she was just a dorky average-looking woman. Since she wished to be just like Diana, let's just say her wish was ''really'' granted!
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!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both versions)
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!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman''), Woman'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both versions)versions, but as a body double in Snyder's version)
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* BackToBackBadasses: Back when the Olympian pantheon was still united (and still around) during the first Apokoliptian war, Ares and Zeus gave ''Darkseid'' a serious asskicking and very nearly killed him with some creative teamwork. Zeus softened him up with some lightning blasts while Ares put down the hurt with his battleaxe.
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Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* AdaptationalBadass: Unlike most versions of Ares, this one does not [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly require War in order to have his power]]. He was also able to kill Zeus and the rest of the Pantheon, presumably on his own which puts him leagues ahead of his own mythological counterpart, who was [[TheWorfEffect frequently subjected to asskicking from even mortals]]. His ability to use the Lasso of Truth against its wielder is also a new addition.
to:
* AdaptationalBadass: Unlike most versions of Ares, this one does not [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly require War in order to have his power]]. He was also able to kill Zeus and the rest of the Pantheon, presumably on his own which puts him leagues ahead of his own mythological counterpart, who was [[TheWorfEffect frequently subjected to asskicking from even mortals]]. His ability to use the Lasso of Truth against its wielder is also a new addition. In the Snyder Cut, he and Zeus are able to take down ''Darkseid''.
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Deleted line(s) 261 (click to see context) :
* ArcSymbol: TV screens and TV lines, which fit with his high-publicity profile.
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* {{Motif}}: TV screens and TV lines, which fit with his high-publicity profile.
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Changed line(s) 137 (click to see context) from:
* CaptainErsatz: A very blatant one to the MCU version of the [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]], being a sadistic German general and rogue agent who enhances himself with super serum to fight the hero, murders other officers that annoy him, has a mad scientist sidekick, and is planning to destroy entire cities in an attempt to usher in his domination of the world.
to:
* CaptainErsatz: A very blatant one to the MCU version of the [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]], being a sadistic German general and rogue agent who enhances himself with a super serum to fight the hero, murders other officers that annoy him, has a mad scientist sidekick, and is planning to destroy entire cities in an attempt to usher in his domination of the world.
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None of those villains are from the Kanigher run.
Changed line(s) 140 (click to see context) from:
* CompositeCharacter: By virtue of being the sole named German antagonist in the movie, the leader of the German army, and the BigBad, as well as his HistoricalVillainUpgrade and the setting change, he's effectively a SettingUpdate composite of Wonder Woman's various German enemies during the Silver Age, when she was a CaptainPatriotic hero fighting in World War II. These included Red Panzer, Captain Nazi, Baron Blitzkrieg (who was also enhanced with SuperSerum to be able to fight Wonder Woman), and Armageddon (who, like Ludendorff, utilized a potent and fantastical chemical weapon).
to:
* CompositeCharacter: By virtue of being the sole named German antagonist in the movie, the leader of the German army, and the BigBad, as well as his HistoricalVillainUpgrade and the setting change, he's effectively a SettingUpdate composite of Wonder Woman's various German enemies during the Silver Age, when she was a CaptainPatriotic hero fighting in World War II. These included Red Panzer, Captain Nazi, Baron Blitzkrieg (who was also enhanced with SuperSerum to be able to fight Wonder Woman), and Armageddon (who, like Ludendorff, utilized a potent and fantastical chemical weapon).
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Changed line(s) 247,248 (click to see context) from:
-->''"Citizens of the world, I am here to change your life. Anything you want, anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
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--> ''"You've always had everything, while people like me have had nothing! Well now it's my turn."''
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!!UsefulNotes/WorldWarI
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* Foil: To Ares, as he is directly campaigns to keep the war going, [[spoiler: in contrast to Ares who uses subtle manipulations with politics and new weaponry.]]
to:
* Foil: {{Foil}}: To Ares, as he is directly campaigns to keep the war going, [[spoiler: in contrast to Ares who uses subtle manipulations with politics and new weaponry.]]
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A disfigured scientist who conceives biochemical weapons. She works for General Ludendorff.
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A disfigured scientist who conceives conceived biochemical weapons. She works weapons for General Ludendorff.Ludendorff during World War I.
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!!World War I
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!!1984
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The major antagonists faced by Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.
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The major antagonists faced primarily by Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.
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Changed line(s) 239,241 (click to see context) from:
!!1980s
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'''[[center: [- [[Characters/DCExtendedUniverse Main Character Index]] -]]]'''
----
The major antagonists faced by Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!World War I
[[folder:Ares]]
!!'''''ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ares_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You will help me destroy them, Diana... or you will die!"'']]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ares_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as "Sir Patrick Morgan".]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrick_morgan_dceu_6.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Species:''' Olympian god
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' Olympian Gods
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both versions)
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-American Spanish), Gabriel Le Doze (European French), Benoît Rousseau (Canadian French)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' | ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' | ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
-->''"I am not the god of War, Diana. I am the god of Truth."''
The Olympian [[WarGod God of War]] and a long-standing adversary to the Amazons. Diana of Themyscira believes him to be responsible for the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Great War]] and follows Steve Trevor in Europe in the hope of confronting him to put an end to the conflict.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: Unlike most versions of Ares, this one does not [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly require War in order to have his power]]. He was also able to kill Zeus and the rest of the Pantheon, presumably on his own which puts him leagues ahead of his own mythological counterpart, who was [[TheWorfEffect frequently subjected to asskicking from even mortals]]. His ability to use the Lasso of Truth against its wielder is also a new addition.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Ares in most incarnations not only draws power from War but directly conspires to create and prolong wars being proud of being the God of War. Here he is polite to Diana even after revealing himself, not even seeing himself as the God of War but as the God of Truth wanting to create peace by destroying mankind. He also stated that while he put the idea of weapons in humans' minds, he did not make them use it.
* AdaptationalUgliness: In the early comics and the ''Justice League Unlimited'' cartoon, Ares is an attractive young man with blond hair. Even at his most demonic, he still looked quite virile. In ''Wonder Woman'', he resembles a plain-looking man in his 50s. Could also be considered AdaptationalAttractiveness in comparison to his New 52 look, who was so decrepit that his eyes had rotted away.
* AffablyEvil: He remains polite to Diana even after getting rid of his Sir Patrick identity.
* AllMythsAreTrue: He does exist; he isn't just the stuff of the stories Hippolyta told to Diana when she was young, nor is he a legend like Steve is led to believe until he sees him with his own eyes.
* AntiVillain: He claims to be this in regards to annihilating humanity, and claims their inherent wickedness has to end in order to achieve peace. Keep in mind, he admits this while under the control of Diana's lasso, so he genuinely believes this.
* ArmoredVillainsUnarmoredHeroes:
** During the climatic confrontation in ''Wonder Woman'', he dons a dark plate armor that fully covers his body against Diana, who wears much less armor.
** The reverse happened when he defended the Earth against Steppenwolf's invasion in the theatrical version of ''Justice League''. He leaped on Steppenwolf {{shirtless|scene}} with his war axe, whereas the New God wore much more armor.
** It's a bit more even when he attacks Uxas/Darkseid during that same invasion in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'', as the New God is shirtless too.
* AttackBackfire: He tries to kill Diana with a powerful stream of lightning, only for her gauntlets to absorb ''the entire attack''. She then [[HoistByHisOwnPetard fires the lightning back at him in a concentrated blast, obliterating him.]]
* AnAxeToGrind: He used a big axe to fight the Apokoliptian invasion of Earth.
* BadassBeard: He was bearded during the Apokoliptian invasion, when he boldly attacked the New Gods' army and even their leader (Steppenwolf in the theatrical version, Uxas/Darkseid in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'').
* BadassMoustache: As Sir Patrick Morgan he sports a mustache and as a flashback of him defeated showed he had it back then, he still sports it in his armor.
* TheBadGuyWins: ''Technically'', the goal he set out to achieve happened exactly as he wanted. [[spoiler: The armistice that ended the Great War did, in fact, only inflame tensions, leading to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII another more deadly war]] that threatened to consume all of humanity.]] While he failed to completely break Wonder Woman's faith in humanity, his words left an impact on her that led her to withdraw from human affairs as a superhero for 100 years.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Subverted. Diana thinks Ares is behind World War I. He tells her humans are cruel enough to generate war by themselves, he just lends them a hand to find new ways to annihilate each other. However, by his own admission, he had a ''hand'' in how things developed and has done so for ages -- it's just that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humanity never fails to put his whispered advice to "good" use]]. He also seems to often have a hand in negotiating fragile peace agreements in his mortal guises.
* BigBad: Of the ''Wonder Woman'' film.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: His human disguise is Sir Patrick Morgan, who seems to be both a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, supporting Steve and Wonder Woman going after Ludendorff, and the BigGood supporting the armistice. In reality he's only sincerely affable to his fellow god, Diana, and he desires the extinction of humans.
* BlowYouAway: At the start of the FinalBattle, Diana attacks Ares with the Lasso of Truth and he counter-attacks by summoning a wind that blows strong enough to keep the lasso at bay.
* CainAndAbel: He's Diana's main opponent during World War I, and her half-brother as both of them are children of Zeus.
* TheCameo: In ''Justice League'', he appears in a flashback of the original battle to repel Steppenwolf's invasion of Earth.
* CanonCharacterAllAlong: He is initially introduced as Sir Patrick Morgan before TheReveal toward the end of the film.
* ChainPain: He snares Diana's arm with a chain and projects her away with it during the FinalBattle.
* CompositeCharacter: He is based on his comic book version as the God of War, but incorporates traits from his kids Eris (god of strife and chaos) and his aristocratic disguise from his three agents the Duke of Deception, the Earl of Greed and the Count of Conquest. [[spoiler: And his spitefulness towards humanity is based on the First Born, a son of Zeus who was jealous of his father's creations and sought to kill them all; Ares was never so vindictive in the comics, seeking only to perform his job of spreading conflict and war.]]
* CoolHelmet: He uses metal debris to shape a whole plate armor on himself, and carves the eye-slits on his horned helmet by melting parts of it with his fingers.
* TheCorrupter: Subverted. Diana believes that Ares is the direct cause of the war by corrupting humans, and once he's dead and his influence is gone, the war will end. Her idealism takes a hit when Ares reveals he doesn't force mankind to go to war, he merely acts from the shadows, whispering in their ears new ways to fight and kill each other. Then he sits back and lets humans decide whether or not they'll use his suggestions. [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Mankind does not disappoint him]], though in all fairness to the entire species, he does pick the very worst of humanity to influence and refuses to see any good in the rest of them.
* DarkIsEvil: Unlike comic Ares this one lacks necromancy and a shadowy face, but he [[UpToEleven more than makes up for it]] with his mortal disguise, which [[EvilWearsBlack wears black]], reveals to himself to Diana in the middle of the night and ultimately dons a dark metal armor.
* DarthVaderClone: Not just in appearance, but in his actions. He appears to be an aging frail man encased in dark armor who is related to the protagonist and tries to tempt her into coming over to his side.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Wore ankle wraps in his ancient god form.
* DualWielding: He attacks Diana with two swords in the final battle of ''Wonder Woman''.
* ElementalMotifs: Fire.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He is legitimately disgusted at mankind and their actions.
** Even he didn’t want the New Gods to invade Earth.
* EvilBrit: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Is so convinced that humanity is inherently evil, he absolutely ''refuses'' to see the good in them, even twisting Steve's HeroicSacrifice as him leaving Diana. It's so bad that he killed the other gods for not siding with him, and ultimately snaps and attempts to kill Diana as well when he fails to convince her.
* EvilCounterpart: To Diana, and the Amazons in general. Both originate from Greek mythology and are adept at combat. While Diana actively participated in the war, Ares stood back and pulled the strings. While Diana is an idealist, Ares is a bitter misanthrope who believes the best thing for the world is humanity's extinction. They both want peace, but Diana wants it through the end of the war, whereas Ares also wants it through the "end of war"... via the annihilation of mankind.
* EvilSoundsDeep: The moment Ares begun to fault his power, the deeper his voice became.
* FaceHeelTurn: At some point, he stopped caring about protecting humans (like he did during Steppenwolf's invasion) and started corrupting them into waging war at each other.
* FallenHero: In the novel, he mentions once having saved mankind, but later coming to realize they were not worthy of salvation. He's likely referring to the war against the Titans, which is also mentioned in the novel. The events of ''Justice League'' suggest this is actually referencing the war against Apokolips.
* FlyingBrick: He's capable of flight, has strength on par or exceeding Diana's, and is durable enough to survive massive explosions at pointblank range.
* GeniusBruiser: Has the strength you'd expect from a god, and can use the power of suggestion to instigate a war.
* GodInHumanForm: He's a Greek god, so this is a given.
* HeroicBuild: To portray Ares in ''Justice League'', [=Nick McKinless=] went through months of intense training to get to ''6 per cent'' of body fat, and it shows given how ''jacked'' he is in his (brief) scene in the theatrical version. More of it will be featured in Creator/ZackSnyder's version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Diana's bracelets absorb and concentrate the lightning shot by Ares into a powerful beam that kills him.]]
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: His essential belief. However, while there's truth to that, Diana counters that [[HumansAreSpecial they are much more than just that]].
* {{Hypocrite}}: Criticizes humans as warlike creatures who slaughter each other, while being a warlike creature who slaughtered the other Olympian gods. Also, while admittedly not directly responsible for their capacity towards conflict, it doesn't help that [[ManipulativeBastard he conveniently found the worst among them and planted the idea into their heads]], [[OpportunisticBastard all just to justify his double standard actions]].
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He doesn't seem to regret his murder of his own family, claiming they couldn't see humanity the way he did, so he offed them.
* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: [[spoiler:Since he sees mankind as inherently evil and destructive, he influences wars by merely giving people ideas on how to kill each other, then he watches as they act on his suggestions so mankind can end up destroying itself.]]
* InstantArmor: He summons an armor on himself instantly with his MindOverMatter powers, using nearby metal debris once his [[spoiler:Sir Patrick Morgan]] clothes are of no use anymore and get burned.
* {{Irony}}: The God of War would rather have civil discourse with his enemies than fight or kill them. Of course, this version of Ares detests his name being synonymous with violence.
* IsThatTheBestYouCanDo: Says "Is that all you have to offer?" to Diana during the final fight as he overpowers her.
* JerkassGods: He plans several conflicts amongst humankind with the intention of having it all wiped out.
* LargeHam: He really goes all out on Diana when she refuses his WeCanRuleTogether offer. [[BaitAndSwitch He also throws a crap ton of lightning at her]].
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:General Ludendorff got his war plans from him and Dr. Poison got her new gas from him.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: The Amazons teach that Ares turned humanity against itself in war with his powers. And he did... kinda. [[spoiler:He acts as a defacto patron to the most warlike and dangerous individuals like Ludendorff and Dr. Poison, providing them with inspiration and formulas to create greater weapons of war, and practices reverse psychology to make an armistice a tool for even more war and to get Steve and Diana to go where he wants them to.]]
** There is also a noticeable shift in the demeanor and actions of soldiers after he is defeated, implying he ''was'' influencing them in a direct manner (though that could be a result of PowerIncontinence).
* MindOverMatter: Hurls everything in the battlefield onto Diana (and at times, towards himself to create weaponry and armor) without even touching it.
* MisanthropeSupreme: Ares '''despises''' humanity (moreso than ''Zod'' ever did) [[spoiler: but in a twist, he claims it's ''because'' mankind is warlike and destructive. He wants to purge the planet of mankind because he believes it's the best way to protect the world from them and ensure peace]].
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler: Through his Sir Patrick Morgan disguise, he infiltrated the World War I Allies' high command.]]
* MoreThanMindControl: Diana thinks that humanity is BrainwashedAndCrazy under his influence and this is why they are fighting; in reality, and as Ares argues himself, humans are more than capable of fighting and killing each other all by themselves. Ares gives them a "push" in the right direction in order to make wars happen in times and ways of his choosing and certainly influences events and people through the power of suggestion, but the world isn't automatically going to become a better place just because he isn't there to cause problems.
* MotiveRant: He explains his motivations throughout the FinalBattle between Diana and him.
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:While he has a point in humans choosing to act evil of their own free will, he conveniently ignores the fact that he is the one placing wicked ideas in decidedly evil individuals with the expressed purpose of manipulating them and the war to wipe humanity out. This doesn't seem to dawn on him as he explains this while under the influence of the lasso of Truth, meaning he is [[BelievingTheirOwnLies entirely convinced of his position]].]]
* OmnicidalManiac: He is out to KillAllHumans and plans to do it by [[spoiler: manipulating them into killing each other]].
* OutOfTheInferno: During the FinalBattle against Diana, he stands in the fire caused by an explosion, his [[spoiler:Sir Patrick Morgan]] clothes burn off and he summons his armor on himself in said inferno, then attacks Diana from it.
* {{Patricide}}: He mortally wounded his father Zeus when he killed all the other gods of Olympus during the War of the Gods.
* PetTheDog: He shows sincere respect toward Diana, [[spoiler: even after he reveals himself, and doesn't think about killing her at first, even though he knows that she could destroy him]].
* PhysicalGod: As mentioned, he's the literal Greek God of War, with all that comes with it. [[spoiler:The only thing capable of destroying him is his own divine power]].
* PlayingBothSides: During World War I, he whispers new ways of waging war to Ludendorff's and Dr. Poison's ears and, as Sir Patrick Morgan, influences the British War Council.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: PlayedForDrama. By all objective metrics, the true BigBad of the story is Ludendorff; Ares himself outright states that he didn't make Ludendorff do anything, and that he came up with the superweapon plan on his own and used his own resources to implement it. In fact, Ares claims he didn't do anything at all besides whisper suggestions for weapons in a few peoples' ears with telepathy, and besides his fight with Diana (and a flashback) he doesn't take any action or hurt a single person. This is played as part of the Aesop that humans don't ''need'' an overarching supernatural BigBad to explain their flaws. He's around for less than ten minutes after TheReveal and only really relevant for Diana's CharacterDevelopment, as her rejection of his philosophy and fending him off in the final battle represents her refusing to let go of her idealism. [[spoiler:In the end, the only person he actually killed during the events of the film (either directly or indirectly) was himself.]]
* PowersDoTheFighting: Downplayed. While he does get physical with Diana (and throw a few lightning bolts) he shows a strong preference for simply using telekinesis to hurl things at her for most of the fight.
* SatanicArchetype: Ares tempts humans into warlike actions so as to bring about their destruction, bringing to mind Satan as a tempter, as does his role as being DrivenByEnvy of them. Ares also fights Diana while surrounded by flames, evoking hellfire. In ancient times, Ares opposed Zeus, who created and loved humanity, which is reminiscent of the rivalry between God and Satan in Christianity and Islam. Finally, a flashback shows a defeated Ares lying on the ground after falling from his heavenly battle with Zeus, bringing to mind Lucifer as a fallen angel.
* ShockAndAwe: Like his own father, Ares can summon lightning. [[spoiler:It ends up being his undoing when Diana redirects them on him]].
* ShockwaveStomp: At one point during the FinalBattle, he hits the ground hard enough to send a shockwave at Diana, who dodges it. It's powerful enough to cut a truck in half.
* SincerityMode: [[spoiler: He emphasizes that for all of his influence, humans never go to war and kill one another unless they choose to.]]
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Is capable of turning material around him into any weapon he desires in seconds.
* SuperpowerLottery: A ''big'' winner of it. He has SuperStrength on par with or exceeding Diana, SuperToughness sufficient enough to survive gigantic pointblank explosions unharmed, can move massive objects with ease via telekinesis, [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation create weapons out of anything around him at will]], send a ShockwaveStomp, teleport, [[WeatherManipulation manipulate the weather]] and generate cascades of devastating lightning. Justified, as he is literally a god.
* TakesOneToKillOne: [[spoiler: As a god, he can only be killed by another god. That's why he was able to kill the other gods of Olympus, and why Diana, his half-sister and fellow god, is the only being in existence capable of killing him.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: To his fellow Olympians, since they fought on Earth's side against Steppenwolf and the New God invaders.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: [[spoiler: You wouldn't expect the God of War to look like an English gentleman.]]
* TinTyrant: In the climax of ''Wonder Woman'', he summons a dark-looking armor on himself. It covers him entirely.
* VillainHasAPoint: The points he makes about HumansAreFlawed, HumansAreBastards and InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves are quite accurate, even though they're not enough to describe humanity, as Diana (and, about a hundred years later, Bruce Wayne) proclaims. He merely left suggestions that would keep the war going (and they did), [[spoiler: but openly advocated a peace agreement (which was largely ignored)]]. With tests like that, it's understandable that he'd see humanity as inherently violent.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: When Diana refuses to kill Doctor Poison by crushing her with a tank, he completely loses his composure and decides to just kill her.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: For starters, he is the real BigBad of ''Wonder Woman'', not Ludendorff.
* WarGod: The Myth/ClassicalMythology one. He thrives on violence. [[spoiler:However he sees himself not a God of War, but a God of Truth.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:He tries to get Diana on his side during the climax, believing they can restore the Earth to the peace before Zeus created mankind.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Ares wants to purge the world of humanity who he views as polluters and violent warmongers but he also genuinely believes that this is what is needed to make the world into a paradise. This is confirmed by Diana using the lasso of Truth on him which shows he really does believe this to be true and isn't lying]].
* YouAreWhatYouHate: Despises humans as warlike creatures who slaughter each other and destroy the world around them, deeming them unworthy of the powers and favors of the gods. He himself is also a warlike creature who slaughtered the other Olympian Gods and was cast down from Olympus by his own father.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: An action figure and Lego set both show Ares sporting a helmet that resembles a ram's skull and a face that's blackened out except for his eyes. In the film itself, Ares wears a different kind of helmet and his face looks completely human. Also he's of average height, whereas the Lego set showed him being much bigger than a person.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:General Ludendorff]]
!!'''''General Erich Ludendorff'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ludendorff.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: ''"Peace is only an armistice in an endless war."'']]
!!! '''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' German
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army, German General Staff
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/DannyHuston
!!! '''Dubbed by:''' Jochen Hägele (European French), Jacques Lavallée (Canadian French), José Luis Orozco (Latin-American Spanish)
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''
-->''"You know your ancient Greeks? They understood that war is a god. A god that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. Meaning. A chance to rise above his petty mortal little self. And be courageous. Noble. Better."''
A general from UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany who's still warmongering (with mass murder plans in mind) on the eve of the Armistice in 1918.
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* ArtisticLicenceHistory:
** The real life Ludendorff, like most men in Europe in the 1910s, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Erich_Ludendorff.jpg had a moustache]], while Danny Huston doesn't sport any in the film.
** The real life Ludendorff also survived UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, eventually dying of liver cancer in 1937.
** Ludendorff mentions his fascination and love for the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Gods]] to Diana during the party. The actual Ludendorff indulged in the weird and trendy pseudo-paganism that was all the rage at the time, but his preference was the [[Myth/NorseMythology Proto-Germanic and Norse deities]], and his true devotion was for [[http://history.info/on-this-day/1865-german-general-believed-pagan-god-wotan/ Wotan]].
* BadBoss: His EstablishingCharacterMoment is shooting one of his own officers for complaining about low supplies. [[spoiler:He also [[BoardToDeath gasses the whole German High Command]] just for going about and wanting to sign the armistice.]] He doesn't mistreat Dr. Poison at all however, showing complete faith in her.
* BadassNormal: While still reliant on the strength-enhanching gas for his blows to have any effect, the fact he seems equally skilled in hand-to-hand combat to a warrior princess trained all her life is saying a lot.
* BigBadWannabe: Played with, if not outright subverted once Ares' [[PlotIrrelevantVillain true role]] in the film becomes apparent. On one hand, Ares is indeed far more powerful and dangerous than Ludendorff could ever hope to be, and he doesn't last long against Diana when she reaches him. But Ludendorff was already a warmongering madman and didn't need Ares' input to continue being one. By all metrics, Ludendorff is the film's BigBad for the conflict related to the war, with Ares being the FinalBoss for Diana's CharacterDevelopment.
* CaptainErsatz: A very blatant one to the MCU version of the [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]], being a sadistic German general and rogue agent who enhances himself with super serum to fight the hero, murders other officers that annoy him, has a mad scientist sidekick, and is planning to destroy entire cities in an attempt to usher in his domination of the world.
* ChestOfMedals: He is seen wearing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Cross Iron Cross]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pour_le_Mérite Pour le Mérite (aka "Blue Max")]], most notably. The Pour le Mérite was among the highest orders of merit in Imperial Germany.
* ClassicVillain: Ludendorff embodies Wrath in that he wants to keep war going for no reason outside of enjoying the carnage. He also has a sinister German accent, [[spoiler: manages to undo Diana's act of heroism]] and has a dramatic showdown with Diana.
* CompositeCharacter: By virtue of being the sole named German antagonist in the movie, the leader of the German army, and the BigBad, as well as his HistoricalVillainUpgrade and the setting change, he's effectively a SettingUpdate composite of Wonder Woman's various German enemies during the Silver Age, when she was a CaptainPatriotic hero fighting in World War II. These included Red Panzer, Captain Nazi, Baron Blitzkrieg (who was also enhanced with SuperSerum to be able to fight Wonder Woman), and Armageddon (who, like Ludendorff, utilized a potent and fantastical chemical weapon).
* CulturedBadass: He is obviously well-versed in the classics, since he immediately recognizes a quote from Thucydides; displays a darkly philosophical temperament in his conversation with Diana at the gala; and is not afraid to fight an obviously superhuman enemy hand to hand if need be.
* DeathByAdaptation: His RealLife counterpart died in 1937.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Diana kills him believing him to be Ares but the War and the threat of the gas remain; it's not long after Sir Patrick Morgan reveals himself to Diana as Ares.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Since he's not Ares, he can only hold his own against Wonder Woman for so long because of a strength enhancing gas created by Dr. Poison.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: In contrast with the misogynist British Imperial War Cabinet officers who wouldn't even let Diana enter their offices, Ludendorff has no problem having a foreign woman (Dr. Maru) work for him in a pretty important position (chief chemist) and trusting her completely.
* EvilIsPetty:
** In between his massacres and backstabbing, he forces Diana to dance with him at one point.
** When gassing the German High Command, he tosses in a single gas mask for them to fight over. [[KickTheDog Which won't work against that gas, anyway.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice has a low-pitched growl to it.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Conducts himself in a dignified manner as fitting his status, but in close-quarter combat it becomes clear that there's a BloodKnight under that civilised veneer. The way he forcefully grabs Diana and dances with her illustrates this pretty well; he'll take whatever and whomever he wants and play it off as harmless.
* Foil: To Ares, as he is directly campaigns to keep the war going, [[spoiler: in contrast to Ares who uses subtle manipulations with politics and new weaponry.]]
** To Steve Trevor. [[spoiler: Ludendorff boasts of the virtues of war, despite him being brutal and treating his soldiers as disposable agents. Ironically, Steve possesses the courage and nobility Ludendorff speaks of, and eventually sacrifices himself to stop a major superweapon.]]
* ForTheEvulz: When gassing the German High Command, Ludendorff tosses a single gas mask in with them. Thing is, he and Dr. Poison know perfectly well that the mask won't work against the gas, and that the officers will desperately fight for it only for the winner to die anyway.
** While he clearly views himself as a loyal German (if not the fanatic that he is), he's clearly supportive of Dr. Poison for personal reasons.
* GeneralRipper: He's a psychotic general who doesn't want the war to end. [[spoiler:He's also not above murdering his fellow generals to prevent the armistice, gassing a whole town full of civilians to show off his new weapon and ultimately gassing London.]]
* TheHeavy: Responsible for the manufacturing of the new chemical weapon that the heroes are seeking to stop, Ludendorff is the face of evil going against Diana and her allies even though [[spoiler:he's merely a pawn of the true villain, Ares]].
* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Ludendorff was an old, portly man with a weak chin, unflattering mustache and a receding hairline, not a clean-shaven SilverFox like Danny Huston.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Ludendorff Erich Ludendorff]], Quartermaster general (''Erster Generalquartiermeister''), basically the supreme leader of the German military during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI along with Paul von Hindenburg.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Downplayed. The real Ludendorff was most certainly a bad guy; a belligerent imperialist who wanted Germany to rule the world, he theorized total war -- to him, "peace was merely an interval between wars" (paraphrased in the film), he was also quite TheSocialDarwinist and participated in UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's failed putsch in November 1923. He kept agitating for German rearmament and a new war, and also spread the infamous "Stab-in-the-back" myth/lie that would play a huge part in Nazi propaganda. Having said all that, nothing in this [[SarcasmMode charming portfolio]] implies that he shot one of his staff officers for bringing bad news, nor that he had plans to bomb London with a DeadlyGas or tested said gas on a whole village. Nor was he disloyal and unprofessional/crazy enough to kill his fellow generals to prevent the Armistice.[[labelnote:*]]At the time, Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg actually ''agreed'' to the Armistice because they were losing badly to Marshal Ferdinand Foch's Hundred Days Offensive, Germany was about to be invaded and occupied and until then the war hadn't hit Germany as much as it did in France, Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungary and even England (who were being bombed by Zeppelin raids) - although the country was on the verge of starving on the other hand. The 1918--1919 revolution attempts within Germany, the rise of Social Democrats and Communists and the Kaiser's abdication made him turn around and he spent the rest of his life spreading malicious lies, even though he personally despised Hitler.[[/labelnote]]
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: [[spoiler:Diana is convinced that Ludendorff is Ares, the God of War, and that he's using his power to cause the World War. The idea that Ludendorff is simply an evil human who committed atrocities of his own free will doesn't cross her mind until after she kills him and the real Ares reveals the truth. All things considered, Ludendorff actually seems ''worse'' than Ares simply because he glorifies war and its atrocities in the name of power and glory, while Ares hates mankind because of its warring tendencies and despises them something that needs to be eliminated to create peace. In essence, Ludendorff embodies everything Ares hates about mankind and war.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Diana runs him through with the supposed-Godkiller sword.]]
* KickTheDog:
** His EstablishingCharacterMoment is murdering one of his own officers to prove his point about how soldiers must expect an attack from anywhere.
** When he later [[spoiler:murders the German High Command by gassing them, he throws one gas mask in with them before locking them in. When Dr. Poison points out the gas mask won't work because of her new formula, [[HopeSpot he tells her that the men inside don't know that.]]]]
** After the gala [[spoiler:he gasses the town of Veld to show off his new weapon, even though it is entirely populated by civilians.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Ludendorff [[YouHaveFailedMe kills his men for slights]] and [[GeneralRipper is blasé towards news of them starving to death.]] He also has an ally named '''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Doctor Poison]]''', who herself has [[RedRightHand a facial disfigurement]] and enjoys [[MasterPoisoner gassing helpless people to death]].
* ThePhilosopher: A villainous version, but he has an elevated, philosophical perspective on the war, driven by ideas that sound a lot like social Darwinism and Nietzschean philosophy. To some extent, this mirrors the historical Ludendorff, though here his warlikeness is exaggerated to make him a more compelling villain.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Diana comes to the conclusion that he must be Ares in human disguise. He is not, Sir Patrick Morgan is.]]
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: While the Kaiser and all of the German military's high command bar him want to sign the Armistice to put an end to the war, he wants the war to continue [[spoiler:and kills the High Command during their meeting as they discuss the Armistice]].
** Also subverted, in that his goal is to [[spoiler: persuade the Kaiser and his fellow generals to continue the war. He's continually frustrated when his comrades refuse.]]
* SuperSerum: Dr. Poison provides him with a gas that gives him SuperStrength.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He tells Diana "As magnificent as you are, you are still no match for me!" during their fight and attacks her fearlessly, not knowing what she truly is.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Similar to Dr. Poison, Ares served as the Devil on Ludendorff's shoulder, influencing him only by giving him new ideas on how to wage war, not by controlling him directly.]]
* VillainousFriendship: He and Dr. Poison share a giggle [[spoiler:after his KickTheDog moment with the German High Command.]] Also, when Poison expresses frustration and despair at being unable to master her formula, Ludendorff calmly and quietly assures her of his faith in her.
* WarIsGlorious: He glorifies war and says it elevates humanity, so much so that [[spoiler:Diana thinks he is Ares.]]
* WeakButSkilled: [[spoiler: Even with chemically-induced super-strength, the fact he's skilled enough to go toe-to-toe with an immortal warrior woman who's been trained from childhood to be her people's champion, and actually do reasonably well (even if it's only for a minute or so), at least shows that the dude has a decent amount of legitimate fighting skill from his lifetime in the military and isn't just an armchair general.]]
* WhatTheHellAreYou: He asks "What are you?!" after Diana destroys his pistol with the very bullet he'd fired at her.
* WickedCultured: Like other German officers at the gala, he knows how to dance. He is also well-versed in historical war writings, such as the works of Creator/{{Thucydides}}.
* WouldHitAGirl: Even before realizing that Wonder Woman was more than she seemed, he had no qualms about shooting her on sight.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dr. Poison]]
!!'''''Dr. Isabel Maru / Dr. Poison'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drpoison_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I am loyal to General Ludendorff! Besides, I see your attention is... elsewhere."'']][[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see her without mask]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/_13.png[[/labelnote]]]][[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see her before her disfigurement]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drpoisonwonderwoman.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
!!! '''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' Spanish
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/ElenaAnaya
!!! '''Dubbed by''': Elisabeth Ventura (European French), Aurélie Morgane (Canadian French), Creator/MarianaOrtiz (Latin-American Spanish)
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''
-->''"I've got it! And if it's what I think, it's going to be... TERRIBLE!"''
A disfigured scientist who conceives biochemical weapons. She works for General Ludendorff.
----
* AdaptationalNameChange: In the Golden Age, the first Doctor Poison was named Princess Maru and during the Post-Crisis and New 52/Rebirth, the second Doctor Poison, [[LegacyCharacter her granddaughter]], is named Marina Maru. Here, she's named Isabel.
* AdaptationalUgliness: Played with in a interesting way. While the original [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/9/94/Doctor_Poison_Earth-Two.png/revision/latest?cb=20110330210113 comic incarnation]] looked very [[{{Gonk}} unappealing]], its revealed that was merely a mask and make-up to disguise her identity and she is actually [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/11/03/dr-poison-revealedjpg-fe226e_1280w.jpg conventionally attractive]] underneath. The cinematic version on the other hand has actual facial disfigurement, which is quite the creepy new addition, but the mask she wears doesn't look nearly as off-putting as the original one.
* AlasPoorVillain: Averted as [[spoiler:Wonder Woman spares her, but it's hard not to feel sorry for Dr. Poison when she's staring death in the face. Seeing Wonder Woman about to kill her, she looks ''petrified.'']]
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: The only person she's willing to have a conversation with is Ludendorff. Even Steve struggled to charm her.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: Many viewers were surprised to find out that Maru's mask is more or less historically accurate to [[https://pictorial.jezebel.com/the-story-behind-the-woman-who-made-wwi-masks-just-like-1795892686 the facial disfigurement masks manufactured during WWI.]] Typically they were one piece of galvanized copper coated with enamel and painted and were held up with spectacles as opposed to whatever Maru uses.
* AmbiguousDisorder: She seems a little on edge most of the time. No doubt whatever damaged her face also had an impact on her sanity, though given her actress' reveal that Maru tested the gas on herself, she might not have been that stable to begin with.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears one when she gasses the German High Command.
* ConspicuousGloves: She wears bright red gloves, presumably to protect herself from her own chemicals. She's even shown wearing them at a gala, implying that they cover up further disfigurements on her hands.
* CoolMask: It's not played as such in the movie but WWI period disfiguration masks like Maru's were hand crafted and painted to extensive detail to match the person's face and had a canny statuesque beauty to them.
* DeadlyGas: One of the biochemical weapons she works on is an acidic gas capable of dissolving gas masks.
* TheDragon: To General Ludendorff.
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:Diana kills General Ludendorff while Dr. Poison is preparing the dispersal of her new gas. She still manages to get one plane filled with her weapon in the air before Diana's allies can stop her.]]
* EvilLaugh: She lets out a small one when she finds out a disguised Steve Trevor's attention is "elsewhere" (as Diana has just entered the ballroom in a lovely blue dress).
* FacialHorror: [[spoiler:When her mask falls away its revealed her nose has been ground down and she has half a GlasgowGrin.]]
* IJustWantToBeLoved: Steve Trevor assumes this is the case with Maru, as he tries to play the part of a dashing suitor who sees past her deformity. There may be some truth to that, as Maru takes great offense when Steve's gaze wanders to Diana in a gorgeous blue dress as she just walks in.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:She's a MadScientist, but she seemingly gets away with everything since Diana refuses to kill her in retribution for causing so many deaths including Steve's, and the audience doesn't find out what happens to her after she runs off.]]
* LoveHungry: Is implied to be tempted to join Steve when he poses as a fake German aristocrat, but quickly realizes Steve's obvious affection for Diana.
* MadScientist: A scientist working on deadly biochemical weapons to be used in the war. She also invents a gas that enhances a person, allowing them to possess SuperStrength.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: She's a villain who wears a mask to cover her facial disfigurement.
* MasterPoisoner: She gained the nickname "Doctor Poison" because of her profiency in developing lethal nerve agents for the German Imperial Army.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: She's a MadScientist creating dangerous gases to serve a warmonger's ambitions, and she has a doctorate.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Her surname is mostly pronounced 'marrow', like bone marrow.
* NightmareFetishist: If Steve's attempt to compromise her is any indication.
* [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Girl]]: She's purely into science, she's not built to fight physically.
* PragmaticAdaptation: The character was created during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a representative of Imperial Japan perceived as an antagonistic force. But since ''Wonder Woman'' had its setting taking place in World War I where Japan fought on the Allies' side, Dr. Poison is revamped to not feature any elements associated with the Japanese except by her surname.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: According to her actress, her scars were self-inflicted after testing her poisonous gas' effectiveness on herself.
* RaceLift: From Japanese in the comics to Spaniard in the movies, as evidenced by her actress and the name "Isabel". Her surname remains distinctively Japanese-sounding, though.
* RedBaron: Her nickname has been given to her by her enemies.
-->'''Steve Trevor:''' The boys in the trenches call her Dr. Poison.
* RedRightHand: She is very disfigured and wears a facial disfigurement mask to hide it.
* SettingUpdate: The Golden Age comics Dr. Poison she is based on was active during World War II. Here she is active during World War I.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Her voice is rather smooth and on the quiet side, but she clearly enjoys inflicting pain.
* StraightEdgeEvil: She rebuffs Steve's offer of a drink at Ludendorff's gala, stating that she does not consume alcohol.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite Steve Trevor's flattery to try to lure her out of General Ludendorff's circle, she tells Steve she's loyal to her boss.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Of Ares; he was the one she had gotten her new gas from.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: When forced to face a ''very'' enraged and grieving Diana, Dr. Poison steels herself and tries to FaceDeathWithDignity... [[spoiler:only for Ares to telepathically tear off her mask and expose her disfigurement for Diana to see, leaving the doctor to start crying in fear.]]
* VillainousFriendship: She and Ludendorff share a giggle [[spoiler:after his KickTheDog moment with the German high command.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: Late in the movie where she's at Diana's mercy, we see her groveling in fear. Yeah, she's an unapologetic, sadistic MadScientist, but seeing her in such pitiful state is simply heartbreaking.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:The audience doesn't find out what happens to her after Diana spares her life. Given that Ares is killed off moments later, she won't be able to come up with any formulas as dangerous as before and assuming she isn't arrested for war crimes, in all likelihood she'll die in obscurity.]]
[[/folder]]
!!1980s
[[folder:Maxwell Lord]]
!!''Maxwell Lorenzano "Max Lord"''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxwelllord.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I've never been one for rules."'']]
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/PedroPascal
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
-->''"Citizens of the world, I am here to change your life. Anything you want, anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
A powerful, shrewd and deceptive 1980s businessman.
----
* EightiesHair: That thing looks like it could save his life in a motorcycle accident.
* AdaptationalBadass: The comics version of Maxwell Lord had psychic abilities that allow him some degree of mind control. This movie version is essentially a RealityWarper which makes him potentially far more dangerous.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the comics, his full name is Maxwell Lord IV. Here, his name is actually Maxwell Lorenzano, but he chooses to go by Max Lord.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: The only time that Max and Diana really interacted in the comics was a full 18 years after his debut, and it was when she killed him. In the movie Max and Diana know each other throughout the whole movie, and he is even the main antagonist.
* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the comics, Max had a very good home life, and became a businessman after his father committed suicide and his mother convinced him that he needs to be careful of powerful people. This helps convince Max to back the Justice League International, where he ends up befriending most of the members, mainly the ComicBook/MartianManhunter. Here, Max had an abusive father, and he set out to be a businessman and to be as successful as possible so he can make his own son proud.
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Maxwell Lord appears here chronologically before the Justice League is formed, and while there are no superheroes are active other than the occasional Wonder Woman. Max originally debuted in the first issue of Justice League International, 27 years publication time after the Justice League had been formed.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Lord in the comics is usually attempting world domination, and the finale seems to be a MythologyGag at his death at Diana's hands. Here, however, he's willing to relinquish power for his son.
* AdaptationalJerkass: While by no means an upstanding citizen, Max Lord is a good person and a friend to the Justice League in the comics, especially to the members of the JLI, who he later helps form again as the Super Buddies. Max had been controlled by an evil computer for a while, but managed to break free of it because of how much he cared for the League -- though he still became a villain in the end. Maxwell in this movie only has his son as the one person he truly cares about, everyone else being a means to an end.
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: In the comics Max was exposed to the Gene Bomb during Invasion!, and gained the ability to control minds, resulting in frequent nose bleeds whenever he uses his powers. In the movie, Max uses the Dreamstone to grant wishes, and loses his general health by using his powers.
* AntiVillain: All Lord wants is to make his son proud and be a successful man. However, he is ''also'' a liar and a cheat who forces others (such as Simon Stagg) out of his way to get what power and prestige he feels he needs or deserves.
* ArcSymbol: TV screens and TV lines, which fit with his high-publicity profile.
* BecomingTheGenie: Maxwell Lord's wish is to ''be'' the Dreamstone, which grants him powers and the ability to choose wishes' cost.
* BigBad: His actions with the Dreamstone drive the majority of the plot of ''Wonder Woman 1984''.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Lord is powerful, but he can't fight on his own. He forms an alliance with Barbara for protection from Diana, giving her a more powerful form in return.
* CastFromHitPoints: His wish-granting abilities weren't made to be handled by a human vessel, which means every time he grants a wish, Maxwell experiences increasing bouts of pain. He gets around this by having everyone whose wish is granted give him their health and stamina as payment. By taking enough life energy, Maxwell is able to generate a godly aura without breaking a sweat.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Life is good, but it can be better!"
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:When Diana tied the Lasso of Truth to him and force him to accept the truth of what he is, his past was shown to him. He has a rather troubled childhood, with his parents constantly arguing violently, he’s [[AbusiveParents verbally berated by his father]], and getting bullied and belittled at school. His horrible childhood turned him into the man he is now, self-destructively obsessed with not being an abusive failure like his own father was and instead being someone his own son could be proud of.]]
* DrunkWithPower: He gradually becomes this, ''especially'' in the climax when he [[spoiler:starts draining the health and life force of countless people to keep himself alive]].
* DyeHard: An in-universe case; flashbacks depict a young Lord with black hair. He seems to have bleached it as part his "wealthy white businessman" façade.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His son, one of the few people who likes Maxwell in spite of him being a lying and egotistical man. [[spoiler:It's his son's love that convinces Maxwell to give up his powers]].
* {{Expy}}:
** A garishly-dressed 1980s tycoon who craves power? He could well be the spitting image of [[Series/{{Dallas}} J.R. Ewing]]!
** He's also very similar to [[Film/BatmanReturns Max Schreck]]. Both are garishly-dressed tycoons who want to corner the market on energy, pressgang political figures into giving them what they want and have little redeeming qualities outside of their love for their sons.
* FakeNationality: Invoked. Max isn't the [=WASPy=] guy he makes himself out to be, but a childhood spent as the target of racial bullying and a desire to succeed at all costs have led him to conceal his Latino identity, one of the uncomfortable reminders of his past, under an anglicized surname and a coif of bleached, tightly styled hair; if he isn't in private with people he trusts, he won't drop his affected game-show-host accent [[OohMeAccentsSlipping unless he gets upset]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: His smarminess leaks through whatever show of charm he tries to put on. Played with in that he genuinely ''does'' have [[HiddenHeartOfGold a good side]]; it's just buried under the sleazy, arrogant demeanor that he, ironically, puts up to try and make people like him.
* {{Foil}}: Both Maxwell and Lex Luthor are amoral tycoons whose immigrant fathers physically abused them, but beyond that there's nothing but contrasts. Lex has no redeeming traits whatsoever, has terrible social skills, is obsessed with Superman and relies on alien technology. Maxwell has got a kinder side, is quite charming, has no real animosity or even interest in Wonder Woman and relies on supernatural artefacts.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He's a failing businessman who is implied to be a conman running a ponzi scheme, and charisma seems to be his only real talent. Once he obtained the power of the Dreamstone, he is essentially a RealityWarper. While he is neither particularly scary nor monstrous on the surface, he is very capable of and indeed came close to destroying the world with the misuse of his powers.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:He ultimately revokes his own wish to become the Dreamstone and sets the world back to normal once Diana makes him realize that his actions are not only hurting the people around him, but will cost him [[MoralityPet his beloved son]]. The last we see of him is mending his relationship with said son, trying to become a better man.]]
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:He only realizes what kind of damage he's doing to the world by granting wishes willy-nilly when he sees his son in danger as a direct result of his actions.]]
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: He wanted to be someone rich and famous so his son can love him. Not realizing his son already loves him, he just wanted them to spend time together.
* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: All Max wants (at first) is [[WellDoneDadGuy to make his son proud]]. In his desperation to do so, he fails to realize that he ''already has'' his son's love and respect.
* JackassGenie: Once he gets wish-fulfillment powers, Maxwell uses this to fulfill the requests in a way that is sure to backfire, while getting a great reward for himself. Zig-zagged, as he isn't ''trying'' to cause harm and is genuinely giving people what they want; he's just too impulsive and short-sighted to consider the consequences of doing so, such as [[spoiler:almost causing the Cold War to go hot by granting the President's request for more nukes. It's also revealed at the midpoint that the Dreamstone is this ''by design.'' While Lord's impulsiveness certainly plays a part in the more jerkass qualities of the stone, the implication is that even if he tried to give people what they wanted with no strings, things would still go poorly for the person making the wish.]] The only time he ''intentionally'' tries to screw someone over with a wish is after the oil baron slighted him and laughed in his face.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Beneath that sleazy SnakeOilSalesman demeanor is a man who just wants to do right by his son.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Despite causing massive amounts of harm and nearly a nuclear war, the worst that happens to Lord in the end is that he loses his powers (which were slowly killing him anyway) and his fame and fortune. He runs away from Diana and escapes the broadcast center, reuniting with his beloved son who takes him back, none the wiser.]]
* LargeHam: Add the smarmy snake oil salesman type with the fact that and Pedro Pascal downright noted he tried to channel Creator/NicolasCage, and you get a very hammy villain.
* MockMillionaire: Appears to be a successful businessman, TV ads and all, but it's all for show, as all his prospect oil fields are dry. That is, until he gets powers.
* MrViceGuy: "I've never been one for rules... the answer is always more." Max isn't a villain intentionally; he's just greedy, impulsive, and vain. Unfortunately, he tries to use the Dreamstone to fulfill his vices and winds up [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom nearly dooming the world in the process]].
* NiceToTheWaiter: He appears to be very amiable and polite with his staff [[spoiler: at least until continual use of the Dreamstone begins to corrupt him.]]
** [[spoiler: A mix of this and PragmaticVillainy is what drives him to empower Barbara into the Cheetah.]]
* NonActionBigBad: He never directly engages in combat. His power is more dangerous than him. He even invokes this trope at the climax - while ''he'' [[spoiler: takes the health and life force of all the people making their wishes, he shunts all their strength and physical prowess into his [[TheDragon ally, Barbara.]] This is what allows her to later fight nearly on a level with Wonder Woman.]]
* PapaWolf: Alistair's happiness and safety is the one thing Maxwell treasures more than his new power, and appealing to that love is [[spoiler:how Diana convinces him to renounce his wish]].
* ParentsAsPeople: He loves his son, that is completely and without exception true, and wants to do everything he can to make Alistair proud of him. How he goes about it causes him to neglect his son however, and nearly destroys the planet.
* RaceLift: He is Latino, like his actor. Simon Stagg notes his birth name was Maxwell Lorenzano before he anglicized it into Maxwell Lord. A flashback even shows him being teased by bullies who claim he doesn't speak English.
* RagsToRiches: As a child, he lived in what appears to be a small, low-income house or apartment, and the only footwear he could wear to school were a pair of worn sandals. His career as an adult, however, downplays this as while he has the outward appearance of a successful businessman, his {{Ponzi}} scheming has left him in terrible debt.
* RealityWarper: Basically that is what the Dreamstone's powers are. The movie never explored the limits of Maxwell Lord's abilities, and the only onscreen restriction to the reality altering is that he can only use it when someone who has yet to make a wish from the Dreamstone asks him to (though he ignores that when giving Barbara a wish after she had already made one).
* RuleOfSymbolism: [[https://i.insider.com/5fe43509edf89200180939f6?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=web Check out the colours in the scene where Maxwell assimilates the Dreamstone]]. The stone, his office and his suit are all contrasting shades of green and gold, hinting at a unity.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the comics, Maxwell Lord fights Wonder Woman a grand total of one time, in which she infamously snaps his neck. He lives to the end of this movie.
* TaintedVeins: When Maxwell grants the President's wish, the capillaries in his face turn black as his body wears out from granting wishes. This only happens once as Maxwell decides to just take people's health and stamina as payment for future wishes.
* TruerToTheText: This version of Max Lord hues a lot closer to the character's original portrayal in books like ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'', prior to being {{Retcon}}ned into a villain. He's greedy, arrogant, and never thinks things through, but is ultimately human and not intentionally evil... when not DrunkWithPower.
* {{Trumplica}}: His hairstyle, clothing style and unbridled entrepreneurship evoke 1980s UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Zigzagged as he's a Latino with a humble background, but his deliberate attempts to evoke the image of a blonde, All-American businessman during the 1980s leaves open the possibility that Donald Trump exists in this universe and Maxwell is riding his coattails.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:He very nearly causes a Third World War with his attempts to continue surviving with his power.]] However, the "unwitting" part is mitigated by the fact that it is rather clear that outside of [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his son]], he doesn’t seem to even slightly care who he hurts to make that happen.
* WellDoneDadGuy: After having to deal with an abusive father and a rough childhood, Max yearns to ensure he is not hated by Alistair and is clearly angered by any instance of showing weakness in front of his son.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Barbara Minerva / Cheetah]]
!!''[[ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} Barbara Ann Minerva / Cheetah]]''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cheetah_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I don't want to be like anyone. I want to be an apex predator!"'']]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_12_27_cheetah_twitter_search_twitter.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You’re not the only one with something to lose. Turns out wishing to be like you came with some surprises."'']]
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/KristenWiig
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
--> ''"You've always had everything, while people like me have had nothing! Well now it's my turn."''
A 1980s friend of Diana who grows jealous of her. She ends up siding with Maxwell Lord and undergoing a transformation into a human/feline hybrid.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Not Barbara herself, who's already pretty attractive ([[HollywoodHomely however much the plot says otherwise]]), but her Cheetah form, at least in comparison to the way she looks in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth''. There, she's at her most animalistic yet. She doesn't have her distinctive long hair, she has pointed ears, and basically her face is pure cheetah, with nothing human about it. In this film, Barbara still has long human hair, and a basically still human face, though somewhat UncannyValley.
* AdaptationalContextChange: In most versions, Barbara gets her powers when she stumbles upon a ritual while working in the field and she becomes the avatar of a Cat/Plant god. She gets her powers from the Dreamstone in the movie.
* AdaptationalDyeJob: Redhead in the comics, blonde in the movie.
* AdaptationalNationality: Barbara is British in the comics but an American in this universe.
* AdaptationalJobChange: She's an archaeologist in the comics but a geologist (gemologist, more specifically) here.
* AmbiguouslyBi: She is charmed by Maxwell Lord and has sex with him at one point, and also comes off as attracted to Diana in many of their interactions. When asked, she states that she has fallen in love "so many times," without specifying a gender.
* BeautyIsBad: As she begins to embrace her beauty more and more, an effect of the Dream Stone, she becomes much crueler and bloodthirsty.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Forms an alliance with Lord, protecting him in order to keep her wish.
* BigBadSlippage: Barbara starts out the film as a friend to Diana. As her strength and beauty increase because of her wish, though, she becomes DrunkOnTheDarkSide and throws her lot in with Lord in order to keep her new power.
* CatGirl: Barbara's enhancements eventually turn her into a cheetah-human hybrid. She even starts moving on all fours when the transformation kicks into overdrive.
* CombatStilettos: At first, Barbara struggles with heels. Once she gets to be like Diana, who walks on them like it's nothing, she's seen kicking butts in the White House with these shoes.
* CompositeCharacter: This Cheetah is motivated by an inferiority complex toward Diana like Priscilla Rich, the comic continuity's original Cheetah but takes her name Barbera Minerva and being a CatGirl from her Post-Crisis/DC Rebirth incarnation.
* CuteBookworm: Chats with Diana about how many times she's been in love like a schoolgirl. Her nerdy attire adds to this.
* DarkActionGirl: After she wishes to be like Diana, she hits the SuperpowerLottery with SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, and extreme agility, at the cost of her morality and good-nature. She fights Diana twice. [[spoiler: Barbara wins the first one, when Diana is still suffering a power drain. The second fight is when she adopts her iconic Cheetah form, and Diana is back to full power with Asteria's armor. Diana wins the second fight.]]
* DragonInChief: While less dangerous, Barbara as the Cheetah is a far greater challenge to Diana than Lord.
* {{Expy}}:
** A shrinking violet who is reborn via supernatural means as feline-themed enemy. She's essentially Creator/MichellePfeiffer's take on Catwoman from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.
** She's also similar to Seth Brundle from ''Film/TheFly1986''. Both are timid but otherwise kindly intellectuals who through oversight end up gaining added strength and reflexes at the cost of their humanity, both physical and emotional. By the climax, both have succumbed to their animal side and end up nearly killing people they originally wanted to connect with.
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Barbara's eyesight improves after her wish is granted, negating the need for her NerdGlasses. This extends to her choice of wardrobe, as she starts wearing clothes that show off her figure and it's left ambiguous if her curvaceous build was a result of the wish or if Barbara was always in good shape and only covered up out of modesty.
* GreenEyedMonster: "You've always had everything, while people like me have had nothing!"
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: At first, her powers come from wanting to be like Diana. And then, "I don't want to be like anyone. I want to be an apex predator!"
* InformedAttractiveness: Once Barbara gets her wish granted, everyone starts checking her out. While she's now confident enough to wear clothes that show off her womanly figure, her hair is still stringy and unkempt.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Barbara is the one person shown to ''not'' renounce her wish (though she loses the Cheetah form anyway). Nonetheless, she suffers no consequences for her actions.]]
* ManChild: Barbara seems to be mentally stuck as a bullied nerd with the world as her high school. It takes a turn for PsychopathicManChild once she starts taking advantage of her wish, becoming a bully as a result.
* NerdGlasses: She sports those at first, until the wish strengthens her vision.
* NiceGirl: Before the effects of the Dream Stone and her wish, while socially awkward, she was a kind person at heart, seen particularly where she leaves her take home leftovers from her dinner with Diana and a small wad of cash with a homeless friend of hers.
* NoSell: Barbara effortlessly pushes through Diana's shockwave ability, though this was also in part because Diana's powers were failing at the time.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After beating up a would-be rapist, Barbara notices the homeless man she regularly hangs out with staring at her with concern. Barbara coldly tells him to stay out of it. It's too big a leap in personality for someone that kindly to suddenly snap at her friends like that, which hints that her personality is being corrupted by the Dreamstone's power.
* OneWingedAngel: She was already quite powerful from her initial wish, but becoming "the apex predator" as the Cheetah made her even more so, to the point where she can keep up with Diana at full strength and wearing Asteria's golden armor.
* RedemptionRejection: [[spoiler:Barbara doesn't let go of her wish at the end, though she does lose her feline form.]]
* SheCleansUpNicely: She starts out frumpy and ignored by her colleagues. After she wishes to be more like Diana, she starts wearing more eye-catching outfits and receives many compliments and much attention from her coworkers.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: Barbara starts out as a warm and friendly person in bright, bold colors. As part of the makeover following her wish, she wears dark, muted colors, ultimately leading to Cheetah's light fur against the dark of night, signifying the loss of her humanity.
* SpikesOfVillainy: The first time she decides to confront Diana, Barbara is wearing a spiked jacket.
* SuperStrength: As Cheetah, Barbara can display huge amounts of physical power, enough to go toe to toe with Wonder Woman. Even in her human form, she can lift up a man like he has the weight of a feather and slam him into a car.
* SuperSpeed: As shown by the White House scenes, she can rush to strike Diana almost instantly, and when confronted with the White House guards, Barbara's borderline "faster than a speeding bullet" given how she runs and avoids their shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Her biggest quality, a funny and kind personality, is what the Dreamstone takes when fulfilling her wish to be like Diana. Barbara becomes ruthless, giving a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to a drunk that bothered her, and selfish, confronting Diana lest she loses what makes people finally notice her.
* VillainHasAPoint: While Wonder Woman tries to reason with her, Barbara responds with "[[ArmorPiercingQuestion What's your wish costing]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion you]]''?". Diana can only respond with silence, [[spoiler: since she refused to renounce her own wish (thus losing Steve Trevor again) in order to restore her powers.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dechalafrea Ero]]
!!'''''Dechalafrea Ero/The Duke of Deception'''''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_12_30_wonder_woman_1984_dreamstone_mayans_destroyed_jpg_jpeg_image_618_412_pixels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[SchmuckBait "Place upon the object held but one great wish."]]'']]
!!! '''Species:''' God
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
-->''"The God of Lies. Dolos, Mendacious, Duke of Deception, he’s been called by many names. But if he’s the one who empowered that stone, there has to be a trick."''
-->--'''Diana'''
A heathen god who created the Dreamstone coveted by Maxwell Lord.
----
* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: The Duke of Deception is TheDragon to Ares in the comics. Here, he's a god in his own right.
* CompositeCharacter: With Urzkartaga, the god that turned Barbara into Cheetah in the comics. As the creator of the Dreamstone, he is also composited with [[ComicBook/TheSandman Dream of the Endless.]]
* TheCorrupter: Almost everyone who has a wish granted by his Dreamstone becomes morally corrupt.
** Maxwell Lord becomes a [[AGodAmI megalomaniac]]
** Barbara Minerva loses her [[PsychopathicManChild empathy]]
** Even [[spoiler:Diana Prince isn't immune, as many people have pointed out she may have sexually assaulted Handsome Man]].
* TheDreaded: Just like with Darkseid, Diana breaks into a cold sweat at the mere hint of his existence.
* {{Expy}}: An unseen enemy of godly origins who created a trinket (which includes a metal band inscribed with a mystical language) that's coveted by mortals but will cause ruin and BodyHorror to anyone who tries to exploit its power. He's clearly meant to be the DC equivalent to [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].
* {{Foil}}: His status as the God of Lies makes him a direct contrast to Diana, who stands for truth. He also stays out of the picture letting people fall for his manipulations while Diana steps in whenever necessary and either helps people or encourages them to be better.
* TheGhost: He doesn't make a physical appearance and it's left unclear if he's even alive, but his power lives on in the Dreamstone.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Maxwell and Barbara owe their powers to him.
* JackassGenie: The Dreamstone he created will always find a way to corrupt a wish while taking away something from the user at the same time. For example, [[spoiler:it could have created a new body for Steve Trevor's soul to inhabit but instead chooses an existing man to be the host just to screw with Diana and it's not even the price of the wish, which is her superpowers]].
* JerkassGods: From how Diana speaks of him, he was ''not'' a kind god. Considering the Dreamstone caused the collapse of several civilizations throughout ancient history [[spoiler:and nearly causes World War III in the movie]], that's probably something of an understatement.
* PetTheDog: It's implied he's got a merciful streak, albeit a very slim one. The Dreamstone was created with a failsafe for people to renounce their wishes after seeing what it cost them, though very few were willing to renounce or even imagined that was ever an option.
* TricksterGod: His domain is lies, and the Dreamstone is powered by the universal concept of lies. Hence, every wish it grants is, in its own way, a lie -- whether through granting whatever the wisher wants at the cost of what they already have or need, or by giving them what they want in a way that isn't really what they want at all.
[[/folder]]
----
----
The major antagonists faced by Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!World War I
[[folder:Ares]]
!!'''''ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ares_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You will help me destroy them, Diana... or you will die!"'']]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ares_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as "Sir Patrick Morgan".]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patrick_morgan_dceu_6.png[[/labelnote]]]]
!!!'''Species:''' Olympian god
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' Olympian Gods
!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/DavidThewlis (''Wonder Woman''), [=Nick McKinless=] (''Justice League'', both versions)
!!!'''Dubbed by:''' Martín Soto (Latin-American Spanish), Gabriel Le Doze (European French), Benoît Rousseau (Canadian French)
!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' | ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' | ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
-->''"I am not the god of War, Diana. I am the god of Truth."''
The Olympian [[WarGod God of War]] and a long-standing adversary to the Amazons. Diana of Themyscira believes him to be responsible for the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Great War]] and follows Steve Trevor in Europe in the hope of confronting him to put an end to the conflict.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: Unlike most versions of Ares, this one does not [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly require War in order to have his power]]. He was also able to kill Zeus and the rest of the Pantheon, presumably on his own which puts him leagues ahead of his own mythological counterpart, who was [[TheWorfEffect frequently subjected to asskicking from even mortals]]. His ability to use the Lasso of Truth against its wielder is also a new addition.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Ares in most incarnations not only draws power from War but directly conspires to create and prolong wars being proud of being the God of War. Here he is polite to Diana even after revealing himself, not even seeing himself as the God of War but as the God of Truth wanting to create peace by destroying mankind. He also stated that while he put the idea of weapons in humans' minds, he did not make them use it.
* AdaptationalUgliness: In the early comics and the ''Justice League Unlimited'' cartoon, Ares is an attractive young man with blond hair. Even at his most demonic, he still looked quite virile. In ''Wonder Woman'', he resembles a plain-looking man in his 50s. Could also be considered AdaptationalAttractiveness in comparison to his New 52 look, who was so decrepit that his eyes had rotted away.
* AffablyEvil: He remains polite to Diana even after getting rid of his Sir Patrick identity.
* AllMythsAreTrue: He does exist; he isn't just the stuff of the stories Hippolyta told to Diana when she was young, nor is he a legend like Steve is led to believe until he sees him with his own eyes.
* AntiVillain: He claims to be this in regards to annihilating humanity, and claims their inherent wickedness has to end in order to achieve peace. Keep in mind, he admits this while under the control of Diana's lasso, so he genuinely believes this.
* ArmoredVillainsUnarmoredHeroes:
** During the climatic confrontation in ''Wonder Woman'', he dons a dark plate armor that fully covers his body against Diana, who wears much less armor.
** The reverse happened when he defended the Earth against Steppenwolf's invasion in the theatrical version of ''Justice League''. He leaped on Steppenwolf {{shirtless|scene}} with his war axe, whereas the New God wore much more armor.
** It's a bit more even when he attacks Uxas/Darkseid during that same invasion in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'', as the New God is shirtless too.
* AttackBackfire: He tries to kill Diana with a powerful stream of lightning, only for her gauntlets to absorb ''the entire attack''. She then [[HoistByHisOwnPetard fires the lightning back at him in a concentrated blast, obliterating him.]]
* AnAxeToGrind: He used a big axe to fight the Apokoliptian invasion of Earth.
* BadassBeard: He was bearded during the Apokoliptian invasion, when he boldly attacked the New Gods' army and even their leader (Steppenwolf in the theatrical version, Uxas/Darkseid in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'').
* BadassMoustache: As Sir Patrick Morgan he sports a mustache and as a flashback of him defeated showed he had it back then, he still sports it in his armor.
* TheBadGuyWins: ''Technically'', the goal he set out to achieve happened exactly as he wanted. [[spoiler: The armistice that ended the Great War did, in fact, only inflame tensions, leading to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII another more deadly war]] that threatened to consume all of humanity.]] While he failed to completely break Wonder Woman's faith in humanity, his words left an impact on her that led her to withdraw from human affairs as a superhero for 100 years.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Subverted. Diana thinks Ares is behind World War I. He tells her humans are cruel enough to generate war by themselves, he just lends them a hand to find new ways to annihilate each other. However, by his own admission, he had a ''hand'' in how things developed and has done so for ages -- it's just that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humanity never fails to put his whispered advice to "good" use]]. He also seems to often have a hand in negotiating fragile peace agreements in his mortal guises.
* BigBad: Of the ''Wonder Woman'' film.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: His human disguise is Sir Patrick Morgan, who seems to be both a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, supporting Steve and Wonder Woman going after Ludendorff, and the BigGood supporting the armistice. In reality he's only sincerely affable to his fellow god, Diana, and he desires the extinction of humans.
* BlowYouAway: At the start of the FinalBattle, Diana attacks Ares with the Lasso of Truth and he counter-attacks by summoning a wind that blows strong enough to keep the lasso at bay.
* CainAndAbel: He's Diana's main opponent during World War I, and her half-brother as both of them are children of Zeus.
* TheCameo: In ''Justice League'', he appears in a flashback of the original battle to repel Steppenwolf's invasion of Earth.
* CanonCharacterAllAlong: He is initially introduced as Sir Patrick Morgan before TheReveal toward the end of the film.
* ChainPain: He snares Diana's arm with a chain and projects her away with it during the FinalBattle.
* CompositeCharacter: He is based on his comic book version as the God of War, but incorporates traits from his kids Eris (god of strife and chaos) and his aristocratic disguise from his three agents the Duke of Deception, the Earl of Greed and the Count of Conquest. [[spoiler: And his spitefulness towards humanity is based on the First Born, a son of Zeus who was jealous of his father's creations and sought to kill them all; Ares was never so vindictive in the comics, seeking only to perform his job of spreading conflict and war.]]
* CoolHelmet: He uses metal debris to shape a whole plate armor on himself, and carves the eye-slits on his horned helmet by melting parts of it with his fingers.
* TheCorrupter: Subverted. Diana believes that Ares is the direct cause of the war by corrupting humans, and once he's dead and his influence is gone, the war will end. Her idealism takes a hit when Ares reveals he doesn't force mankind to go to war, he merely acts from the shadows, whispering in their ears new ways to fight and kill each other. Then he sits back and lets humans decide whether or not they'll use his suggestions. [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Mankind does not disappoint him]], though in all fairness to the entire species, he does pick the very worst of humanity to influence and refuses to see any good in the rest of them.
* DarkIsEvil: Unlike comic Ares this one lacks necromancy and a shadowy face, but he [[UpToEleven more than makes up for it]] with his mortal disguise, which [[EvilWearsBlack wears black]], reveals to himself to Diana in the middle of the night and ultimately dons a dark metal armor.
* DarthVaderClone: Not just in appearance, but in his actions. He appears to be an aging frail man encased in dark armor who is related to the protagonist and tries to tempt her into coming over to his side.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Wore ankle wraps in his ancient god form.
* DualWielding: He attacks Diana with two swords in the final battle of ''Wonder Woman''.
* ElementalMotifs: Fire.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He is legitimately disgusted at mankind and their actions.
** Even he didn’t want the New Gods to invade Earth.
* EvilBrit: He pretends to be a British nobleman to ensure a terrible peace that will provoke the next World War.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Is so convinced that humanity is inherently evil, he absolutely ''refuses'' to see the good in them, even twisting Steve's HeroicSacrifice as him leaving Diana. It's so bad that he killed the other gods for not siding with him, and ultimately snaps and attempts to kill Diana as well when he fails to convince her.
* EvilCounterpart: To Diana, and the Amazons in general. Both originate from Greek mythology and are adept at combat. While Diana actively participated in the war, Ares stood back and pulled the strings. While Diana is an idealist, Ares is a bitter misanthrope who believes the best thing for the world is humanity's extinction. They both want peace, but Diana wants it through the end of the war, whereas Ares also wants it through the "end of war"... via the annihilation of mankind.
* EvilSoundsDeep: The moment Ares begun to fault his power, the deeper his voice became.
* FaceHeelTurn: At some point, he stopped caring about protecting humans (like he did during Steppenwolf's invasion) and started corrupting them into waging war at each other.
* FallenHero: In the novel, he mentions once having saved mankind, but later coming to realize they were not worthy of salvation. He's likely referring to the war against the Titans, which is also mentioned in the novel. The events of ''Justice League'' suggest this is actually referencing the war against Apokolips.
* FlyingBrick: He's capable of flight, has strength on par or exceeding Diana's, and is durable enough to survive massive explosions at pointblank range.
* GeniusBruiser: Has the strength you'd expect from a god, and can use the power of suggestion to instigate a war.
* GodInHumanForm: He's a Greek god, so this is a given.
* HeroicBuild: To portray Ares in ''Justice League'', [=Nick McKinless=] went through months of intense training to get to ''6 per cent'' of body fat, and it shows given how ''jacked'' he is in his (brief) scene in the theatrical version. More of it will be featured in Creator/ZackSnyder's version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Diana's bracelets absorb and concentrate the lightning shot by Ares into a powerful beam that kills him.]]
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: His essential belief. However, while there's truth to that, Diana counters that [[HumansAreSpecial they are much more than just that]].
* {{Hypocrite}}: Criticizes humans as warlike creatures who slaughter each other, while being a warlike creature who slaughtered the other Olympian gods. Also, while admittedly not directly responsible for their capacity towards conflict, it doesn't help that [[ManipulativeBastard he conveniently found the worst among them and planted the idea into their heads]], [[OpportunisticBastard all just to justify his double standard actions]].
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He doesn't seem to regret his murder of his own family, claiming they couldn't see humanity the way he did, so he offed them.
* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: [[spoiler:Since he sees mankind as inherently evil and destructive, he influences wars by merely giving people ideas on how to kill each other, then he watches as they act on his suggestions so mankind can end up destroying itself.]]
* InstantArmor: He summons an armor on himself instantly with his MindOverMatter powers, using nearby metal debris once his [[spoiler:Sir Patrick Morgan]] clothes are of no use anymore and get burned.
* {{Irony}}: The God of War would rather have civil discourse with his enemies than fight or kill them. Of course, this version of Ares detests his name being synonymous with violence.
* IsThatTheBestYouCanDo: Says "Is that all you have to offer?" to Diana during the final fight as he overpowers her.
* JerkassGods: He plans several conflicts amongst humankind with the intention of having it all wiped out.
* LargeHam: He really goes all out on Diana when she refuses his WeCanRuleTogether offer. [[BaitAndSwitch He also throws a crap ton of lightning at her]].
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:General Ludendorff got his war plans from him and Dr. Poison got her new gas from him.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: The Amazons teach that Ares turned humanity against itself in war with his powers. And he did... kinda. [[spoiler:He acts as a defacto patron to the most warlike and dangerous individuals like Ludendorff and Dr. Poison, providing them with inspiration and formulas to create greater weapons of war, and practices reverse psychology to make an armistice a tool for even more war and to get Steve and Diana to go where he wants them to.]]
** There is also a noticeable shift in the demeanor and actions of soldiers after he is defeated, implying he ''was'' influencing them in a direct manner (though that could be a result of PowerIncontinence).
* MindOverMatter: Hurls everything in the battlefield onto Diana (and at times, towards himself to create weaponry and armor) without even touching it.
* MisanthropeSupreme: Ares '''despises''' humanity (moreso than ''Zod'' ever did) [[spoiler: but in a twist, he claims it's ''because'' mankind is warlike and destructive. He wants to purge the planet of mankind because he believes it's the best way to protect the world from them and ensure peace]].
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler: Through his Sir Patrick Morgan disguise, he infiltrated the World War I Allies' high command.]]
* MoreThanMindControl: Diana thinks that humanity is BrainwashedAndCrazy under his influence and this is why they are fighting; in reality, and as Ares argues himself, humans are more than capable of fighting and killing each other all by themselves. Ares gives them a "push" in the right direction in order to make wars happen in times and ways of his choosing and certainly influences events and people through the power of suggestion, but the world isn't automatically going to become a better place just because he isn't there to cause problems.
* MotiveRant: He explains his motivations throughout the FinalBattle between Diana and him.
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:While he has a point in humans choosing to act evil of their own free will, he conveniently ignores the fact that he is the one placing wicked ideas in decidedly evil individuals with the expressed purpose of manipulating them and the war to wipe humanity out. This doesn't seem to dawn on him as he explains this while under the influence of the lasso of Truth, meaning he is [[BelievingTheirOwnLies entirely convinced of his position]].]]
* OmnicidalManiac: He is out to KillAllHumans and plans to do it by [[spoiler: manipulating them into killing each other]].
* OutOfTheInferno: During the FinalBattle against Diana, he stands in the fire caused by an explosion, his [[spoiler:Sir Patrick Morgan]] clothes burn off and he summons his armor on himself in said inferno, then attacks Diana from it.
* {{Patricide}}: He mortally wounded his father Zeus when he killed all the other gods of Olympus during the War of the Gods.
* PetTheDog: He shows sincere respect toward Diana, [[spoiler: even after he reveals himself, and doesn't think about killing her at first, even though he knows that she could destroy him]].
* PhysicalGod: As mentioned, he's the literal Greek God of War, with all that comes with it. [[spoiler:The only thing capable of destroying him is his own divine power]].
* PlayingBothSides: During World War I, he whispers new ways of waging war to Ludendorff's and Dr. Poison's ears and, as Sir Patrick Morgan, influences the British War Council.
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: PlayedForDrama. By all objective metrics, the true BigBad of the story is Ludendorff; Ares himself outright states that he didn't make Ludendorff do anything, and that he came up with the superweapon plan on his own and used his own resources to implement it. In fact, Ares claims he didn't do anything at all besides whisper suggestions for weapons in a few peoples' ears with telepathy, and besides his fight with Diana (and a flashback) he doesn't take any action or hurt a single person. This is played as part of the Aesop that humans don't ''need'' an overarching supernatural BigBad to explain their flaws. He's around for less than ten minutes after TheReveal and only really relevant for Diana's CharacterDevelopment, as her rejection of his philosophy and fending him off in the final battle represents her refusing to let go of her idealism. [[spoiler:In the end, the only person he actually killed during the events of the film (either directly or indirectly) was himself.]]
* PowersDoTheFighting: Downplayed. While he does get physical with Diana (and throw a few lightning bolts) he shows a strong preference for simply using telekinesis to hurl things at her for most of the fight.
* SatanicArchetype: Ares tempts humans into warlike actions so as to bring about their destruction, bringing to mind Satan as a tempter, as does his role as being DrivenByEnvy of them. Ares also fights Diana while surrounded by flames, evoking hellfire. In ancient times, Ares opposed Zeus, who created and loved humanity, which is reminiscent of the rivalry between God and Satan in Christianity and Islam. Finally, a flashback shows a defeated Ares lying on the ground after falling from his heavenly battle with Zeus, bringing to mind Lucifer as a fallen angel.
* ShockAndAwe: Like his own father, Ares can summon lightning. [[spoiler:It ends up being his undoing when Diana redirects them on him]].
* ShockwaveStomp: At one point during the FinalBattle, he hits the ground hard enough to send a shockwave at Diana, who dodges it. It's powerful enough to cut a truck in half.
* SincerityMode: [[spoiler: He emphasizes that for all of his influence, humans never go to war and kill one another unless they choose to.]]
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Is capable of turning material around him into any weapon he desires in seconds.
* SuperpowerLottery: A ''big'' winner of it. He has SuperStrength on par with or exceeding Diana, SuperToughness sufficient enough to survive gigantic pointblank explosions unharmed, can move massive objects with ease via telekinesis, [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation create weapons out of anything around him at will]], send a ShockwaveStomp, teleport, [[WeatherManipulation manipulate the weather]] and generate cascades of devastating lightning. Justified, as he is literally a god.
* TakesOneToKillOne: [[spoiler: As a god, he can only be killed by another god. That's why he was able to kill the other gods of Olympus, and why Diana, his half-sister and fellow god, is the only being in existence capable of killing him.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: To his fellow Olympians, since they fought on Earth's side against Steppenwolf and the New God invaders.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: [[spoiler: You wouldn't expect the God of War to look like an English gentleman.]]
* TinTyrant: In the climax of ''Wonder Woman'', he summons a dark-looking armor on himself. It covers him entirely.
* VillainHasAPoint: The points he makes about HumansAreFlawed, HumansAreBastards and InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves are quite accurate, even though they're not enough to describe humanity, as Diana (and, about a hundred years later, Bruce Wayne) proclaims. He merely left suggestions that would keep the war going (and they did), [[spoiler: but openly advocated a peace agreement (which was largely ignored)]]. With tests like that, it's understandable that he'd see humanity as inherently violent.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: When Diana refuses to kill Doctor Poison by crushing her with a tank, he completely loses his composure and decides to just kill her.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: For starters, he is the real BigBad of ''Wonder Woman'', not Ludendorff.
* WarGod: The Myth/ClassicalMythology one. He thrives on violence. [[spoiler:However he sees himself not a God of War, but a God of Truth.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:He tries to get Diana on his side during the climax, believing they can restore the Earth to the peace before Zeus created mankind.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Ares wants to purge the world of humanity who he views as polluters and violent warmongers but he also genuinely believes that this is what is needed to make the world into a paradise. This is confirmed by Diana using the lasso of Truth on him which shows he really does believe this to be true and isn't lying]].
* YouAreWhatYouHate: Despises humans as warlike creatures who slaughter each other and destroy the world around them, deeming them unworthy of the powers and favors of the gods. He himself is also a warlike creature who slaughtered the other Olympian Gods and was cast down from Olympus by his own father.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: An action figure and Lego set both show Ares sporting a helmet that resembles a ram's skull and a face that's blackened out except for his eyes. In the film itself, Ares wears a different kind of helmet and his face looks completely human. Also he's of average height, whereas the Lego set showed him being much bigger than a person.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:General Ludendorff]]
!!'''''General Erich Ludendorff'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ludendorff.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: ''"Peace is only an armistice in an endless war."'']]
!!! '''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' German
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army, German General Staff
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/DannyHuston
!!! '''Dubbed by:''' Jochen Hägele (European French), Jacques Lavallée (Canadian French), José Luis Orozco (Latin-American Spanish)
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''
-->''"You know your ancient Greeks? They understood that war is a god. A god that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. Meaning. A chance to rise above his petty mortal little self. And be courageous. Noble. Better."''
A general from UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany who's still warmongering (with mass murder plans in mind) on the eve of the Armistice in 1918.
----
* ArtisticLicenceHistory:
** The real life Ludendorff, like most men in Europe in the 1910s, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Erich_Ludendorff.jpg had a moustache]], while Danny Huston doesn't sport any in the film.
** The real life Ludendorff also survived UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, eventually dying of liver cancer in 1937.
** Ludendorff mentions his fascination and love for the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Gods]] to Diana during the party. The actual Ludendorff indulged in the weird and trendy pseudo-paganism that was all the rage at the time, but his preference was the [[Myth/NorseMythology Proto-Germanic and Norse deities]], and his true devotion was for [[http://history.info/on-this-day/1865-german-general-believed-pagan-god-wotan/ Wotan]].
* BadBoss: His EstablishingCharacterMoment is shooting one of his own officers for complaining about low supplies. [[spoiler:He also [[BoardToDeath gasses the whole German High Command]] just for going about and wanting to sign the armistice.]] He doesn't mistreat Dr. Poison at all however, showing complete faith in her.
* BadassNormal: While still reliant on the strength-enhanching gas for his blows to have any effect, the fact he seems equally skilled in hand-to-hand combat to a warrior princess trained all her life is saying a lot.
* BigBadWannabe: Played with, if not outright subverted once Ares' [[PlotIrrelevantVillain true role]] in the film becomes apparent. On one hand, Ares is indeed far more powerful and dangerous than Ludendorff could ever hope to be, and he doesn't last long against Diana when she reaches him. But Ludendorff was already a warmongering madman and didn't need Ares' input to continue being one. By all metrics, Ludendorff is the film's BigBad for the conflict related to the war, with Ares being the FinalBoss for Diana's CharacterDevelopment.
* CaptainErsatz: A very blatant one to the MCU version of the [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger Red Skull]], being a sadistic German general and rogue agent who enhances himself with super serum to fight the hero, murders other officers that annoy him, has a mad scientist sidekick, and is planning to destroy entire cities in an attempt to usher in his domination of the world.
* ChestOfMedals: He is seen wearing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Cross Iron Cross]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pour_le_Mérite Pour le Mérite (aka "Blue Max")]], most notably. The Pour le Mérite was among the highest orders of merit in Imperial Germany.
* ClassicVillain: Ludendorff embodies Wrath in that he wants to keep war going for no reason outside of enjoying the carnage. He also has a sinister German accent, [[spoiler: manages to undo Diana's act of heroism]] and has a dramatic showdown with Diana.
* CompositeCharacter: By virtue of being the sole named German antagonist in the movie, the leader of the German army, and the BigBad, as well as his HistoricalVillainUpgrade and the setting change, he's effectively a SettingUpdate composite of Wonder Woman's various German enemies during the Silver Age, when she was a CaptainPatriotic hero fighting in World War II. These included Red Panzer, Captain Nazi, Baron Blitzkrieg (who was also enhanced with SuperSerum to be able to fight Wonder Woman), and Armageddon (who, like Ludendorff, utilized a potent and fantastical chemical weapon).
* CulturedBadass: He is obviously well-versed in the classics, since he immediately recognizes a quote from Thucydides; displays a darkly philosophical temperament in his conversation with Diana at the gala; and is not afraid to fight an obviously superhuman enemy hand to hand if need be.
* DeathByAdaptation: His RealLife counterpart died in 1937.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Diana kills him believing him to be Ares but the War and the threat of the gas remain; it's not long after Sir Patrick Morgan reveals himself to Diana as Ares.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Since he's not Ares, he can only hold his own against Wonder Woman for so long because of a strength enhancing gas created by Dr. Poison.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: In contrast with the misogynist British Imperial War Cabinet officers who wouldn't even let Diana enter their offices, Ludendorff has no problem having a foreign woman (Dr. Maru) work for him in a pretty important position (chief chemist) and trusting her completely.
* EvilIsPetty:
** In between his massacres and backstabbing, he forces Diana to dance with him at one point.
** When gassing the German High Command, he tosses in a single gas mask for them to fight over. [[KickTheDog Which won't work against that gas, anyway.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice has a low-pitched growl to it.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Conducts himself in a dignified manner as fitting his status, but in close-quarter combat it becomes clear that there's a BloodKnight under that civilised veneer. The way he forcefully grabs Diana and dances with her illustrates this pretty well; he'll take whatever and whomever he wants and play it off as harmless.
* Foil: To Ares, as he is directly campaigns to keep the war going, [[spoiler: in contrast to Ares who uses subtle manipulations with politics and new weaponry.]]
** To Steve Trevor. [[spoiler: Ludendorff boasts of the virtues of war, despite him being brutal and treating his soldiers as disposable agents. Ironically, Steve possesses the courage and nobility Ludendorff speaks of, and eventually sacrifices himself to stop a major superweapon.]]
* ForTheEvulz: When gassing the German High Command, Ludendorff tosses a single gas mask in with them. Thing is, he and Dr. Poison know perfectly well that the mask won't work against the gas, and that the officers will desperately fight for it only for the winner to die anyway.
** While he clearly views himself as a loyal German (if not the fanatic that he is), he's clearly supportive of Dr. Poison for personal reasons.
* GeneralRipper: He's a psychotic general who doesn't want the war to end. [[spoiler:He's also not above murdering his fellow generals to prevent the armistice, gassing a whole town full of civilians to show off his new weapon and ultimately gassing London.]]
* TheHeavy: Responsible for the manufacturing of the new chemical weapon that the heroes are seeking to stop, Ludendorff is the face of evil going against Diana and her allies even though [[spoiler:he's merely a pawn of the true villain, Ares]].
* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Ludendorff was an old, portly man with a weak chin, unflattering mustache and a receding hairline, not a clean-shaven SilverFox like Danny Huston.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Ludendorff Erich Ludendorff]], Quartermaster general (''Erster Generalquartiermeister''), basically the supreme leader of the German military during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI along with Paul von Hindenburg.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Downplayed. The real Ludendorff was most certainly a bad guy; a belligerent imperialist who wanted Germany to rule the world, he theorized total war -- to him, "peace was merely an interval between wars" (paraphrased in the film), he was also quite TheSocialDarwinist and participated in UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's failed putsch in November 1923. He kept agitating for German rearmament and a new war, and also spread the infamous "Stab-in-the-back" myth/lie that would play a huge part in Nazi propaganda. Having said all that, nothing in this [[SarcasmMode charming portfolio]] implies that he shot one of his staff officers for bringing bad news, nor that he had plans to bomb London with a DeadlyGas or tested said gas on a whole village. Nor was he disloyal and unprofessional/crazy enough to kill his fellow generals to prevent the Armistice.[[labelnote:*]]At the time, Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg actually ''agreed'' to the Armistice because they were losing badly to Marshal Ferdinand Foch's Hundred Days Offensive, Germany was about to be invaded and occupied and until then the war hadn't hit Germany as much as it did in France, Italy, Russia, Austria-Hungary and even England (who were being bombed by Zeppelin raids) - although the country was on the verge of starving on the other hand. The 1918--1919 revolution attempts within Germany, the rise of Social Democrats and Communists and the Kaiser's abdication made him turn around and he spent the rest of his life spreading malicious lies, even though he personally despised Hitler.[[/labelnote]]
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: [[spoiler:Diana is convinced that Ludendorff is Ares, the God of War, and that he's using his power to cause the World War. The idea that Ludendorff is simply an evil human who committed atrocities of his own free will doesn't cross her mind until after she kills him and the real Ares reveals the truth. All things considered, Ludendorff actually seems ''worse'' than Ares simply because he glorifies war and its atrocities in the name of power and glory, while Ares hates mankind because of its warring tendencies and despises them something that needs to be eliminated to create peace. In essence, Ludendorff embodies everything Ares hates about mankind and war.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Diana runs him through with the supposed-Godkiller sword.]]
* KickTheDog:
** His EstablishingCharacterMoment is murdering one of his own officers to prove his point about how soldiers must expect an attack from anywhere.
** When he later [[spoiler:murders the German High Command by gassing them, he throws one gas mask in with them before locking them in. When Dr. Poison points out the gas mask won't work because of her new formula, [[HopeSpot he tells her that the men inside don't know that.]]]]
** After the gala [[spoiler:he gasses the town of Veld to show off his new weapon, even though it is entirely populated by civilians.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Ludendorff [[YouHaveFailedMe kills his men for slights]] and [[GeneralRipper is blasé towards news of them starving to death.]] He also has an ally named '''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Doctor Poison]]''', who herself has [[RedRightHand a facial disfigurement]] and enjoys [[MasterPoisoner gassing helpless people to death]].
* ThePhilosopher: A villainous version, but he has an elevated, philosophical perspective on the war, driven by ideas that sound a lot like social Darwinism and Nietzschean philosophy. To some extent, this mirrors the historical Ludendorff, though here his warlikeness is exaggerated to make him a more compelling villain.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Diana comes to the conclusion that he must be Ares in human disguise. He is not, Sir Patrick Morgan is.]]
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: While the Kaiser and all of the German military's high command bar him want to sign the Armistice to put an end to the war, he wants the war to continue [[spoiler:and kills the High Command during their meeting as they discuss the Armistice]].
** Also subverted, in that his goal is to [[spoiler: persuade the Kaiser and his fellow generals to continue the war. He's continually frustrated when his comrades refuse.]]
* SuperSerum: Dr. Poison provides him with a gas that gives him SuperStrength.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: He tells Diana "As magnificent as you are, you are still no match for me!" during their fight and attacks her fearlessly, not knowing what she truly is.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Similar to Dr. Poison, Ares served as the Devil on Ludendorff's shoulder, influencing him only by giving him new ideas on how to wage war, not by controlling him directly.]]
* VillainousFriendship: He and Dr. Poison share a giggle [[spoiler:after his KickTheDog moment with the German High Command.]] Also, when Poison expresses frustration and despair at being unable to master her formula, Ludendorff calmly and quietly assures her of his faith in her.
* WarIsGlorious: He glorifies war and says it elevates humanity, so much so that [[spoiler:Diana thinks he is Ares.]]
* WeakButSkilled: [[spoiler: Even with chemically-induced super-strength, the fact he's skilled enough to go toe-to-toe with an immortal warrior woman who's been trained from childhood to be her people's champion, and actually do reasonably well (even if it's only for a minute or so), at least shows that the dude has a decent amount of legitimate fighting skill from his lifetime in the military and isn't just an armchair general.]]
* WhatTheHellAreYou: He asks "What are you?!" after Diana destroys his pistol with the very bullet he'd fired at her.
* WickedCultured: Like other German officers at the gala, he knows how to dance. He is also well-versed in historical war writings, such as the works of Creator/{{Thucydides}}.
* WouldHitAGirl: Even before realizing that Wonder Woman was more than she seemed, he had no qualms about shooting her on sight.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dr. Poison]]
!!'''''Dr. Isabel Maru / Dr. Poison'''''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drpoison_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I am loyal to General Ludendorff! Besides, I see your attention is... elsewhere."'']][[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see her without mask]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/_13.png[[/labelnote]]]][[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see her before her disfigurement]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drpoisonwonderwoman.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
!!! '''Species:''' Human
!!!'''Citizenship:''' Spanish
!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' German Army
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/ElenaAnaya
!!! '''Dubbed by''': Elisabeth Ventura (European French), Aurélie Morgane (Canadian French), Creator/MarianaOrtiz (Latin-American Spanish)
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''
-->''"I've got it! And if it's what I think, it's going to be... TERRIBLE!"''
A disfigured scientist who conceives biochemical weapons. She works for General Ludendorff.
----
* AdaptationalNameChange: In the Golden Age, the first Doctor Poison was named Princess Maru and during the Post-Crisis and New 52/Rebirth, the second Doctor Poison, [[LegacyCharacter her granddaughter]], is named Marina Maru. Here, she's named Isabel.
* AdaptationalUgliness: Played with in a interesting way. While the original [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/9/94/Doctor_Poison_Earth-Two.png/revision/latest?cb=20110330210113 comic incarnation]] looked very [[{{Gonk}} unappealing]], its revealed that was merely a mask and make-up to disguise her identity and she is actually [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2016/11/03/dr-poison-revealedjpg-fe226e_1280w.jpg conventionally attractive]] underneath. The cinematic version on the other hand has actual facial disfigurement, which is quite the creepy new addition, but the mask she wears doesn't look nearly as off-putting as the original one.
* AlasPoorVillain: Averted as [[spoiler:Wonder Woman spares her, but it's hard not to feel sorry for Dr. Poison when she's staring death in the face. Seeing Wonder Woman about to kill her, she looks ''petrified.'']]
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: The only person she's willing to have a conversation with is Ludendorff. Even Steve struggled to charm her.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: Many viewers were surprised to find out that Maru's mask is more or less historically accurate to [[https://pictorial.jezebel.com/the-story-behind-the-woman-who-made-wwi-masks-just-like-1795892686 the facial disfigurement masks manufactured during WWI.]] Typically they were one piece of galvanized copper coated with enamel and painted and were held up with spectacles as opposed to whatever Maru uses.
* AmbiguousDisorder: She seems a little on edge most of the time. No doubt whatever damaged her face also had an impact on her sanity, though given her actress' reveal that Maru tested the gas on herself, she might not have been that stable to begin with.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears one when she gasses the German High Command.
* ConspicuousGloves: She wears bright red gloves, presumably to protect herself from her own chemicals. She's even shown wearing them at a gala, implying that they cover up further disfigurements on her hands.
* CoolMask: It's not played as such in the movie but WWI period disfiguration masks like Maru's were hand crafted and painted to extensive detail to match the person's face and had a canny statuesque beauty to them.
* DeadlyGas: One of the biochemical weapons she works on is an acidic gas capable of dissolving gas masks.
* TheDragon: To General Ludendorff.
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:Diana kills General Ludendorff while Dr. Poison is preparing the dispersal of her new gas. She still manages to get one plane filled with her weapon in the air before Diana's allies can stop her.]]
* EvilLaugh: She lets out a small one when she finds out a disguised Steve Trevor's attention is "elsewhere" (as Diana has just entered the ballroom in a lovely blue dress).
* FacialHorror: [[spoiler:When her mask falls away its revealed her nose has been ground down and she has half a GlasgowGrin.]]
* IJustWantToBeLoved: Steve Trevor assumes this is the case with Maru, as he tries to play the part of a dashing suitor who sees past her deformity. There may be some truth to that, as Maru takes great offense when Steve's gaze wanders to Diana in a gorgeous blue dress as she just walks in.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:She's a MadScientist, but she seemingly gets away with everything since Diana refuses to kill her in retribution for causing so many deaths including Steve's, and the audience doesn't find out what happens to her after she runs off.]]
* LoveHungry: Is implied to be tempted to join Steve when he poses as a fake German aristocrat, but quickly realizes Steve's obvious affection for Diana.
* MadScientist: A scientist working on deadly biochemical weapons to be used in the war. She also invents a gas that enhances a person, allowing them to possess SuperStrength.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: She's a villain who wears a mask to cover her facial disfigurement.
* MasterPoisoner: She gained the nickname "Doctor Poison" because of her profiency in developing lethal nerve agents for the German Imperial Army.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: She's a MadScientist creating dangerous gases to serve a warmonger's ambitions, and she has a doctorate.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Her surname is mostly pronounced 'marrow', like bone marrow.
* NightmareFetishist: If Steve's attempt to compromise her is any indication.
* [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Girl]]: She's purely into science, she's not built to fight physically.
* PragmaticAdaptation: The character was created during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a representative of Imperial Japan perceived as an antagonistic force. But since ''Wonder Woman'' had its setting taking place in World War I where Japan fought on the Allies' side, Dr. Poison is revamped to not feature any elements associated with the Japanese except by her surname.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: According to her actress, her scars were self-inflicted after testing her poisonous gas' effectiveness on herself.
* RaceLift: From Japanese in the comics to Spaniard in the movies, as evidenced by her actress and the name "Isabel". Her surname remains distinctively Japanese-sounding, though.
* RedBaron: Her nickname has been given to her by her enemies.
-->'''Steve Trevor:''' The boys in the trenches call her Dr. Poison.
* RedRightHand: She is very disfigured and wears a facial disfigurement mask to hide it.
* SettingUpdate: The Golden Age comics Dr. Poison she is based on was active during World War II. Here she is active during World War I.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Her voice is rather smooth and on the quiet side, but she clearly enjoys inflicting pain.
* StraightEdgeEvil: She rebuffs Steve's offer of a drink at Ludendorff's gala, stating that she does not consume alcohol.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite Steve Trevor's flattery to try to lure her out of General Ludendorff's circle, she tells Steve she's loyal to her boss.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Of Ares; he was the one she had gotten her new gas from.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: When forced to face a ''very'' enraged and grieving Diana, Dr. Poison steels herself and tries to FaceDeathWithDignity... [[spoiler:only for Ares to telepathically tear off her mask and expose her disfigurement for Diana to see, leaving the doctor to start crying in fear.]]
* VillainousFriendship: She and Ludendorff share a giggle [[spoiler:after his KickTheDog moment with the German high command.]]
* VillainsWantMercy: Late in the movie where she's at Diana's mercy, we see her groveling in fear. Yeah, she's an unapologetic, sadistic MadScientist, but seeing her in such pitiful state is simply heartbreaking.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:The audience doesn't find out what happens to her after Diana spares her life. Given that Ares is killed off moments later, she won't be able to come up with any formulas as dangerous as before and assuming she isn't arrested for war crimes, in all likelihood she'll die in obscurity.]]
[[/folder]]
!!1980s
[[folder:Maxwell Lord]]
!!''Maxwell Lorenzano "Max Lord"''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxwelllord.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I've never been one for rules."'']]
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/PedroPascal
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
-->''"Citizens of the world, I am here to change your life. Anything you want, anything you dream of, you can have it!"''
A powerful, shrewd and deceptive 1980s businessman.
----
* EightiesHair: That thing looks like it could save his life in a motorcycle accident.
* AdaptationalBadass: The comics version of Maxwell Lord had psychic abilities that allow him some degree of mind control. This movie version is essentially a RealityWarper which makes him potentially far more dangerous.
* AdaptationNameChange: In the comics, his full name is Maxwell Lord IV. Here, his name is actually Maxwell Lorenzano, but he chooses to go by Max Lord.
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: The only time that Max and Diana really interacted in the comics was a full 18 years after his debut, and it was when she killed him. In the movie Max and Diana know each other throughout the whole movie, and he is even the main antagonist.
* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the comics, Max had a very good home life, and became a businessman after his father committed suicide and his mother convinced him that he needs to be careful of powerful people. This helps convince Max to back the Justice League International, where he ends up befriending most of the members, mainly the ComicBook/MartianManhunter. Here, Max had an abusive father, and he set out to be a businessman and to be as successful as possible so he can make his own son proud.
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Maxwell Lord appears here chronologically before the Justice League is formed, and while there are no superheroes are active other than the occasional Wonder Woman. Max originally debuted in the first issue of Justice League International, 27 years publication time after the Justice League had been formed.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Lord in the comics is usually attempting world domination, and the finale seems to be a MythologyGag at his death at Diana's hands. Here, however, he's willing to relinquish power for his son.
* AdaptationalJerkass: While by no means an upstanding citizen, Max Lord is a good person and a friend to the Justice League in the comics, especially to the members of the JLI, who he later helps form again as the Super Buddies. Max had been controlled by an evil computer for a while, but managed to break free of it because of how much he cared for the League -- though he still became a villain in the end. Maxwell in this movie only has his son as the one person he truly cares about, everyone else being a means to an end.
* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange: In the comics Max was exposed to the Gene Bomb during Invasion!, and gained the ability to control minds, resulting in frequent nose bleeds whenever he uses his powers. In the movie, Max uses the Dreamstone to grant wishes, and loses his general health by using his powers.
* AntiVillain: All Lord wants is to make his son proud and be a successful man. However, he is ''also'' a liar and a cheat who forces others (such as Simon Stagg) out of his way to get what power and prestige he feels he needs or deserves.
* ArcSymbol: TV screens and TV lines, which fit with his high-publicity profile.
* BecomingTheGenie: Maxwell Lord's wish is to ''be'' the Dreamstone, which grants him powers and the ability to choose wishes' cost.
* BigBad: His actions with the Dreamstone drive the majority of the plot of ''Wonder Woman 1984''.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Lord is powerful, but he can't fight on his own. He forms an alliance with Barbara for protection from Diana, giving her a more powerful form in return.
* CastFromHitPoints: His wish-granting abilities weren't made to be handled by a human vessel, which means every time he grants a wish, Maxwell experiences increasing bouts of pain. He gets around this by having everyone whose wish is granted give him their health and stamina as payment. By taking enough life energy, Maxwell is able to generate a godly aura without breaking a sweat.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Life is good, but it can be better!"
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:When Diana tied the Lasso of Truth to him and force him to accept the truth of what he is, his past was shown to him. He has a rather troubled childhood, with his parents constantly arguing violently, he’s [[AbusiveParents verbally berated by his father]], and getting bullied and belittled at school. His horrible childhood turned him into the man he is now, self-destructively obsessed with not being an abusive failure like his own father was and instead being someone his own son could be proud of.]]
* DrunkWithPower: He gradually becomes this, ''especially'' in the climax when he [[spoiler:starts draining the health and life force of countless people to keep himself alive]].
* DyeHard: An in-universe case; flashbacks depict a young Lord with black hair. He seems to have bleached it as part his "wealthy white businessman" façade.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His son, one of the few people who likes Maxwell in spite of him being a lying and egotistical man. [[spoiler:It's his son's love that convinces Maxwell to give up his powers]].
* {{Expy}}:
** A garishly-dressed 1980s tycoon who craves power? He could well be the spitting image of [[Series/{{Dallas}} J.R. Ewing]]!
** He's also very similar to [[Film/BatmanReturns Max Schreck]]. Both are garishly-dressed tycoons who want to corner the market on energy, pressgang political figures into giving them what they want and have little redeeming qualities outside of their love for their sons.
* FakeNationality: Invoked. Max isn't the [=WASPy=] guy he makes himself out to be, but a childhood spent as the target of racial bullying and a desire to succeed at all costs have led him to conceal his Latino identity, one of the uncomfortable reminders of his past, under an anglicized surname and a coif of bleached, tightly styled hair; if he isn't in private with people he trusts, he won't drop his affected game-show-host accent [[OohMeAccentsSlipping unless he gets upset]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: His smarminess leaks through whatever show of charm he tries to put on. Played with in that he genuinely ''does'' have [[HiddenHeartOfGold a good side]]; it's just buried under the sleazy, arrogant demeanor that he, ironically, puts up to try and make people like him.
* {{Foil}}: Both Maxwell and Lex Luthor are amoral tycoons whose immigrant fathers physically abused them, but beyond that there's nothing but contrasts. Lex has no redeeming traits whatsoever, has terrible social skills, is obsessed with Superman and relies on alien technology. Maxwell has got a kinder side, is quite charming, has no real animosity or even interest in Wonder Woman and relies on supernatural artefacts.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He's a failing businessman who is implied to be a conman running a ponzi scheme, and charisma seems to be his only real talent. Once he obtained the power of the Dreamstone, he is essentially a RealityWarper. While he is neither particularly scary nor monstrous on the surface, he is very capable of and indeed came close to destroying the world with the misuse of his powers.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:He ultimately revokes his own wish to become the Dreamstone and sets the world back to normal once Diana makes him realize that his actions are not only hurting the people around him, but will cost him [[MoralityPet his beloved son]]. The last we see of him is mending his relationship with said son, trying to become a better man.]]
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:He only realizes what kind of damage he's doing to the world by granting wishes willy-nilly when he sees his son in danger as a direct result of his actions.]]
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: He wanted to be someone rich and famous so his son can love him. Not realizing his son already loves him, he just wanted them to spend time together.
* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: All Max wants (at first) is [[WellDoneDadGuy to make his son proud]]. In his desperation to do so, he fails to realize that he ''already has'' his son's love and respect.
* JackassGenie: Once he gets wish-fulfillment powers, Maxwell uses this to fulfill the requests in a way that is sure to backfire, while getting a great reward for himself. Zig-zagged, as he isn't ''trying'' to cause harm and is genuinely giving people what they want; he's just too impulsive and short-sighted to consider the consequences of doing so, such as [[spoiler:almost causing the Cold War to go hot by granting the President's request for more nukes. It's also revealed at the midpoint that the Dreamstone is this ''by design.'' While Lord's impulsiveness certainly plays a part in the more jerkass qualities of the stone, the implication is that even if he tried to give people what they wanted with no strings, things would still go poorly for the person making the wish.]] The only time he ''intentionally'' tries to screw someone over with a wish is after the oil baron slighted him and laughed in his face.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Beneath that sleazy SnakeOilSalesman demeanor is a man who just wants to do right by his son.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Despite causing massive amounts of harm and nearly a nuclear war, the worst that happens to Lord in the end is that he loses his powers (which were slowly killing him anyway) and his fame and fortune. He runs away from Diana and escapes the broadcast center, reuniting with his beloved son who takes him back, none the wiser.]]
* LargeHam: Add the smarmy snake oil salesman type with the fact that and Pedro Pascal downright noted he tried to channel Creator/NicolasCage, and you get a very hammy villain.
* MockMillionaire: Appears to be a successful businessman, TV ads and all, but it's all for show, as all his prospect oil fields are dry. That is, until he gets powers.
* MrViceGuy: "I've never been one for rules... the answer is always more." Max isn't a villain intentionally; he's just greedy, impulsive, and vain. Unfortunately, he tries to use the Dreamstone to fulfill his vices and winds up [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom nearly dooming the world in the process]].
* NiceToTheWaiter: He appears to be very amiable and polite with his staff [[spoiler: at least until continual use of the Dreamstone begins to corrupt him.]]
** [[spoiler: A mix of this and PragmaticVillainy is what drives him to empower Barbara into the Cheetah.]]
* NonActionBigBad: He never directly engages in combat. His power is more dangerous than him. He even invokes this trope at the climax - while ''he'' [[spoiler: takes the health and life force of all the people making their wishes, he shunts all their strength and physical prowess into his [[TheDragon ally, Barbara.]] This is what allows her to later fight nearly on a level with Wonder Woman.]]
* PapaWolf: Alistair's happiness and safety is the one thing Maxwell treasures more than his new power, and appealing to that love is [[spoiler:how Diana convinces him to renounce his wish]].
* ParentsAsPeople: He loves his son, that is completely and without exception true, and wants to do everything he can to make Alistair proud of him. How he goes about it causes him to neglect his son however, and nearly destroys the planet.
* RaceLift: He is Latino, like his actor. Simon Stagg notes his birth name was Maxwell Lorenzano before he anglicized it into Maxwell Lord. A flashback even shows him being teased by bullies who claim he doesn't speak English.
* RagsToRiches: As a child, he lived in what appears to be a small, low-income house or apartment, and the only footwear he could wear to school were a pair of worn sandals. His career as an adult, however, downplays this as while he has the outward appearance of a successful businessman, his {{Ponzi}} scheming has left him in terrible debt.
* RealityWarper: Basically that is what the Dreamstone's powers are. The movie never explored the limits of Maxwell Lord's abilities, and the only onscreen restriction to the reality altering is that he can only use it when someone who has yet to make a wish from the Dreamstone asks him to (though he ignores that when giving Barbara a wish after she had already made one).
* RuleOfSymbolism: [[https://i.insider.com/5fe43509edf89200180939f6?width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=web Check out the colours in the scene where Maxwell assimilates the Dreamstone]]. The stone, his office and his suit are all contrasting shades of green and gold, hinting at a unity.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the comics, Maxwell Lord fights Wonder Woman a grand total of one time, in which she infamously snaps his neck. He lives to the end of this movie.
* TaintedVeins: When Maxwell grants the President's wish, the capillaries in his face turn black as his body wears out from granting wishes. This only happens once as Maxwell decides to just take people's health and stamina as payment for future wishes.
* TruerToTheText: This version of Max Lord hues a lot closer to the character's original portrayal in books like ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'', prior to being {{Retcon}}ned into a villain. He's greedy, arrogant, and never thinks things through, but is ultimately human and not intentionally evil... when not DrunkWithPower.
* {{Trumplica}}: His hairstyle, clothing style and unbridled entrepreneurship evoke 1980s UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Zigzagged as he's a Latino with a humble background, but his deliberate attempts to evoke the image of a blonde, All-American businessman during the 1980s leaves open the possibility that Donald Trump exists in this universe and Maxwell is riding his coattails.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:He very nearly causes a Third World War with his attempts to continue surviving with his power.]] However, the "unwitting" part is mitigated by the fact that it is rather clear that outside of [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his son]], he doesn’t seem to even slightly care who he hurts to make that happen.
* WellDoneDadGuy: After having to deal with an abusive father and a rough childhood, Max yearns to ensure he is not hated by Alistair and is clearly angered by any instance of showing weakness in front of his son.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Barbara Minerva / Cheetah]]
!!''[[ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} Barbara Ann Minerva / Cheetah]]''
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cheetah_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I don't want to be like anyone. I want to be an apex predator!"'']]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_12_27_cheetah_twitter_search_twitter.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"You’re not the only one with something to lose. Turns out wishing to be like you came with some surprises."'']]
!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/KristenWiig
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
--> ''"You've always had everything, while people like me have had nothing! Well now it's my turn."''
A 1980s friend of Diana who grows jealous of her. She ends up siding with Maxwell Lord and undergoing a transformation into a human/feline hybrid.
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* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Not Barbara herself, who's already pretty attractive ([[HollywoodHomely however much the plot says otherwise]]), but her Cheetah form, at least in comparison to the way she looks in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth''. There, she's at her most animalistic yet. She doesn't have her distinctive long hair, she has pointed ears, and basically her face is pure cheetah, with nothing human about it. In this film, Barbara still has long human hair, and a basically still human face, though somewhat UncannyValley.
* AdaptationalContextChange: In most versions, Barbara gets her powers when she stumbles upon a ritual while working in the field and she becomes the avatar of a Cat/Plant god. She gets her powers from the Dreamstone in the movie.
* AdaptationalDyeJob: Redhead in the comics, blonde in the movie.
* AdaptationalNationality: Barbara is British in the comics but an American in this universe.
* AdaptationalJobChange: She's an archaeologist in the comics but a geologist (gemologist, more specifically) here.
* AmbiguouslyBi: She is charmed by Maxwell Lord and has sex with him at one point, and also comes off as attracted to Diana in many of their interactions. When asked, she states that she has fallen in love "so many times," without specifying a gender.
* BeautyIsBad: As she begins to embrace her beauty more and more, an effect of the Dream Stone, she becomes much crueler and bloodthirsty.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Forms an alliance with Lord, protecting him in order to keep her wish.
* BigBadSlippage: Barbara starts out the film as a friend to Diana. As her strength and beauty increase because of her wish, though, she becomes DrunkOnTheDarkSide and throws her lot in with Lord in order to keep her new power.
* CatGirl: Barbara's enhancements eventually turn her into a cheetah-human hybrid. She even starts moving on all fours when the transformation kicks into overdrive.
* CombatStilettos: At first, Barbara struggles with heels. Once she gets to be like Diana, who walks on them like it's nothing, she's seen kicking butts in the White House with these shoes.
* CompositeCharacter: This Cheetah is motivated by an inferiority complex toward Diana like Priscilla Rich, the comic continuity's original Cheetah but takes her name Barbera Minerva and being a CatGirl from her Post-Crisis/DC Rebirth incarnation.
* CuteBookworm: Chats with Diana about how many times she's been in love like a schoolgirl. Her nerdy attire adds to this.
* DarkActionGirl: After she wishes to be like Diana, she hits the SuperpowerLottery with SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, and extreme agility, at the cost of her morality and good-nature. She fights Diana twice. [[spoiler: Barbara wins the first one, when Diana is still suffering a power drain. The second fight is when she adopts her iconic Cheetah form, and Diana is back to full power with Asteria's armor. Diana wins the second fight.]]
* DragonInChief: While less dangerous, Barbara as the Cheetah is a far greater challenge to Diana than Lord.
* {{Expy}}:
** A shrinking violet who is reborn via supernatural means as feline-themed enemy. She's essentially Creator/MichellePfeiffer's take on Catwoman from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.
** She's also similar to Seth Brundle from ''Film/TheFly1986''. Both are timid but otherwise kindly intellectuals who through oversight end up gaining added strength and reflexes at the cost of their humanity, both physical and emotional. By the climax, both have succumbed to their animal side and end up nearly killing people they originally wanted to connect with.
* TheGlassesGottaGo: Barbara's eyesight improves after her wish is granted, negating the need for her NerdGlasses. This extends to her choice of wardrobe, as she starts wearing clothes that show off her figure and it's left ambiguous if her curvaceous build was a result of the wish or if Barbara was always in good shape and only covered up out of modesty.
* GreenEyedMonster: "You've always had everything, while people like me have had nothing!"
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: At first, her powers come from wanting to be like Diana. And then, "I don't want to be like anyone. I want to be an apex predator!"
* InformedAttractiveness: Once Barbara gets her wish granted, everyone starts checking her out. While she's now confident enough to wear clothes that show off her womanly figure, her hair is still stringy and unkempt.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Barbara is the one person shown to ''not'' renounce her wish (though she loses the Cheetah form anyway). Nonetheless, she suffers no consequences for her actions.]]
* ManChild: Barbara seems to be mentally stuck as a bullied nerd with the world as her high school. It takes a turn for PsychopathicManChild once she starts taking advantage of her wish, becoming a bully as a result.
* NerdGlasses: She sports those at first, until the wish strengthens her vision.
* NiceGirl: Before the effects of the Dream Stone and her wish, while socially awkward, she was a kind person at heart, seen particularly where she leaves her take home leftovers from her dinner with Diana and a small wad of cash with a homeless friend of hers.
* NoSell: Barbara effortlessly pushes through Diana's shockwave ability, though this was also in part because Diana's powers were failing at the time.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After beating up a would-be rapist, Barbara notices the homeless man she regularly hangs out with staring at her with concern. Barbara coldly tells him to stay out of it. It's too big a leap in personality for someone that kindly to suddenly snap at her friends like that, which hints that her personality is being corrupted by the Dreamstone's power.
* OneWingedAngel: She was already quite powerful from her initial wish, but becoming "the apex predator" as the Cheetah made her even more so, to the point where she can keep up with Diana at full strength and wearing Asteria's golden armor.
* RedemptionRejection: [[spoiler:Barbara doesn't let go of her wish at the end, though she does lose her feline form.]]
* SheCleansUpNicely: She starts out frumpy and ignored by her colleagues. After she wishes to be more like Diana, she starts wearing more eye-catching outfits and receives many compliments and much attention from her coworkers.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: Barbara starts out as a warm and friendly person in bright, bold colors. As part of the makeover following her wish, she wears dark, muted colors, ultimately leading to Cheetah's light fur against the dark of night, signifying the loss of her humanity.
* SpikesOfVillainy: The first time she decides to confront Diana, Barbara is wearing a spiked jacket.
* SuperStrength: As Cheetah, Barbara can display huge amounts of physical power, enough to go toe to toe with Wonder Woman. Even in her human form, she can lift up a man like he has the weight of a feather and slam him into a car.
* SuperSpeed: As shown by the White House scenes, she can rush to strike Diana almost instantly, and when confronted with the White House guards, Barbara's borderline "faster than a speeding bullet" given how she runs and avoids their shooting.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Her biggest quality, a funny and kind personality, is what the Dreamstone takes when fulfilling her wish to be like Diana. Barbara becomes ruthless, giving a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to a drunk that bothered her, and selfish, confronting Diana lest she loses what makes people finally notice her.
* VillainHasAPoint: While Wonder Woman tries to reason with her, Barbara responds with "[[ArmorPiercingQuestion What's your wish costing]] ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion you]]''?". Diana can only respond with silence, [[spoiler: since she refused to renounce her own wish (thus losing Steve Trevor again) in order to restore her powers.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dechalafrea Ero]]
!!'''''Dechalafrea Ero/The Duke of Deception'''''
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_12_30_wonder_woman_1984_dreamstone_mayans_destroyed_jpg_jpeg_image_618_412_pixels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[SchmuckBait "Place upon the object held but one great wish."]]'']]
!!! '''Species:''' God
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/WonderWoman1984''
-->''"The God of Lies. Dolos, Mendacious, Duke of Deception, he’s been called by many names. But if he’s the one who empowered that stone, there has to be a trick."''
-->--'''Diana'''
A heathen god who created the Dreamstone coveted by Maxwell Lord.
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* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: The Duke of Deception is TheDragon to Ares in the comics. Here, he's a god in his own right.
* CompositeCharacter: With Urzkartaga, the god that turned Barbara into Cheetah in the comics. As the creator of the Dreamstone, he is also composited with [[ComicBook/TheSandman Dream of the Endless.]]
* TheCorrupter: Almost everyone who has a wish granted by his Dreamstone becomes morally corrupt.
** Maxwell Lord becomes a [[AGodAmI megalomaniac]]
** Barbara Minerva loses her [[PsychopathicManChild empathy]]
** Even [[spoiler:Diana Prince isn't immune, as many people have pointed out she may have sexually assaulted Handsome Man]].
* TheDreaded: Just like with Darkseid, Diana breaks into a cold sweat at the mere hint of his existence.
* {{Expy}}: An unseen enemy of godly origins who created a trinket (which includes a metal band inscribed with a mystical language) that's coveted by mortals but will cause ruin and BodyHorror to anyone who tries to exploit its power. He's clearly meant to be the DC equivalent to [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].
* {{Foil}}: His status as the God of Lies makes him a direct contrast to Diana, who stands for truth. He also stays out of the picture letting people fall for his manipulations while Diana steps in whenever necessary and either helps people or encourages them to be better.
* TheGhost: He doesn't make a physical appearance and it's left unclear if he's even alive, but his power lives on in the Dreamstone.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Maxwell and Barbara owe their powers to him.
* JackassGenie: The Dreamstone he created will always find a way to corrupt a wish while taking away something from the user at the same time. For example, [[spoiler:it could have created a new body for Steve Trevor's soul to inhabit but instead chooses an existing man to be the host just to screw with Diana and it's not even the price of the wish, which is her superpowers]].
* JerkassGods: From how Diana speaks of him, he was ''not'' a kind god. Considering the Dreamstone caused the collapse of several civilizations throughout ancient history [[spoiler:and nearly causes World War III in the movie]], that's probably something of an understatement.
* PetTheDog: It's implied he's got a merciful streak, albeit a very slim one. The Dreamstone was created with a failsafe for people to renounce their wishes after seeing what it cost them, though very few were willing to renounce or even imagined that was ever an option.
* TricksterGod: His domain is lies, and the Dreamstone is powered by the universal concept of lies. Hence, every wish it grants is, in its own way, a lie -- whether through granting whatever the wisher wants at the cost of what they already have or need, or by giving them what they want in a way that isn't really what they want at all.
[[/folder]]
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