WW84: Patty Jenkins promises Steve Trevor’s return isn’t a gimmick

Patty Jenkins and her team had a good reason for bringing back Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman 1984.

The first trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 gave fans their first look at the superhero sequel. While it shed light on a few some details on Diana’s latest adventure, it didn’t answer many questions, including the circumstances behind Steve Trevor’s return. Writer/director Patty Jenkins isn’t spilling the beans on how the WWI hero makes his way to the 1980s, but she guarantees it all makes sense to the story.

During her appearance at CCXP in Brazil, Jenkins (via Collider) explained how the idea to bring back Steve was birthed during production on the first film:

"“I can’t tell you [how he’s back], but here’s what I will say: We didn’t put Steve Trevor in this movie because we just wanted to put Steve Trevor in this movie. When we thought of the story for this film while we were making the first film, a eureka moment came and it couldn’t have been told without Chris Pine playing Steve Trevor.”"

Given this, the director stressed that the character wasn’t brought back merely for Chris Pine to be involved. Although, it sounds like the cast and crew were more than happy to have him back:

"“So I promise you it’s not a gimmick, it’s integral to the story, it was incredibly important that we had him and we just super enjoyed it. So it was great having Chris back but it’s also important to the story that I can’t wait for you to see.”"

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Many were left scratching their heads when it was revealed that Steve would be rejoining Diana in the ’80s following his tragic (but heroic) death at the end of 2017’s Wonder Woman. Early speculation led some to believe he was merely a hallucination in Diana’s head, but footage from the new trailer seems to indicate otherwise. The trailer did, however, possibly hint at it having something to do with villainous businessman Maxwell Lord.

Bringing Steve back was likely a tricky balance for Jenkins and company, as they likely wanted to expand on the character while still maintaining the weight of his sacrifice. This may also stir up mixed feelings in viewers who may be conflicted about the return. Still, it’s hard not to trust that Jenkins has compelling reasons for resurrecting him.

Gal Gadot and Chris Pine’s chemistry appears to be stronger than ever, and seeing Diana and Steve together again is sure to be a treat. Wonder Woman 1984 soars into theaters on June 5, 2020.