While there really is no comparing these films in terms of quality (there is a clear winner there), there do seem to be some fans making comparisons in terms of some of their content. And it really does raise the question: If you strip away the superhero element from Wonder Woman 1984, does that leave you with a plot similar to Obsession, only without the horror elements that made the latter so terrifying, poignant, and successful?
While some users on X were a little confused by the initial tweet, it does seem pretty clear how a comparison can be drawn between what Diana did to bring Steve back in Wonder Woman 1984 and Bear’s wish in Obsession for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. And that same moment is one of many that had fans scratching their heads when WW84 came out—namely because Diana’s actions seem wildly out of character, especially when Bear’s are held up as a mirror. “This was my FIRST thought. How could they do this to Wonder Woman? Why didn’t they have Steve just appear from thin air? Wouldn’t be too unrealistic considering the movie,” said one fan.
Wonder Woman 1984 is the blueprint. pic.twitter.com/Zf2fjrReM3
It’s a stretch to say so, honestly, even though their actions are similar. But Wonder Woman 1984 clearly wasn’t made a social critique, nor as a horror movie centering a woman’s lack of autonomy and say over her own body and life, which was the entire point of Obsession; Bear is a villain in the guise of a “nice guy,” with no care for what Nikki is enduring as she watches the events unfold, trapped inside her own mind. In the former, it’s a more ham-fisted way of showing Diana’s struggles as she finds herself alone in a modern world without most of the things that kept her grounded in her identity as both a hero and a person. Diana has a life in the 80s, but compared to the live she lived previously, it feels hollow to her.
Agreeing that the choice to have Diana bring Steve back to live in her current timeline was a strange move for the formerly unflappable hero, another fan commented, “I’m saying there are tons of ways to use old magic to bring him back; didn’t need to do this.” But one seemed to sum both the differences and similarities in how the films handled the same sort of issue up the best, saying, “The most important thing is one explores the consequences; one ignores it. There’s the difference. That’s why one is good, and the other is bad.” And while Wonder Woman 1984 had more in the negative column than the positive, especially where critics were concerned, it’s definitely weird that this particular choice Diana made was pretty heavily glossed over.
