Wonder Woman 1984: 5 Ways Steve Trevor Could Return

Wonder Woman's success was unprecedented for the DCEU. The fourth instalment in the franchise was lucky enough to receive both critical acclaim and commercial success, proving that the controversial shared universe still had some fight left in it. And considering the sheer level of acclaim it achieved a sequel was inevitable.

However, some fans were a little melancholic at the prospect of a sequel, because Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) would be unable to return - the character having sacrificed himself for the greater good at the end of the first movie. The heartbreaking scene was the perfect ending for the iconic character, but that doesn't mean it isn't still a little upsetting that he didn't get his happy-ever-after with Diana.

However, any sad thoughts on Steve's inability to return to the franchise may be a bit premature, as director Patty Jenkins posted a first-look image of the sequel - now titled Wonder Woman 1984 - and Steve Trevor is very much alive and well.

But how can this be? How is he alive? Is he even alive? This is the question that fans will already be posing to themselves, and there could be some big answers...

Could Steve somehow have managed to survive the explosion seen in Wonder Woman?

The American pilot sacrificed himself to save millions of innocent lives when he boarded a plane full of Isabel Maru's deadly poison. Unable to take the risk that the poison could find its way into enemy hands, Steve detonated the plane with himself inside.

It's unlikely that he would've been able to survive such a blaze, but was there enough time for him to escape? That is the question. Given the magnitude of the explosion, Steve would've required quite a bit of time to eject from the plane before detonation occurred. If you look closely at the scene where he dies, there's a bit of a gap between the last shot of Steve, and the shot of the plane erupting in flames so, in theory, he could've ejected then.

But such a plot twist could result in a pretty big continuity error. During the present day scenes in the Wonder Woman movie, we see Diana reflectively staring at the image of her and Steve from the war, which is what prompts her to fill us in on her origin story. If the love of her life did manage to survive and reunite with her during the '80s, then she likely wouldn't have looked so melancholic during these scenes.