How I'd have made a Wonder Woman sequel...

A lot of people seem to want to join the chorus of dumping on WW84 and I don't necessarily want to do that even though there are MANY points I agree with. But if I was given creative control, there are some things I would have done or changed. 

I wasn't quite sure what the significance of being in 1984 was but another prequel coming after BvS, where Diana mentioned she left the "World of Man" and this being VERY clear that she was active in that world, was problematic. There was no real glaring significance of this story being in 1984 other than to maybe highlighting or giving time-period context to Maxwell Lord's motivations in some attempt to show the cliché of rich, scheming business people of the 80s? Really not sure but I would have probably just made the story in present day/post-JL. 

I would have had the story leave off a few months or so after Justice League with Diana gaining a little more presence and notoriety in the world. With being a new superhero, she'd be a celebrity. Diana, being the goddess she is, has the power to inspire and with that is able to, even if not consciously, mask her true identity from those close to her in her every day and work life. I'm thinking Clark Kent-glasses invisible level of "I'm right in your face but you can't see me". Maybe there some dialogue to someone that knows her true identity where she just kind of says "Maybe it's a gift from my father but those that I don't want to know who I am just don't." This would allow her to have that double-life, that escape for her and would allow us to easily have her in the present day without most of the story being her trying to navigate life like Beyoncé. It would also hint at her god-like levels of magic and show her reluctance to really find the extent of her powers. 

I would keep her with the Smithsonian or another organization that allows her to engage with and learn the history of man that she missed. Playing with the other elements of the existing movie in this new landscape, I would have Maxwell Lord be a grimy man who is actually wealthy but has made some risky trades and sees the writing on the wall for his downfall. He has been a consistent philanthropist as to curate his image as a good man but there are cracks in his visage that indicate he is not a good person. 

Barbara Minerva, I would keep mostly as is, without all the stereotypical downtrodden attributes but would have her as someone that has an unhealthy level of self-esteem that, with many women in this world, idolize the power of Wonder Woman. Again, not knowing that Diana is her, who regularly tries to lift and encourage Barbara to no avail, shockingly as Diana is used to being able to inspire anyone. 

On a dig site, financed by Lord, Diana and Barbara visit for work and Diana becomes intrigued by what looks to be Amazonian artifacts. She suspects there is history of the Amazons that she was never told from when they were not on Paradise Island. Artifacts that seem to imply nefarious or dark methods/magic that she was taught was never the way for the Amazons. It's implied that the Amazons might not have actually be led away for safety but banished. 

Barbara finds something that curses her and she starts a physical progression to Cheetah. She researches and knowing that Wonder Woman is likely an Amazon, obsesses to finding her so that she can reverse the curse. Diana, seeing an unnatural escalation in obsession, decides to show herself to Barbara as Wonder Woman. Barbara, almost fully transformed to Cheetah, has her suspicions confirmed that Wonder Woman is an Amazon but is disappointed in learning that Wonder Woman is not able to stop the curse nor return to Paradise Island to ask for help. Barbara disappointed and increasingly feral, attacks Diana but escapes. 

Diana discovers more secrets of the Amazon's history and finds that the curse on Barbara will lead her to Paradise Island and decides to confront her mother with the dark history she's learned as well as warn her of Cheetah's eventual arrival, not knowing if she will stand in her way, feeling betrayed and discovering the only cure for Cheetah is the death of the Amazon Queen. 

I'd end it as you can suspect. Battle that doesn't lead to no one's death but Cheetah's imprisonment on Paradise Island while Diana makes her mother promise to find a cure. Diana is now allowed to return back and forth to Paradise Island to ensure it's protection but now has a different view point of the Amazon's existence; this is where I would bring in some more names of the prominent Amazonians, including Donna Troy. I'm not immediately sure of what exact the Amazon's dark history is in my mind but something that challenges the nobleness that Diana grew up to believe. As we know, the gods weren't perfect. Zeus was a hoe after all. 

 As far as Maxwell Lord, I would actually at the end have him be in the possession of the Dreamstone, having financed the dig in the first place trying to find it but I would have him immediately be possessed by the trickster god who took advantage of his impure heart and then would let that lead to another movie all together. I have ideas for that story but I will leave that to another day. But I would  also take the opportunity with the lingering artifacts to find some way to tease Cassie Sandsmark aka Wonder Girl.