'Wonder Woman 1984’ trailer: Max Lord theory reveals an even bigger threat

With the reveal of the first trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, we’ve gotten our first real hint at the sequel movie’s story. Included in this two-and-a-half-minute video is the new character Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and some interesting clues about his arc in the DC Extended Universe. There seem to be some notable clues about Max buried in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer, which, upon closer inspection, may how the DC Comics villain could bring yet another iconic enemy into the DCEU.

Speculative spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984 below.

Is Max Lord about to introduce moviegoers to the O.M.A.C.s? These cyborg enemies don’t show up in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer, but there are plenty of clues to suggest they could play a major role in the movie.

What do we know about Max from the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer? Well, he’s a born salesman and industrious to boot. Early in the trailer, Max is seen in a commercial selling who knows what but looking very confident in selling it. He tells viewers, “Welcome to the future. Life is good but it can be better — and why shouldn’t it be?” as he walks off a helicopter in a sharp suit. The commercial cuts to Max standing in front of an amber crystal, the same kind of crystal we see him holding later in the trailer while he sits at his desk and ponders it. A final glimpse of Max reveals him standing in the center of a machine that fills the room. He raises his hands up as light beams down.

Now’s about the time you’re going to ask, “So, WTF are OMACs and how could they appear in Wonder Woman 1984?” Glad you asked, bud! There are a few different appearances from OMACs (short for “Omni Mind and Community”, FYI) in DC Comics, but I’m particularly interested in the one where Max is directly involved, which happens to be in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis arc. There, Max is given control of Batman’s Brother’s Eye satellite system with the help of Alexander Luthor (that’s Lex Luthor’s son from an alternate universe). With Max in control of Brother’s Eye, he uses the satellite system to distribute an invasive nano-virus into the bodies of unsuspecting humans who are then endowed with the ability to hunt and kill superhumans.

Considering some of the first things you think of when you think “early ‘80s” are the Cold War, where tensions over espionage and state secrets being acquired by the enemy reigned supreme (as well as the influx of shopping malls and consumerism), it’s easy to connect some dots here about how Max’s OMACs plan could play out.

If the crystal we see Max holding in the trailer has anything to do with this — maybe it’s storing the nano-virus which could infect humans — then this natural-born salesman could figure out a way to both hone the virus and then sell it inside some flashy product for mass consumption. Gee, if only we’d seen him, I don’t know, in a commercial hyping up the benefits of self-improvement somewhere…

And that machine we saw Max standing in? That could no doubt figure into this OMACs plan too, especially if it connects to the huge satellite dish we see around the same point in the trailer. It could work out that Max is selling an OMACs virus-compatible product that links up with the satellite system, allowing humans to be infected and manipulated to take down Wonder Woman. And if all of this still feels shaky to you, consider that “1984” is in the title of this sequel pic and it also happens to be the name of a famous novel focused on a surveillance state controlling its citizens through subtle, propaganda-infused messages. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?

We’re still a little over six months away from the premiere of Wonder Woman 1984 and, to be fair, the plot of this DCEU sequel has been kept tightly under wraps. Sure, we know the key players and we’ve seen some of the action. But when it comes to specific story beats, we’re in the dark. As such, it’s tough to definitively conclude Max is going to create OMACs — but damn if these clues don’t make some fun food for thought.

Wonder Woman 1984 arrives in theaters on June 5, 2020.