Steve Trevor’s death scene in 2017’s Wonder Woman creates a tragic version of a classic DC Comics scene. Although Wonder Woman took several notable liberties with the source material for the DCEU timeline – such as having Wonder Woman fight in World War I instead of World War II – the film by and large remained faithful to the comics, with its accurate presentation of the Wonder Woman characters and lore being one of the film’s many strengths. The tragic death of Steve Trevor has notable similarities to one moment in Wonder Woman’s origin story, albeit with a significantly different outcome.
In the action-packed third act of Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor hijacks a German airplane filled with Doctor Poison’s devastating poison gas. With no other option to prevent the gas from killing countless people, Steve detonates the bombs mid-flight, sacrificing himself in the process. Gal Gadot’s live-action Wonder Woman – who is in the midst of a brutal fight with Ares – can neither save Steve nor safely destroy Doctor Poison’s bombs.
Steve Trevor’s Movie Sacrifice Is A Far Sadder Version Of A Classic Comic Moment
This DCEU moment appears to be a sadder version of a sequence in the first issue of Sensation Comics, by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter. The issue is the second part of Wonder Woman’s origin story, picking up where All-Star Comics issue 8 (Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor’s debut) left off. Set in World War II, the issue includes a moment in which Steve Trevor faces off against a German bomber, with Trevor’s aircraft proving unable to damage the bomber’s heavy armor.
Seeing no other way to prevent the Nazi bomber from hitting its target, Steve Trevor causes a midair collision which destroys the bomber and leaves him falling to his death, with the explosion damaging his parachute. Wonder Woman saves Steve Trevor, however, by catching him in midair while hanging from a ladder attached to her Invisible Jet. Steve Trevor’s near-sacrifice in Wonder Woman’s comic origin may have inspired his DC Extended Universe demise.
Wonder Woman initially lacked the ability to fly, making her Invisible Jet a necessity, though it remained an indispensable vehicle even after Wonder Woman acquired the power of flight.
Steve Trevor’s Comic Survival Makes His Wonder Woman Movie Death Far More Tragic
The similarities between the two scenes make Steve Trevor’s death in the DCEU even more tragic. Of course, the film made it impossible for Wonder Woman to rescue Steve, as she lacked her Invisible Jet, the ability to fly on her own (though she would get both in Wonder Woman 1984), and her battle with Ares would have halted any rescue attempt. Sadly, Steve Trevor’s sacrifice in 2017’s Wonder Woman was unavoidable, unlike the similar moment in Wonder Woman’s comic origin.
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