By Ben Travis | Posted 13 Apr 2020

A lot has happened since Wonder Woman came out in 2017 and delivered a smart, heartfelt, pioneering superhero story. We’re not just talking about the Covid-19 pandemic – the DC world changed massively, from the troubles of Justice League to the arrival of Aquaman and Shazam, while further proof came that female-led comic book movies could absolutely slay the box office. And now, in her upcoming second adventure, everything has changed for Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince too. Patty Jenkins’ (Wonder Woman 1984* takes her into – yes – the ‘80s, offering a bold, colourful new era for DC’s brightest hero to play around in. It’s not just the world around her that’s different – Wonder Woman has changed too.

“The first movie was a coming of age, it was Diana becoming Wonder Woman,” Gadot tells Empire in the upcoming new issue, on sale Thursday 16 April. “She was very naive and she didn’t understand the complexities of life. A fish out of water. In this movie, that’s not the case whatsoever. Diana has evolved. She’s much more mature and very wise. However, she’s very lonely. She lost all of her team members and she’s guarded. And then something crazy happens.”

That ‘something crazy’ refers to the miraculous return of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor – who (SPOILER WARNING) died at the end of the first film. How exactly he returns remains to be seen, but all involved were keen to have him back. “Chris was an integral part of the movie, and of its success,” says Gadot. “And because he and I and Patty really enjoyed working together, we all wanted to have him back. And Patty and [co-writer] Geoff Johns found the best way that serves the narrative to bring Steve back.”

Read Empire’s full Wonder Woman 1984 story when the issue hits newsstands on Thursday 16 April. Here’s all the info you need about how to pick up a copy while social distancing.