In the midst of all the tomfoolery and shenanigans taking place during Wonder Woman 1984, I totally missed the fact that Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman never once uses her iconic shield or sword – two things she used in the first film. She uses her magical lasso a lot, but the shield/sword combo never makes an appearance. Like all things in movies, this was a deliberate choice, and star Gal Gadot has revealed why the Patty Jenkins-directed sequel nixed Wonder Woman’s weapons.

As I watched Wonder Woman 1984, I kept thinking: “Wow, this isn’t good.” I also kept thinking: “Wow, Wonder Woman is using her lasso a lot in this movie. Much more than the first film.” I was so distracted by the abundant lasso-usage that I completely missed that Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman never once uses her famous sword and shield – two things she used in the first film. The shield was particularly iconic in that first movie, with Wonder Woman using it in the fantastic No Man’s Land scene.

So what happened? Did Diana whip out the sword and shield in a deleted scene? Apparently not. While speaking with CBR, Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, revealed that the lack of sword and shield was meant to signify that Wonder Woman doesn’t want to be a fighter anymore – she wants to be a peacekeeper. “This is part of the reason to why we decided that she shouldn’t have a sword or a shield,” Gadot said. “Diana is not aggressive. She’s not there to fight. She’s a peacemaker. Also, she has the higher understanding that people are not bad, per se…We’re all the same.”

I actually think this element is a big reason why the movie doesn’t work: it’s very naive. Wonder Woman 1984 operates under an optimistic assumption that deep down inside, people are genuinely good. And I’m sorry but…that’s not true. At all. And while I appreciate the idea of an optimistic superhero movie, the optimism in Wonder Woman 1984 is just a bit too much.

In any case, Wonder Woman used her sword and shield in both Batman v Superman and Justice League, two films set after Wonder Woman 1984, so at some point, the character decides to take them back up again. Will we ever get an explanation of that, perhaps in Wonder Woman 3? Or will it simply remain unremarked upon? I’m guessing it’ll be the latter unless there’s a scene in the upcoming Snyder Cut of Justice League where Diana talks about using her weapons again.

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