12. WONDER WOMAN II: WAR OF THE ELEMENTALS
We've seen Diana Prince's origin story in Wonder Woman, set in 1918, and in this universe this follows the 2017 DCEU movie closely with some small but important changes, which mainly affects how this film's conclusion spins off into other interconnected stories. After the battle with Ares, parts of the God of War's armor fell into the hands of some shady people, who classify the unknown element used to forge it as 'Nth Metal'. We also got a surprise cameo from J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter, who had been in hiding on Earth for some time after the demise of his people and, upon hearing of Diana's existence, reached out to her in solidarity. This friendship was carried over to Justice League, where J'onn called on Diana to help fight against the rampaging Cyborg Superman in Metropolis. This was the day both the Martian and the Amazon princess revealed themselves to the world.
In this sequel, Diana is now recognized in public as the Wonder Woman who fought alongside other superheroes in Justice League, but until the next time the League must reconvene, she chooses to live a relatively ordinary human life as an antiquities dealer. On the other side of the world, however, out on the beautiful landscapes of the Himalayas, a war rooted in ancient mystical powers is brewing, and Diana might be the only one who can stop it.
Diana is on a professional visit to a private antiquities museum. She is accompanied by the gallery's curator, who shows her to a sword said to be Alexander's blade used to cut the Gordian knot. The curator excuses himself and leaves Diana to quietly appraise the artifact, when a worn but spirited voice whispers behind her, "It's a fake."
This is basically the scene from Dawn of Justice, but instead of Bruce Wayne, the voice belongs to a petite, elderly Asian woman dressed just as elegantly as Diana. And instead of being amused and mildly indignant, Diana's reaction is one of controlled jubilation as she recognizes one of her great mentors from a long time ago. The old woman's name is Qing, and although she is not Amazonian, she is also near-immortal. Her character will fill the role of I-Ching from the Wonder Woman comics, and she will come across as a semi-sarcastic, no-nonsense matriarch, but Diana reveres her and is incredibly fond of her.
Qing tells Diana simply that the natural world may be in grave danger.
We see the two women walking through an orchard, now dressed less formally. Qing tells Diana about the legend of Agartha, a lost kingdom said to be located deep underground. Diana's heard of it; the ancient Greeks know the place as Agaroth. Agartha is a secret utopia away from the rest of civilization – not unlike Thermiscyra – its vast wealth allowing the people to flourish under a divine ruler. The entrance to Agartha is buried somewhere deep in the Himalayan region. Agartha is also rumored to be the home of an incredible artifact with mysterious powers, its reputation so immense that very few have ever dared to venture there, let alone try to conquer it. As Qing mentions this, Diana also recalls the artifact in Greek mythology that is by all accounts linked to Agaroth: Pandora's box.
Qing continues by relaying an old prophecy about Agartha and Pandora's box, which says that there would be a time when the artifact comes alive and emit a signal that only the most powerful beings on the planet can discern. This would cause the four natural elements to be at war with one another for control of the box. The war itself would be disastrous to anyone and anything affected by it, and if Pandora's box falls into the wrong hands, the result would be even more catastrophic. It seems the time has come, and Qing herself has recently detected the signal coming from the box.
As Qing continues her analysis, we are introduced to the existence of four humans from around the world who have been given metahuman abilities related to 1 of the four elements. They are the Summoners, and command the power of the Elementals.
In Hambug, Germany: Albert Höllerer, a German fighter pilot who was shot down and crashed into a bog decades ago, was kept alive by the Earth Elemental but his body turned into a grotesque mound of plant matter. In this form, he had run into nearby towns to beg for help but the people had only been afraid of him. Over the years he had found the ability to transform back into his human body at will, and uses this power to rescue people in trouble in the marshlands. He is known and still feared today as the SWAMP-THING.
In Shiraz, Iran: a lithe female assassin by the name of Kahina, descendent of a secret Zoroastrian fraternity which had gifted her with the powers of the Fire Elemental. Most of her adult life had been spent protecting the weak and oppressed, armed with amazing martial arts skill and the ability to emit fire from her body. She is the SALAMANDER.
In Oran, Algeria: a scientist named Dr. Thomas Morrow is working on advanced robotics technology alone in his lab. We see parts and tools moving about in the air as if by Morrow's will, but it turns out the items were being carried by a djinn that the Englishman had unleashed and somehow enslaved. We will discover later that the djinn is the air elemental known as ULTHOON.
In Nemuro, Japan: Mai Miyazaki is an environmentalist who was shot by corporate operatives when she was protesting fiercely near a drilling rig owned by Shogun Oil. Her body was dumped into the sea, where she was rescued by the Water Elemental and turned into a translucent-white creature. Just like Albert Höllerer, Mai also gradually learned to switch between this form and her human self. She is now the bane of indiscriminately-polluting organizations as the NAIAD.
The four Summoners would have different motives for finding Agartha and obtaining Pandora's box, but they all believe that the box's mystical powers will greatly enhance their elemental powers so that they can achieve their individual ultimate goals. Throughout the first and second act of the movie, they will come across one another in their search for Agartha and fight to take the others out of the race.
First, Swamp Thing and Naiad will run into each other at the foot of a mountain, and initially be friendly, until they both realize that the other person is their rival. This results in a fierce battle between earth and water until Salamander arrives, seemingly out of nowhere, and uses her fire powers to incapacitate the other two. This causes a massive explosion that triggers a ferocious earthquake and avalanches, and the three Summoners are somehow separated from one another.
By this time, Diana and Qing have arrived by Pegasus in the region, somewhere in South Asia bordered by Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Upon seeing that the natural disasters will endanger thousands of people in the rural areas, Diana sets out to evacuate and hopefully protect them. In one of these villages, she encounters Dr Morrow who, instead of helping the villagers, is commanding Ulthoon to uproot their houses and bully them into revealing the location of Agartha's entrance. Diana steps in to stand up for the villagers, but she is no match for the air elemental and gets swept away by a tornado.
In a cave, Diana later finds an injured Kahina, who is initially apprehensive, thinking that the Amazon is yet another Summoner and rival for Pandora's box, but is too weak to fight her. Diana sticks her sword in the ground and goes to help treat Kahina's wounds. Kahina realizes Diana means no harm, and explains that the Elementals are really powerful but less effective against one another. The legend goes that in the face of great obstacles in claiming the Agartha artifact, the elements will fuse to form a monstrous being which may never be controlled or defeated.
"The Chimera," Qing says, appearing out of nowhere and startling the two. The elderly woman concurs with Kahina about the immense danger posed by this beast. Kahina says that while she wants the box for herself, she is thinking twice about putting the world at risk. Hearing this, Diana declares that she will get to the box herself first and destroy it, and pledges her sword to helping Kahina in her mission to bring her people out of oppression.
Kahina is moved by this and agrees, offering her own abilities in the quest. But Diana knows that won't be enough, because Dr Morrow and his air elemental seem to be very formidable. She suggests rounding up the other two Summoners to convince them into working together. Kahina is skeptical, but willing to give it a try.
It's already nightfall. In another village, Dr Morrow descends on a small twister and demands for their chief. The crazed scientist threatens to slaughter everyone in the village if the chief does not reveal the entrance to Agartha. To his manic delight, the chief relents and orders a scroll to be presented to Morrow.
The next morning, Diana is soaring on Pegasus over the Himalayan range as Kahina follows speedily from the ground. Eventually they find Albert and Mai, both nursing their own wounds, the Earth Summoner in the lush forest and the Water Summoner next to a stream not far away. There is some back and forth within the group, but they gradually discover that they're all otherwise regular people with good intentions, forced into this war by beings with their own agenda.
The four of them set out to find the entrance to Agartha. Qing had disappeared on her own again, telling Diana they'll meet soon. With some luck and clever use of the three Elemental powers at their disposal, they eventually descend through some massive tunnels and caverns deep underground. After some time the three Summoners begin to sense that the signal coming from the box getting stronger and stronger, and arrive at what looks to be an enormous stone door. The Elemental powers could not move it open and they are at a loss, until Diana drives her sword through the solid rock. The door begin to roll away, revealing the gateway to Agartha.
The four of them stare in shock at what unfolded before them. A vast scenery sits under a false sky, with its own atmosphere and what look like miniature suns, but instead of paradise, the city in the center is strewn with wreckage and dead bodies. Diana can see even from afar that there has been a massacre, and it looks like there could be one very likely candidate responsible for this.
Diana leads the Summoners through the path to the lost city of Agartha where, surprise, Dr Morrow has commanded his elemental slave to wreak havoc in search of Pandora's box It seems the artifact is very close by because all four Summoners can sense it. Kahina, Mia and Albert use their elemental powers to clash with Dr Morrow, until the respective Elementals themselves gain enough strength to be unleashed. This is the first time we see all four Elementals together, and there is a massive brawl between these titans. Morrow takes this opportunity to quietly make a run for the city's palace where the box is purportedly kept.
Morrow, who now brandishes a pair of gun-like weapons that emit high-velocity blasts of air, single-handedly takes down the guards in the palace and finally makes it to the throne room, where he is greeted by Qing. We discover that Qing is the reigning queen of Agartha all along. Morrow and Qing engage in a breathtaking battle, with the old woman being a deceptively skilled fighter. While this is happening, Diana is running very quickly – she doesn't have super-speed in this universe, at least not the Flash/Superman level of speed – in search of Morrow, and after following the trail of bodies she finally reaches the palace throne room.
Just as Diana enters, Morrow is overpowering Qing, who manages to get one final glance at her Amazonian protégé. Diana screams 'NO!' as she charges towards Morrow with her sword, but the scientist aims both air-guns into Qing's chest and shoots, killing her. There is a loud rumble and Diana stops in her tracks as the palace begins to shake.
The wall behind the throne bursts open as Pandora's box flies through it, as if it has a life of its own.
Outside, the Summoners have been trying their best to keep their respective Elementals under control, but all of a sudden the enormous creatures also stop and grow eerily quiet. Slowly they begin to merge with one another. The Summoners retreat in fear as the amalgam swells in size.
In the palace, Diana tearily embraces her former mentor's lifeless body. Morrow is just a few feet away, plucking the legendary Pandora's box out of the air and observing it with both awe and rapacity. The box glows in his hands… as some form of energy crackles out of it and runs through his body, consuming him. The scientist screams in pain, tortured by the box's power, and seconds later he disappears completely, leaving the box behind as it drops onto the floor with a loud clank.
Diana is stunned by what she just saw, but knows there is a beast to slay. She kisses Qing's forehead and drapes the old woman's body in front of the throne, then grabs her sword and prepares for battle. We see Pandora's box left behind.
Outside, the Chimera has fully formed and is rampaging through the city, terrorizing the remaining citizens and smashing through buildings as it storms towards the palace. The Amazon warrior is waiting, and empowered by her wrath in avenging Qing's death, clashes with the gargantuan Chimera. Her weapon has little effect over the superior Elemental, and only her shield is able to hold off the creature's multi-element blasts. Diana gets an idea, a risky one.
Diana grabs her lariat, the Lasso of Hestia, and uses it to ride lightning bolts that the Chimera is hurling and swing into action. The walls of the palace crumble from being hit by the monster's blasts, and Diana baits it by standing squarely in the middle of the now-exposed throne room. Just as the Chimera nears, Diana binds Pandora's box with her lasso and hurls it at the monster like a discus. The box flies at the Chimera, and Diana jumps into the air after it and pierces it with her sword.
A massive explosion erupts. The Chimera collapses, separating into the four original Elementals.
This seems to render Pandora's box inert, as it no longer emits any signal that aggravates the Elementals. The Elementals retreat back into the bodies of their respective Summoners, with the exception of Ulthoon, the Air Elemental who realizes he no longer has a master now that Dr Morrow is gone. Ulthoon tries to pledge his allegiance to Diana, but she tells him that he is truly and forever free.
The air elemental bows in reverence and turns into a tornado, disappearing into the now reddish sky.
Diana and the three Summoners meet in the palace grand hall, where Agartha's survivors are starting to gather as well. Kahina, Albert and Mai speak with the people, and between themselves decide that they should stay to help rebuild and defend the city. Now that Pandora's box does not seem to be attracting danger any longer, the Elementals are calm and cooperative.
The elders of Agartha come forward and declare that Diana should be their new queen, now that their queen Qing has perished valiantly defending the city. Diana politely declines, and singles out Kahina as the best person for the title based on her history of protecting the innocent. The people agree and hail Kahina as the Queen of Agartha.
Diana smiles and turns to leave, but a female Elder calls out and hands her Pandora's box, saying it is a gift on behalf of the people. Diana is honored and accepts the box warmly.
Back on the surface world, Kahina, Albert and Mai look on as the mighty Wonder Woman mounts Pegasus and soars into the sky.
Mid-credits:
Flash forward to sometime in the near future. Diana, dressed in a fashionable white dress, is standing in the newly-established Hall of Justice back on Salutis Island, her arms crossed. J'onn J'onzz stands on the other side of the long table that separates them. Bruce Wayne sits casually on a chair, deep in thought. All three of them are staring intensely at something placed in the middle of the table.
It's Pandora's box. But instead of the one we saw at Agartha, brown and ornamented with classical hand-carved designs, the box looks like it has molted its outer layer of clay to reveal a metallic surface. Symmetrical circular designs have appeared on each face of the cube.
"So it just… cracked open yesterday," Diana says.
"What could it be," J'onn asks tentatively.
"Judging from what it's been capable of," Diana offers. "Something very powerful."
Bruce continues to stare quietly. After a while, he speaks up.
"I've seen it before. Back when we fought Luthor and the Superman clone Henshaw. I raided LexCorp afterwards, to have a look for myself."
Bruce points at the cube.
"They used another box just like this, to galvanize kryptonite into some form of fissile material. It was used to terraform this island, and to power Henshaw and Luthor's suit. We saw how much damage it can cause. We're lucky it wasn't way worse."
Diana paused before asking, "Do you know where the other one is now?"
Bruce doesn't answer. He looks at the artifact, and then off into the distance. He still hasn't identified what the cube is.
It's a second Mother Box.
Lightyears away, Dr Thomas O. Morrow reappears on a strange, magnificent planet.