Why Doesn't Wonder Woman Fly In BvS Or Justice League?
Diana Prince learns how to fly in Wonder Woman 1984, so why doesn't she use this capability in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice & Justice League.
After learning how to fly in Wonder Woman 1984, here's why Diana doesn't use this capability in Batman V Superman and Justice League. Patty Jenkins continued to tackle the Amazonian Goddess' personal story via another period film following the success of the original Wonder Woman. But due to the character's story being told in a non-linear manner, there are some details in her overall arc that don't line up — one of them centers on her ability to fly. Diana made her DCEU debut in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman; while it was set in contemporary times, it fed into the character's origin story that dated back to the earlier 20th century when she first left Themyscira to join the rest of the world. Since then, Diana has lived among men. Justice League continued her story in the modern world as she and her fellow DC heroes fought Steppenwolf, only for Wonder Woman 1984 to bring her back in time again to the vibrant '80s.
There have been character inconsistencies from the get-go with regard to Diana's full DCEU narrative, but for the most part, it's either that filmmakers were able to explain these seeming plot holes or viewers simply let it slide considering how beloved the character is. But, the Themysciran Princess learning how to fly in Wonder Woman 1984 only for that ability to never be used in later films where it would've been valuable is too big of a mystery to not be discussed. So, why doesn't Diana fly in modern times?
Technically, it all boiled down to the fact that Batman V Superman and Justice League were made before the story for Wonder Woman 1984 was locked in. In-universe, however, there might still be a way to explain this by understanding how exactly Diana learned how to take flight. The sequel established that she was still expanding her power set, learning new abilities like turning things invisible. She admitted to Steve Trevor that there was one skill that evaded her, however - the ability to fly. Thanks to Steve, who understood the concept from the perspective of a skilled pilot, Diana eventually cracked the code by remembering his words: "It's so easy, really. It's wind and air and knowing how to ride it, how to catch it. How to join with it." Between this and the heartbreaking circumstances that led to Diana's first flight, chances are that not using this particular skill was an intentional choice.
As seen in Justice League after Bruce Wayne made an inappropriate jab about the tragedy, Steve's death remains to be a sensitive topic for Diana. Their initial separation in the original Wonder Woman film where he sacrificed his life for the greater good was heartbreaking enough, but Wonder Woman 1984 made it worse. Granted that it gave them extra time to reconcile and be proper lovers even for a brief moment and amidst the bizarre body-swapping phenomenon, the idea that Diana had him back for her to lose him again only reopened wounds. Given all this, it's possible that Wonder Woman, as much as possible, do not use her ability to fly as she strongly associates it with Steve and what could very well be their final goodbye in Wonder Woman 1984.
Admittedly, Wonder Woman 1984 left a lot of lingering questions, particularly when it came to bringing back Steve, which is part of the reason why it's not as beloved as its predecessor. Fortunately for Jenkins, they still have to opportunity to make up for these creative lapses via Diana's next solo film. With Wonder Woman 3 expected to be set in modern times, however, it's curious if DCEU will make an attempt to explicitly explain this pressing mystery.
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