Wonder Woman (2017) Ending Explained – Final Scene & Meaning

Steve Trevor sacrifices himself by piloting a plane loaded with explosives directly into Ares. He makes this choice to help Diana defeat Ares and stop the war, understanding that his death would give her the opportunity to destroy the God of War. Steve's sacrifice is the turning point that allows Diana to finally kill Ares, proving that humanity is worth protecting despite its capacity for evil.

Foreshadowing: Steve had already shown willingness to risk his life throughout the film, and his final act echoes his earlier statement about being willing to die for what matters.

• steve trevor death
• sacrifice
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• Ares defeat

Diana defeats Ares by channeling her full divine power after Steve's sacrifice. When Ares attempts to turn Diana against humanity by revealing the destructive potential of people like General Ludendorff, Diana rejects his cynicism. She embraces her belief in love and hope, using her Godkiller sword and bracelets to channel her warrior nature while rejecting Ares' worldview. She then delivers the killing blow, destroying Ares physically.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Diana's bracelets are shown to deflect god-level lightning, hinting at her divine origin and power.

• Ares
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• Godkiller
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• lightning

With Ares dead, the Greek god of war is eliminated from the mortal realm. The ending leaves the status of other gods ambiguous, they are not explicitly shown or explained. Diana, as the daughter of Zeus, appears to be the last remaining divine being actively involved in the human world. This creates uncertainty about whether the other gods are dead, dormant, or simply absent from the story.

Foreshadowing: Hippolyta's warnings about the gods and Themyscira's isolation hint at a larger divine world that has already been diminished.

• Greek gods
• Zeus
• mythology
• divine pantheon
• Themyscira

Diana continues fighting because Steve's sacrifice reinforced her belief that humanity is worth protecting. Rather than let his death be meaningless, she chooses to honor his memory by dedicating herself to protecting the world from evil. His death proves that humans are capable of selflessness and heroism, directly contradicting Ares' claim that humanity is inherently corrupt and beyond saving.

Foreshadowing: Diana's earlier statement that she believes in love and will fight for it foreshadows her choice to continue after losing Steve.

• Diana
• Steve Trevor
• hope
• humanity
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• love

Diana's transformation into Wonder Woman represents her full embrace of her identity as both a goddess and a protector of humanity. By defeating Ares, she proves that love and hope can triumph over hatred and war. The ending establishes her as an immortal guardian who will continue fighting for justice, marking the birth of the iconic superhero.

Foreshadowing: Her training on Themyscira and her early confrontations with the German army set the foundation for this transformation.

• Wonder Woman identity
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Diana kills Ares, not Ludendorff. The film reveals that Ludendorff was not Ares himself, but rather a human pawn being manipulated by the God of War. The real Ares had been secretly manipulating events from behind the scenes throughout the war, using Ludendorff and others as his instruments. Diana's final battle is specifically against Ares in his true divine form.

Foreshadowing: Ludendorff's mysterious knowledge of Themyscira and his supernatural strength hint at divine influence, but his true nature as a human puppet is revealed late.

• Ludendorff
• Ares reveal
• manipulation
• puppet
• God of War

Some viewers found the ending anticlimactic because Ares' defeat comes relatively quickly after his identity is revealed, and his death closes off the mythological storyline rather than expanding it. Additionally, Steve Trevor's emotional death occurs in a brief sequence, and the film's final moments move quickly from the battle to Diana's modern-day appearance as Wonder Woman, leaving little time for the emotional aftermath to fully settle.

Foreshadowing: The film's pacing shifts dramatically from the slow build-up of Diana's journey to the rapid resolution of the final act.

• criticism
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• Ares death
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• fan response

Themyscira remains hidden and protected, with Diana eventually leaving to live in the human world. The island's existence is not threatened by Ares' death, as the Amazon women are still there. Diana's departure marks her transition from an isolated princess to an active hero in man's world, while Themyscira continues to exist as a hidden sanctuary for the Amazons.

Foreshadowing: Hippolyta's permission for Diana to leave and her warning about the outside world establish Themyscira's continued existence beyond the film.

• Themyscira
• Amazons
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• Diana's departure

In the context of the original 2017 film, Ares is killed by Diana. However, the mythological nature of Greek gods suggests resurrection is possible. The ending explicitly leaves the door open for Ares's return, as the text mentions potential for the character to come back in future DC Universe films, playing on the mythological tradition of gods returning after death.

Foreshadowing: The Greek gods are shown to be immortal beings, and the film never explicitly states that divine death is permanent.

• Ares resurrection
• mythology
• Greek gods
• future films
• DC Universe

The ending is bittersweet because Diana achieves her goal of defeating Ares and saving humanity, but she loses Steve Trevor in the process. The victory comes at a great personal cost, she gains her power and purpose as Wonder Woman but loses the man she loves. This creates a tone that celebrates heroism while acknowledging the profound sacrifice required to achieve it.

Foreshadowing: Diana and Steve's developing relationship throughout the film builds emotional investment that makes the sacrifice meaningful.

• bittersweet
• sacrifice
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• emotional ending

Diana is already immortal as the daughter of Zeus, but she gains the full realization of her powers after defeating Ares. The ending shows her as Wonder Woman in the present day, implying she has continued protecting humanity for over a century since World War I. Her immortality is confirmed by her unchanged appearance across time.

Foreshadowing: Hippolyta's warnings about Diana's immortal nature and her role as a guardian are fulfilled by her continued existence.

• immortality
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• daughter of god
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• eternal