Steve Trevor is back in Wonder Woman 1984, and no one has explained why

With production underway on the Wonder Woman sequel, director Patty Jenkins has shared a surprising update. Chris Pine is in it. As Steve Trevor. In the 1980s.

Jenkins’ tweet also confirms that the movie — once titled Wonder Woman 2 — is now known as Wonder Woman 1984. But the big news is Steve Trevor’s return, a surprise that rests on a spoiler for last year’s Wonder Woman: At the climax of the film, Steve Trevor gave his life on a World War I battlefield so that a German chemical weapon would be destroyed and thousands of others might live. Jenkins offered no explanation of how he comes to be in Wonder Woman 1984.

But how are we so certain he’s in the ‘80s? Could this possibly be some kind of flashback?

Well, you tell me:

Warner Bros. Pictures

From the exquisitely dressed extras to the vibrant set to the tracksuit itself, there isn’t a pixel of this picture that doesn’t scream “This is the decade that produced Tiffany.”

Did Steve somehow escape his very clear death by plane explosion in Wonder Woman only to be transported forward in time 70 years? Was he resurrected by gods? Or science? Is this a descendant of Steve Trevor who just happens to look a LOT like his war-hero great-uncle?

That last one we can probably rule out, as Jenkins called him out by name when she tweeted the photo, saying “Welcome to WONDER WOMAN 1984, Steve Trevor!”

At about the same time, Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot tweeted our first look at Diana of Themyscira in this new time period, which you can see at the top of this post. Wonder Woman 1984 will hit theaters on Nov. 1, 2019.