Dreamstone Explained: Origin, History, Rules, Wishes & Weaknesses

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Wonder Woman 1984.

The bulk of Wonder Woman 1984‘s action is centered around the fabled Dreamstone — here’s everything you need to know about the mystical object, from its origins to how it compared to the comics. Once again directed (and this time co-wrote) by Patty Jenkins, the long-awaited DCEU sequel saw Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) drawn once again into a world-saving quest. Decades after the World War I adventure of 2017’s Wonder Woman and decades before the rest of the shared universe installments, the film picked up with Diana living a modest life in Washington D.C. Everything changed, however, when she foiled an armed robbery and a collection of artifacts was brought to the Smithsonian by the FBI. The Dreamstone was one such item and was soon revealed able to grant wishes.

Already highly sought after by Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), he eventually tracked it down to the Smithsonian. Using his influence and manipulating Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), Lord eventually took possession of it. Despite only having one wish, Lord utilized a classic loophole and wished for the power of the Dreamstone itself. As a result, he became the living embodiment of the relic and was able to use its unique abilities to increase his wealth and power in ever more dramatic ways. That quest ultimately took him to Ronald Reagan’s White House and beyond, bringing the entire world to the brink of catastrophe in the process. With the increasingly transformed Cheetah by his side, it was left to the titular Amazon and a newly returned Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to stand against them.

Wonder Woman 1984 villain Max Lord and his accomplice Barbara Minerva weren’t the only ones that succumbed to the Dreamstone’s allure, however. Appealing to people’s baser instincts and desires, it even caused Diana herself to briefly stumble in her heroism along the way. As such, in addition to delivering a film packed with hope, love, and wonder, Jenkins delivered an extremely nuanced and altogether very human version of the classic DC Comics hero. However, despite the film’s extensive runtime, the mystical MacGuffin remained shrouded in mystery. Furthermore, Wonder Woman 1984 left several questions pertaining to it completely unanswered. Here’s a breakdown of everything that is revealed of its origins, what likely happened to it after the film’s events, and how it differed from what’s depicted on the page.

How The Dreamstone Was Created

After Max Lord took the Dreamstone’s powers into himself, Diana discovered that its original casing was etched with the writing of the Gods. Diana went on to state that deities often imbued objects with their power — much like she erroneously believed Zeus had empowered a sword with god-killing abilities in the first Wonder Woman. With this inscription, one such figure had done just that and passed on an element of their power. Based on the inherent costs of wishing upon the Dreamstone, and how it caused the fall of several civilizations across the centuries, Diana deduced it had to have been a God of Lies. Though she questioned which one it could’ve been, no definitive answer was given. Based on what was revealed throughout Wonder Woman 1984, though, it was most likely Apate.

The mythological figure has never been adapted into DC Comics. They did, however, make a brief appearance in Marvel Comics, via 2019’s Avengers: No Road Home storyline. That could have played a part in why Apate was never directly named. Whatever the case, Apate is a recognizable figure within Greek Mythology — from which Wonder Woman has pulled a great deal of inspiration. In the lore, Apate was the Goddess of Deceit. In that capacity, she embarked on such endeavors as helping Hera inflict punishment upon Zeus and the mortal Semele for their affair. With the Dreamstone raining chaos down upon the mankind that Wonder Woman’s version of Zeus strived to protect, it was very much within her wheelhouse. Also, Apate’s direct opposite was the Goddess of Truth: Alethia. The power of truth was, of course, a recurring motif throughout Wonder Woman 1984 and was central to Diana’s Max Lord-defeating message to the world. As such, the God-sized shoe would definitely fit.

Dreamstone’s Rules In Wonder Woman 1984

In order to make a wish upon the Dreamstone, one only had to make physical contact with it — either directly or via the particle-based technology Max Lord utilized in the third act. That wish would come true almost immediately, whether one was aware of it or not. However, the wish came with an ironic twist. The scientist who asked for coffee got one that was too hot and burnt himself. When Diana wished for the return of Steve Trevor, he was resurrected but only inside the body of another man. The man who wished for a farm was gifted a random collection of animals right where he stood. So on and so on. Ordinarily, people were only gifted one wish… though Barbara Minerva later benefitted when Max Lord extended to her the perks of his unique loophole.

As well as this often mocking spin on people’s wishes, the Dreamstone also exacted a great toll for each one that was granted. Traditionally, it was the person’s most treasured possession or important quality that was taken. In exchange for getting Steve back, Diana also increasingly lost her powers. After gaining similar qualities to Diana (and then becoming an apex predator in her own right), Barbara Minerva lost her warmth and humanity. Though he gained the ultimate power, Max Lord’s body increasingly started to break down and fail. Equally, he also almost lost his young son, Alastair. These costs could be undone either by destroying the stone or, later in the film, killing Max Lord. The other option was to renounce your wish — which was both simpler and proved infinitely more difficult all at once.

What Happens To The Dreamstone After Max Lord Renounces His Wish

Rather than the kind of traditional battle that was thrust upon the ending of Wonder Woman, the sequel opted for a more poignant conclusion. After besting Barbara and making it to the global broadcast station, Diana used to the Lasso of Truth to bring the world to its senses. Reiterating the lesson she’s been taught in her childhood, she guided humanity to the realization that true greatness can’t come from shortcuts. As a result, the majority of the world’s population renounced their wish. Discovering that his son was in danger, Max Lord even renounced his own. That meant that he no longer had the power to grant wishes. Given that the stone disintegrated when he claimed the ability, it would stand to reason that it reconstituted itself once the wish was undone. What happened to the stone after that, however, remained unexplored.

Last seen in Max Lord’s personal office, that would likely be the place it came back together. Though the ultimate chaos born from Max Lord’s machination sent people out into the streets, somebody could have returned and claimed it after the nuclear disaster was averted. Then again, Diana could’ve ventured back to see it destroyed or disposed of — either with Max Lord’s assistance or otherwise. Another option could be that Barbara Minerva, having her transformation reversed but potentially still harboring powers and a grudge, could have laid claim to it. She did equally disappear into parts unknown without clarification of her fate. Given that it was never depicted on-screen, though, it’s a question that will live on with endless possibilities in fans’ imaginations. It could even have been once again seized by the government and, like a certain Ark of the Covenant, merely locked away somewhere by “top men.” Whatever the case, it would make sense that the Dreamstone was once again out there somewhere. As such, it could one day come back to haunt Wonder Woman (or other DCEU heroes) in some form or another.

Wonder Woman 1984’s Dreamstone Compared To The Comics

The Dreamstone did have roots in the realm of DC Comics — though it came in drastically different incarnations. In the pre-Crisis era, it first appeared in 1963’s Justice League of America ##19. Also known as The Materioptikon, it was a weapon devised by Doctor Destiny. With the ability to create illusions on a worldwide scale, it increasingly overwrote the timeline with a false reality inhabited by a fascist version of the Justice League. The superhero team was ultimately able to defeat Destiny, however, by removing his ability to dream. Though the powers of the two versions were somewhat comparatively similar, there was no direct wishing and no mythical cost beyond the intended destruction caused.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, the Dreamstone was established as one of twelve stones created by Sandman‘s Dream of the Endless. Imbued with a significant amount of his essence, it was deemed the most powerful of the twelve. Rather than otherwise harmless Citrine, as seen in the film, the Dreamstone of the comics was a bright ruby. As before, however, it was mostly used to bring things from the dream realm into reality. Equally, it would fall into the villainous hands of Doctor Destiny — who used it to rain chaos down on the world. And, by crafting flaws into the powerful gem, opened up the world to dangerous parallel universes. Though Dream could be construed as a God, there was no element of Greek mythology. As such, the Dreamstone of Wonder Woman 1984 was equal parts inspired by the comics and entirely its own creation.