Still, with Gal Gadot’s Diana having faced off against David Thewlis’ Ares in the first Wonder Woman movie, it was decided that having the Duke of Deception be Wonder Woman 1984’s villain would have been covering too much familiar territory.
In his earliest comic book appearances, the Duke of Deception was primarily affiliated with Ares (a.k.a.
Mars), the Olympian God of War, although by the time the Silver Age of Comics unfolded, he operated more as a solo threat.
Besides, at this point, characters like Cheetah and Maxwell Lord are more famous members of Wonder Woman’s rogues gallery, so it makes sense to bring them in for a sequel rather than some more obscure.