WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

Wonder Woman 1984 took some liberties to create a sympathetic villain in Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). One such change was Max's son, Alistair (Lucian Perez), who was utilized to show humanity in the villain. However, there are many interpretations of the name "Alistair" that pose intriguing theories about the underlying significance of the character.

In Wonder Woman 1984, Alistair plays the neglected child of divorce, with his power-hungry, Trump-like father always forgetting when it is his weekend with him. Alistair almost too innocently just wants to spend time with his father and loves him regardless of how he is treated. Even at the end, when Max finally realizes that his son is more important than any success a wish could grant, Alistair still loves his father no matter what.

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The most common meaning of the name Alistair is "savior of man" or "defender of man," which, from a writing standpoint, positions the boy as the metaphorical savior of Max's humanity. Max himself could have chosen this name because there was once a time when he believed his son was the most important thing to him in a malicious world. He might have even known that his son would have been the best part of him because, having grown up with an abusive father himself, he would have wanted to bring a beacon of hope into the world.

In the DC Universe, this name origin could mean that Alistair will grow up to be a superhero if he is allowed to develop as a character. With Alistair's pure intentions, he could be the defender of all men, meaning Wonder Woman 1984 acts as an unintentional origin story. Seeing the first-hand havoc the world can plunge itself into and the need for great heroism to save it could inspire Alistair to achieve his own level of greatness and use it for good. With all the wishing going on in Wonder Woman 1984, Alistair could have accidentally picked up some superpowers that he would have wanted to use to save his father and the world. In that sense, Alistair's greatness is Max's greatness, putting a twist on Max's belief about the dynamic of success between a father and son.

Another interpretation of the name "Alistair," however, places him in a totally different and more nefarious light. In Greek, Alistair means "the one who repels man," which is also called a "warriors' name." With this knowledge, Alistair might be a way to represent the corruption of the Lord family and the misdeeds it will bring upon the world. Embittered from his childhood trauma, Max could have intended for Alistair to be the great warrior that brings the world to its knees. However, after seeing how pure of heart Alistair is, Max may have realized he must be the one to strive for ultimate power.

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Max's intentions in naming his son Alistair foreshadow that Max would become a fearsome villain in order to build a successful empire for his son. At the same time, this name interpretation changes Alistair's character arc for the possible future. Instead of growing into a superhero, Alistair is set upon the path to becoming a supervillain. It would not be so farfetched to assume that Alistair was negatively affected by the years of neglect and emotional brainwashing his father subjected him to. He could go down a similar path his father did, having his good intentions be corrupted after watching his father become a part of the unfairness in the world.

With either possible interpretation of Alistair's name, it's clear that Max had some forethought and meaning in the name choice of his son. Through this lens, Alistair plays a much larger role in Wonder Woman 1984 than meets the eye, and it sets up fun possible character arcs for future stories. Alistair might even prove to be the Lord that actually changes the world, for better or worse.

Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film is now available in theaters and on HBO Max.

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