She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
Bullshit. She's special because of her actions, because of who she is and what she chooses to fight for.
She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
I suggest you read WW # #183, July-Aug 1969. "Return to Paradise Island!" There you'll see Ares addressing Hippolyta as "daughter" and Diana calling Ares "grandfather".In no version of the comics was Ares Hippolyta's father (he was in some of the original myths, but not in the comics). Hippolyta and the other Amazons were created by the Gods in the George Perez version, for instance.Though Wonder Woman was a Demigod before the Nu52. Her grandfather was Ares.
For one thing, what you yourself mention as "what makes Diana special" now comes completely from her father. It would be less of a problem if Diana had a human father, but was given her powers by the gods, but that is not the case. She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
There is (latent) mysogeny at play here, and it has to be called out, esp. considering the character we're talking about.
Zeus does nothing for Diana in the comics though. Just like he does nothing for his children in other Greek myths. Diana is defined by her actions. Her parents don't define her. Diana has a relationship with her mother Hippolyta and none with her estranged Sky Father Zeus.
I don't see the latent misogyny you're speaking of. Some people believe that making Diana, Zeus' daughter ruins whatever female messiah story the tale of the clay baby invokes. Problem is that nothing with the clay baby mythos really effects Diana's character or her actions. WW is treated no different as a human being because of her beginnings either as a clay doll or natural born baby. WW is capable of compassion, love and has made mistakes in both incarnations of her origins. WW is define by her actions as i said previously.
She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
Bullshit. She's special because of her actions, because of who she is and what she chooses to fight for.
No, her powers were gifts from the Gods. Not unlike Captain Marvels.Didn't most of her powers come from her gear anyway? Lasso, bracelets, flight girdle and whatnot?
That's incorrect. Diana's powers prior to the Zeus origin were gifts from her patron gods. The other Amazons have no such powers; they're just really elite humans, akin to Batman.Something DC has not really defined previously. If WW and all the Amazon's were granted with the same divine empowerment from the Greek Gods, why is Diana always present as the strongest? Donna was given the same powers that Diana was given, but was always portrayed as weaker. So was the Amazon Artemis, who took over the WW role briefly in the 90's. When Amazon fought other beings in the DCU, there powers ranged from a tier below WW to being average human level. Keep in mind that Diana has always been portrayed as Superman tier in terms of strength and durability. The problem DC had not defining what made Diana special led many to speculate that their is an entire island of Superman-tier women who essentially have no weaknesses.
Making Diana a demigod in the same vein as Perseus, Theseus, Hercules and Achilles gives clause to where Diana's strength comes from and why she would be a cut above the rest of the other Amazons.
For one thing, what you yourself mention as "what makes Diana special" now comes completely from her father. It would be less of a problem if Diana had a human father, but was given her powers by the gods, but that is not the case. She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
There is (latent) mysogeny at play here, and it has to be called out, esp. considering the character we're talking about.
Zeus does nothing for Diana in the comics though. Just like he does nothing for his children in other Greek myths. Diana is defined by her actions. Her parents don't define her. Diana has a relationship with her mother Hippolyta and none with her estranged Sky Father Zeus.
I don't see the latent misogyny you're speaking of. Some people believe that making Diana, Zeus' daughter ruins whatever female messiah story the tale of the clay baby invokes. Problem is that nothing with the clay baby mythos really effects Diana's character or her actions. WW is treated no different as a human being because of her beginnings either as a clay doll or natural born baby. WW is capable of compassion, love and has made mistakes in both incarnations of her origins. WW is define by her actions as i said previously.
Do I have to spell it out?! It's fiction, and there's subtext there. She went from being the child a woman longed for to being the bastard of a regrettable affair, and her powers all come from her father - not from the goddesses, but her father! She'd be a normal human being, if it weren't for that man.
The subtext of the original version was that Diana does not need a man to be special. The subtext of the New 52 version (which is a response to the original one, remember that) is "Yes, she does!".
She's nothing special, except for who her father is.
Bullshit. She's special because of her actions, because of who she is and what she chooses to fight for.
Alright, you two, what are her actions?! What does she fight for? I dropped the New 52 books rather quickly, but what little I read (and saw in the "JL: War" animated movie), she behaved like a klingon with a sword glued to her hand. She despises diplomacy and seeks violent battle to kill her opponents. This is almost a complete reverse of what Wonder Woman was before.
I have come to the conclusion that, with her completely new origin and her completely new personality, the New 52 version is a completely different character and not the proper Wonder Woman. Thus, I won't waste my money on the comics, and should the movies really take their cues from that version instead of the proper one, I'm not gonna waste my money on those, either. You guys have fun with Wonder-Woman-in-name-only, but I'm out.
No reason to get angry.
You obviously view the situation with Diana's origins differently than I do. Thing is I don't think making Diana the love child between Zeus and Hippolyta counts as misogny (prejudice against women). In the myths, Hippolyta had a son named Hippolytus. Whose father was the demigod Theseus; who slew the Minotaur. In the animated Justice League series they wrote Hippolyta had a consensual relationship with Hades before he tried to take Olympus. In the 2009 animated WW movie, it is implied that Ares forced/raped Hippolyta and the offspring of that act (in greek myths anytime a god or goddesss has sex a pregnancy is the result) was the demigod Thrax. Then there is the original tale and the Perez reboot where the Amazons were previously subjugated and raped by Hercules and his men. Trot over the the Marvel Universe and the Hippolyta of that universe had a relationship with Hercules. Although very different from the one in the DC universe. The Marvel Herc is a bit of a goof and Hippolyta more vindictive against Herc for bedding her and leaving her to complete his 12 Labors.
So Brian Azzerello wants to pair Hippolyta with Zeus, doesn't even register on my radar as something to shake my fist at. Plenty of people have shipped Hippolyta with notable Greek figures through out many different incarnations. You and I are free to like and dislike which ones we choose.
Alright, you two, what are her actions?! What does she fight for?
I dropped the New 52 books rather quickly, but what little I read (and saw in the "JL: War" animated movie), she behaved like a klingon with a sword glued to her hand. She despises diplomacy and seeks violent battle to kill her opponents. This is almost a complete reverse of what Wonder Woman was before.
I have come to the conclusion that, with her completely new origin and her completely new personality, the New 52 version is a completely different character and not the proper Wonder Woman. Thus, I won't waste my money on the comics, and should the movies really take their cues from that version instead of the proper one, I'm not gonna waste my money on those, either. You guys have fun with Wonder-Woman-in-name-only, but I'm out.
The first one only works if you remove the Amazon aspect. WW being an Amazon is her "alien". Her "parents die" moment is the arrival of Steve Trevor.Okay, you know what, I'll make it very, very simple to you: Imagine DC decided that their official Superman didn't come from another planet, after all. Imagine DC telling us that Batman's parents did not die at all. Now, if you can imagine the outrage over that, add to it a gender-political level, and you may begin to understand.
The first one only works if you remove the Amazon aspect. WW being an Amazon is her "alien". Her "parents die" moment is the arrival of Steve Trevor.Okay, you know what, I'll make it very, very simple to you: Imagine DC decided that their official Superman didn't come from another planet, after all. Imagine DC telling us that Batman's parents did not die at all. Now, if you can imagine the outrage over that, add to it a gender-political level, and you may begin to understand.
I grew up in the time where "imaginary stories" were common. I've read countless twists on Superman, so I'm not phased too much when change happens to him or any superhero. Byrne's Man of Steel is my preferred take on Superman, but I'm cool with what came before and after ( except Birthright WTF was that???The first one only works if you remove the Amazon aspect. WW being an Amazon is her "alien". Her "parents die" moment is the arrival of Steve Trevor.Okay, you know what, I'll make it very, very simple to you: Imagine DC decided that their official Superman didn't come from another planet, after all. Imagine DC telling us that Batman's parents did not die at all. Now, if you can imagine the outrage over that, add to it a gender-political level, and you may begin to understand.
You really try hard, I grant you, but seriously, being alien is Superman's origin. Being shaped out of clay and granted life by Aphrodite is Wonder Woman's. The comparison still stands.
But okay, let's say Superman is alien, but he didn't come from Krypton. Or Krypton was never destroyed. That's even better, because one of the never-made movie scripts in the early 2000s featured that, and every review on the internet on that particular script complained about that very aspect, and I have yet to come across anybody who thought that was a good idea.
You really try hard, I grant you, but seriously, being alien is Superman's origin. Being shaped out of clay and granted life by Aphrodite is Wonder Woman's. The comparison still stands.
But okay, let's say Superman is alien, but he didn't come from Krypton. Or Krypton was never destroyed. That's even better, because one of the never-made movie scripts in the early 2000s featured that, and every review on the internet on that particular script complained about that very aspect, and I have yet to come across anybody who thought that was a good idea.
I agree with Kai. The point of Wonder Woman's origin is that she is a product entirely of female origin in order to show that the feminine can produce strength and power just as well as the male world. DC went with normalizing the character by giving her a father, even one step further, a father far more powerful than the mother. The mother and the Amazons have been devalued to a race of misanthropes who murder their mates, trade male children for guns, and have no real redeeming qualities. Her greatest training has come from Ares, another powerful male and has taken on his mantel, all the while the mother is a largely background and irrelevant character.You really try hard, I grant you, but seriously, being alien is Superman's origin. Being shaped out of clay and granted life by Aphrodite is Wonder Woman's. The comparison still stands.
But okay, let's say Superman is alien, but he didn't come from Krypton. Or Krypton was never destroyed. That's even better, because one of the never-made movie scripts in the early 2000s featured that, and every review on the internet on that particular script complained about that very aspect, and I have yet to come across anybody who thought that was a good idea.
To be fair, I think the "being made out of clay" things is more akin to whether Kal-El was born on Krypton, was a newborn when he left or a toddler or if was a genetic construct matrix thingy on board the pod and was "born" (decanted?) upon arriving on Earth.
Such details have been played with before in various re-tellings of the origin over the years.
Not that I'm crazy about the whole "Daughter of Zeus" idea. Honestly, I prefer the DCAU take where she is made of clay, but it's implied that *Hades* was Hippolyta's lover at the time and sculpted Diana with her. Adds a bit more pathos to the relationship IMO while staying true to the original story.
The first one only works if you remove the Amazon aspect. WW being an Amazon is her "alien". Her "parents die" moment is the arrival of Steve Trevor.
I grew up in the time where "imaginary stories" were common. I've read countless twists on Superman, so I'm not phased too much when change happens to him or any superhero. Byrne's Man of Steel is my preferred take on Superman, but I'm cool with what came before and after ( except Birthright WTF was that???But okay, let's say Superman is alien, but he didn't come from Krypton. Or Krypton was never destroyed. That's even better, because one of the never-made movie scripts in the early 2000s featured that, and every review on the internet on that particular script complained about that very aspect, and I have yet to come across anybody who thought that was a good idea.
The difference is you don't have to be a comic book fan to know Superman and Batman's origin story by now. Hardly anyone knows WW's, other than the fact she's an Amazon.
WW herself might be iconic, but her origin most definitely is not.
Of course its her "alien". Its what sets her apart from us human. She the product a immortal society of woman who live in a culture based on Ancient Greece and worship the Greek God.The first one only works if you remove the Amazon aspect. WW being an Amazon is her "alien". Her "parents die" moment is the arrival of Steve Trevor.
You know what, no. The Amazon aspect is not WW's "alien". It's her upbringing. As such, it would be equivalent to Superman being raised by the Kents. Being made out of clay clearly is WW's "alien".
Of course I know that. But other stories were not. What's canon now, might not be canon tomorrow. If you live long enough Wonder Woman won't have a daddy again.But okay, let's say Superman is alien, but he didn't come from Krypton. Or Krypton was never destroyed. That's even better, because one of the never-made movie scripts in the early 2000s featured that, and every review on the internet on that particular script complained about that very aspect, and I have yet to come across anybody who thought that was a good idea.I grew up in the time where "imaginary stories" were common. I've read countless twists on Superman, so I'm not phased too much when change happens to him or any superhero. Byrne's Man of Steel is my preferred take on Superman, but I'm cool with what came before and after ( except Birthright WTF was that???) Clay baby is a very minor part of WW's origin. Diana's Amazon background and connection the Greek Gods are much more important to her origins than clay baby.
You know, those were "imaginary stories", the early versions of the Elseworlds. I'd propably be able to ignore Zeus being WW's father, were it not canon. But DC decided that it is. You might say, well you decide for yourself what's canon to you, what's the true version. And yes, I do. Problem is, the publisher doesn't think so anymore, and the executive producer of the new movies, the first theatrical version of WW, don't think so.
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