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DC Finally Remembered Part of Wonder Woman’s Lore They’ve Ignored For a Decade
Wonder Woman is one of the most popular superheroes in the world. Everyone knows who the Princess of the Amazons is and that she stands for peace, truth, and a better world. She was raised in paradise, but willingly came to Man’s World to guide people towards a way of life that didn’t involve bloodshed or pain. Even on a mission of peace, Wonder Woman is, of course, ready to fight anything that threatens innocent lives and is more than strong enough to keep the world safe. However, as well-known as Wonder Woman is, there’s one major aspect of her character that DC revealed ten years ago, but practically refuses to acknowledge.
While her best-known romances are with Steve Trevor and, to a lesser extent, Superman, Wonder Woman is actually bisexual. This was revealed during Greg Rucka’s run on Wonder Woman (2016), where she discussed leaving behind Kasia, whom she was with until she left Themyscira. While this has been a prevalent part of her character in various Elseworlds since then, it’s nearly never acknowledged in the Prime Universe. While that hasn’t changed, it is being pushed to the forefront like never before in a comic that has almost as much impact. Absolute Wonder Woman’s newest storyline is here, and Diana’s feelings are a major part of it.
Two Witches and Visions of Aphrodite
Absolute Wonder Woman #16 kicked off with Wonder Woman dreaming of Aphrodite visiting her when she was a child. The Goddess of Love stopped visiting Diana before any of the other goddesses, but she left an impression on the Princess of Hell, who agreed that love was the most dangerous and powerful force in the world. A sinking feeling in her gut, Diana attended an event celebrating the opening of the Amazon exhibit at the Gateway City Natural History Museum. Without warning, Diana collapsed and had another vision of Aphrodite. She shot back up, and the wall exploded. In strutted Zatanna, accompanied by Area 41’s Suicide Squad.
In a previous issue, Zatanna’s astral form appeared to Wonder Woman and bound her with a spell that let her control Diana’s magic. Now, Wonder Woman couldn’t do anything as Zatanna wrapped her in magical ropes, flirting the entire time. Zatanna flaunted her newfound power courtesy of Wonder Woman’s magic, while Diana simply stared at the other woman, blushing. It doesn’t take a literature degree to read the obvious undertones here, especially when Diana called Zatanna beautiful after their first meeting. This is clearly playing into Diana’s saphic feelings, but while it’s finally exploring this underutilized part of her character, it is setting up a great story on the power of love.
The Dangers of Love
Aphrodite’s presence indicates that not all is as it seems in this story. Even before the battle with Zatanna started, Diana called out how the public’s adoration was an intoxicating and dangerous thing. It was tempting to simply do what would make them continue to love her. Then there’s Zatanna’s arrival, where Wonder Woman didn’t blush until Zatanna had already bound her. While this could easily be caused just by Zatanna being close, the way that Diana’s eyes lit up along with Zatanna’s magic could imply that there is a bit of control going on. After all, Zatanna did specify that her spell let her control Diana’s voice. Who knows how much of that extends to her thoughts.
The more likely answer, however, is that Diana is simply harboring a small crush on the beautiful, evil witch. Zatanna could manipulate this, either with magic or actions, which would perfectly play into the theme of the power and danger of love. The Cheetah being there also raises a different perspective on this. Barbara Minerva isn’t this universe’s Cheetah yet, but she might just sacrifice herself to this curse to save Diana out of love, leading to her inevitable downfall.
At the end of the day, Wonder Woman has always been intimately tied to the idea of love. Her best stories focus on how she is a symbol of love of all kinds. This makes the fact that a piece of her own love has been pushed aside so often a travesty. While Absoltue Wonder Woman isn’t the mainline character, this version has an insane amount of reach, and is doing exactly what it should by embracing this part of Diana. Regardless of what happens with this story, seeing Diana actually be bisexual is a great moment for fans who have desperately been asking for it.
Absolute Wonder Woman #16 is on sale now!
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