DC Reveals That Wonder Woman Hates the Gods (And I Understand Why)

Wonder Woman is known for her relationship to divinities, but that doesn’t mean she likes it. Wonder Woman #20 is godly murder mystery, as Hippolyta is accused of Ares’s murder. This leads Wonder Woman to calling in Batman, the two of them working together to solve the crime. Wonder Woman has been going through a tough time lately — her battle with the Sovereign is over but readers have seen the terrible future that is the Wonder War — and having to deal with the Greek Gods isn’t exactly fun for her right now. Wonder Woman #20 lays out her anger at the rules of Olympus almost from the beginning. After an interrogation of Dionysus, Wonder Woman reveals her true feelings on the gods she’s served nearly her entire life — Wonder Woman hates the gods.

This makes a lot of sense. Wonder Woman talked about how the gods use mortals for their own play, something that is true in basically every religion. Wonder Woman is a person who is defined by her love of the people around her, both her friends and just the common person on the street. Wonder Woman has seen the gods do amazing things, but she’s also seen them do the worst things imaginable. Looking at Wonder Woman’s history, she has been given plenty of reasons to hate the divine.

Wonder Woman’s Life Has Been Defined by the Gods’ Hubris

It all starts when Wonder Woman and Batman are asked to make a sacrifice before they can see Zeus, who sent for them. Wonder Woman is not happy about this whole situation, and ends up punching the major domo who asks for it, his blood the sacrifice to Zeus. Later, she helps Batman interrogate Dionysus, beating the god of pleasure, with Batman promising the pain will end when Dionysus gives them the info they want. We have seen Wonder Woman punch gods before, but that was usually in situations where they were doing something evil. Wonder Woman’s disgust with the rules of the gods is seemingly new, but it’s been a long time coming. Wonder Woman’s life has seen her at the mercy of the gods many times. The best way to make a modern audience understand this is that the gods are basically rich oligarchs. They demand that we follow the rules while also breaking every rule and law in their way to make more money. Wonder Woman has been dealing with the gods’ stupidity and greed, their insistent need for love and praise, and is completely and totally tired of it. Anyone would be.

RELATED: This May Be Wonder Woman’s Most Underappreciated Era (And It’s Her Coolest)

Most fans think of Ares’s actions when they think of reasons for why Wonder Woman should hate the gods, but as always with Greek myth, Zeus is the biggest problem. The portrayal of Zeus in Wonder Woman #20 is basically that of a bored king, one who knows they have the ultimate power. There’s a smarmy feel to Zeus right from the beginning, something that fits what DC fans know of the god from stories like Wonder Woman: Historia: The Amazons. Every god comes off as a foolish hedonist, and that’s about right. Gods are always a difficult thing in human culture; they are often the source of great gifts for humanity, yet they are also the source of pain as well. Zeus is a child with no impulse control. Odin manipulates everyone whenever he can. Even the Christian God has decided that those who have faith in him need to suffer. Wonder Woman is a character defined by her love, but the gods? They are defined by our love for them, and in return they give us the most terrible things in life. Are they worthy of worship or disdain? Wonder Woman has chosen disdain, and I completely understand it.

Wonder Woman’s Hatred of the Gods Is Well-Earned

Wonder Woman has been one of the biggest defenders of the gods in the DC Universe, and most would assume that her relationship with them was, at least, cordial. However, Wonder Woman grew up in a culture that’s genesis involved a war against Zeus for the right to exist. Wonder Woman’s hatred of the gods comes from years of watching them do the most terrible things for their own aggrandizement. And she’s right.

Nearly every human religion has shown that gods are fickle. They desire worship and entertainment, and that’s all humans are for. We pray and we suffer in their games. For someone like Wonder Woman, who knows the gods are real and loves humans, this is a terrible state of events. Wonder Woman is the gods’ greatest defender, yet she would see everyone of them gone given the chance.

Wonder Woman #20 is on sale now.

The post DC Reveals That Wonder Woman Hates the Gods (And I Understand Why) appeared first on ComicBook.com.