Warning: Spoilers for Wonder Woman #13!Wonder Womanhas many powers, and although slapping away bullets with her golden bracelets isn’t exactly one of them, I see it as the most iconic image for the Amazon hero. It displays her strength, her prowess, and also her courage in the face of death. And yet, when she has no powers and accomplishes this feat anyway, I finally start to understand just what this power means and how it’s essential to Wonder Woman lore.
DC’s massiveAbsolute Powereventis nearing its climax, and it seems the heroes of DC are gaining back their ground. Deep inside a Task Force X prison with Steve Trevor and Robin, Wonder Woman breaks out a host of de-powered heroes inWonder Woman#13 by Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Leonardo Paciarotti, and Clayton Cowles. The only problem is that she has to make a stand against soldiers with guns, having no superpowers herself.
Wonder Woman batting away bullets with her bracelets is an iconic image in pop culture history, but now it’s been flipped on its head as she does the famous move without the help of her powers,succeeding but ultimately breaking her arms in the process.
Wonder Woman’s Iconic Feat Gets a Dark Twist
Wonder Woman Deflects Bullets With Ease
It’s no surprise that a superpowered Wonder Woman can move fast enough tocatch bullets with her iconic bracelets. But when she does the same thing with normal human strength, lacking her own Amazon strength after it was depleted by an Amaso robot, I really see how powerful she is. I guess I always assumed she just had magical bracelets that were so strong they deflected bullets -I didn’t realize it was Wonder Woman’s very strength that was repelling bullets in the first place.
I think that is Wonder Woman’s greatest power: not catching bullets with bracelets, but being strong enough to keep standing even when she’s broken.
Not only does Wonder Woman move with enough speed to catch a bullet, which is a godlike feat in the first place, but her arms are strong enough to repel the blast, sending shockwaves down her bones that nearly shatter them. Still, Wonder Woman stands and faces her enemies in this issue, holding her sword high even though her arms are practically broken. I think that is Wonder Woman’s greatest power: not catching bullets with bracelets, but beingstrong enough to keep standing even when she’s broken.Truly, she is one ofthe most badass fighters in DC Comics.
Wonder Woman Is a Goddess With or Without Her Powers
Diana Will Break Her Own Arms to Save the Day
Wonder Woman’s iconic lassoisn’t the only thing getting a new definition of its power. Superman, of course, isn’t affected by bullets, as he’s the Man of Steel. Wonder Woman goes a step further and actively deflects the bullets in a much more active (and much cooler) way. The bullets just fall from Superman’s chest; Wonder Woman moves with speed and strength, and having no superpowers doesn’t stop her either.Without her powers, Wonder Woman is still a goddess.
The Origin of The Trinity: DC Reveals The Moment That Bonded Superman, Wonder Woman & Batman
Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman unveil the official origin story of the Justice League’s Trinity, hinting at more early adventures to come.
Even when her powers return to her, I will remember this moment and see how much it costs Diana to be Wonder Woman. It’s not just bulletproof bracelets doing the heavy lifting but strength enough to stop bullets in their tracks, no matter how much it hurts her. Superpowered or not, it’s feats like these that truly make Diana the one and onlyWonder Woman.
Wonder Woman#13is available now from DC Comics!
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is the superhero identity of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. Created on the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is a super-powered demi-goddess with extreme physical strength who utilizes magical gifts (like her famous Lasso of Truth) to defeat her foes. As mighty as her fellow heroes Superman and the Justice League, Wonder Woman is unmatched in her compassion and virtue.
