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  1. #1
    Incredible Member Geraldofrivia's Avatar
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    Default Should DC bring back Diana's secret identity?

    The fictional career of Diana Prince evolved over the years, from the original Army nurse to become a military intelligence officer (promoted to higher ranks), then later a civilian employee, businesswoman, astronaut, or staff member at the United Nations, etc.
    Should DC bring back her secret identity so that she can learn what is to like to live in Man's World?

  2. #2
    Astonishing Member LordUltimus's Avatar
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    Have it as part of her history, and leave it free for her to use when she'd like to take a break.

    I'd be interested in her being a professor at Holliday College, in history or feminist theory.

  3. #3
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    She never needed a secret identity to learn what it was like to live in man’s world. She had it because everyone was doing it. So my answer is no.

  4. #4
    Ultimate Member SiegePerilous02's Avatar
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    I don't see a space or necessity for it in current continuity. Year One was the place to establish it, but that's come and gone and Godwatch showed she never went about getting it or had reason to.

    If we utilize an immortal Wonder Woman like in the films who debuts sometime during WWI or WWII and lives in Man's World away from the Amazons for several decades, I'd be fine with her adopting it for privacy and working in several different occupations.

  5. #5
    Extraordinary Member Dr. Poison's Avatar
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    Yes, please. A huge amount of story potential was lost when they axed Diana Prince.
    Currently(or soon to be) Reading: Alan Scott: Green Lantern, Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Jay Garrick: The Flash, Justice Society of America, Power Girl, Superman, Shazam, Titans, Wesley Dodds: Sandman, Wonder Woman, & World's Finest: Teen Titans.

  6. #6
    Extraordinary Member kjn's Avatar
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    I agree that there is little need for a secret identity for Diana. Having a civilian identity is one thing, that I can see, used for regular travel, hotel bookings, purchases, and so on. But her secret identity in the 40s seems to have more come from the idea that superheroes should have a secret identity, not from any study of the actual character.

    Diana did not grow up in her civilian (or secret) identity. She grew up as an Amazon; already there she is really different from Superman or Flash. She was sent to Man's World to act as an ambassador (or envoy), representative, teacher, and maybe most of all example. She is also by all accounts either a terrible liar or unable to tell untruths.

    I can see her having a discreet civil identity, like she does in the Justice League the movie, but she won't have any permanent secret identity. It's more a matter of convenience than necessity.
    Last edited by kjn; 11-03-2018 at 11:11 AM.

  7. #7
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    I'd be fine if she used the Diana Prince name when she's not running around doing superheroic stuff, but does she really need a secret identity? Personally, I don't think so, and I can't think of it making the character more interesting either. I'm fine with leaving it by the wayside.

  8. #8
    Mighty Member Fuzzy Mittens's Avatar
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    Honestly I see little reason for her not to have it. While Perez made disgarding it work, its been a big hurdle for later takes on the character that has been outright detrimental to her characterization.

    The fact is that while Wonder Woman has gone through a rotating supporting cast over the years, the amount of supporting characters she has in recent years has shrunk considerably. Its telling that to name some of the more iconic runs in post crisis the supporting cast consisted of
    Simone: a military guy and some gorillas
    Rucka 1: Some Amazons
    Azarello: a pregnant woman and a son of zeus
    Finch: An amazon and Donna Troy
    Rucka 2: Steve, Etta, and Cheetah
    Fontana: Steve and Etta
    Robinson: Steve and dumb brother
    Orlando: Aztec, Atalanta, and Artemis

    As it is, nowadays writers have reasoned that since she does not have a secret identity then she does not have a life. Thus theres never a moment where she has down time beyond flashbacks of her childhood so any supporting cast she has only exist to join her in non stop action scenes. Gone are the days of olde where she would chat up a publicist spend her time with professors and the educated sort. No more is the time when she would make regular visits to the Holliday college to hang out with Etta and the other sority members of Beeta Lamda. Gone are the Amazons who she would hang out with for fun or other supporting characters.

    And frankly its not to surprising because that sort of things become a bit of a dull trend in comics in recent years where instead of engaging storylines it is one big dumb action scene that melts into another big dumb action scene with no time for plot development because we need a twelve issue arc about X threat where thousands die and nothing will be the same again until the next arc where all the events of the previous are ignored and forgotten.

  9. #9
    Extraordinary Member AmiMizuno's Avatar
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    I wouldn’t mind if Diana Prince was more for her to Civilan is. When she wants to do many other things without having to be Wonder Woman. I mean what if she uses her home to taken in abused women. She doesn’t wasn’t people to know Wonder Woman is doing this because it would cause issues. I would say most of her inner Circle knows who she is. It’s secret to the public. She doesn’t always want to be followed.

  10. #10
    Astonishing Member Koriand'r's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SiegePerilous02 View Post
    I don't see a space or necessity for it in current continuity. Year One was the place to establish it, but that's come and gone and Godwatch showed she never went about getting it or had reason to.

    If we utilize an immortal Wonder Woman like in the films who debuts sometime during WWI or WWII and lives in Man's World away from the Amazons for several decades, I'd be fine with her adopting it for privacy and working in several different occupations.
    The Diana Prince identity was established in Rebirth, it was her name as a mental patient in Nightsong Hospital (she also wore all white *smile*).

    The reason why it was necessary in the Golden Age was because it kept her close to Steve Trevor and the war effort.

    The reason why it's necessary now is so she can blend in as a regular person sometimes and not be only a super-powered celebrity. It's also essential for business purposes. Everyone has to pay taxes and for that she'd need a legal name. "Princess Diana of Themyscira" is a lot to fit on a form.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzy Mittens View Post
    Honestly I see little reason for her not to have it. While Perez made disgarding it work, its been a big hurdle for later takes on the character that has been outright detrimental to her characterization.

    The fact is that while Wonder Woman has gone through a rotating supporting cast over the years, the amount of supporting characters she has in recent years has shrunk considerably. Its telling that to name some of the more iconic runs in post crisis the supporting cast consisted of
    Simone: a military guy and some gorillas
    Rucka 1: Some Amazons
    Azarello: a pregnant woman and a son of zeus
    Finch: An amazon and Donna Troy
    Rucka 2: Steve, Etta, and Cheetah
    Fontana: Steve and Etta
    Robinson: Steve and dumb brother
    Orlando: Aztec, Atalanta, and Artemis

    As it is, nowadays writers have reasoned that since she does not have a secret identity then she does not have a life. Thus theres never a moment where she has down time beyond flashbacks of her childhood so any supporting cast she has only exist to join her in non stop action scenes. Gone are the days of olde where she would chat up a publicist spend her time with professors and the educated sort. No more is the time when she would make regular visits to the Holliday college to hang out with Etta and the other sority members of Beeta Lamda. Gone are the Amazons who she would hang out with for fun or other supporting characters.

    And frankly its not to surprising because that sort of things become a bit of a dull trend in comics in recent years where instead of engaging storylines it is one big dumb action scene that melts into another big dumb action scene with no time for plot development because we need a twelve issue arc about X threat where thousands die and nothing will be the same again until the next arc where all the events of the previous are ignored and forgotten.
    Here’s the thing; they tried bringing back the secret identity during the Heinberg/Picoult runs. And she had even less of a life when they did. She went from being an ambassador who was friends with two archeologists, being an ambassador to man’s world, and having all the connections that entailed… to being a member of a clandestine government intelligence agency and having only a sexist jackass who treated her like dirt for a close companion. That is what came out of DC thinking she didn’t have a life because she didn’t have a secret identity. They decided to fix it by making her far more isolated than she’s ever been and once again discarded her previous supporting cast.

    The idea that Diana doesn’t have social life because she lacks a secret identity is not only disproven by Rucka, Perez, Jiminez and Simone it’s been shown that a secret identity doesn’t give you one either. How often do you see Batman associating with anyone that isn’t another superhero? The issue isn’t Diana lacking a supporting cast. The issue is DC playing darts with her continuity as usual.

  12. #12
    Extraordinary Member kjn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzy Mittens View Post
    Honestly I see little reason for her not to have it. While Perez made disgarding it work, its been a big hurdle for later takes on the character that has been outright detrimental to her characterization.
    I think you're reasoning ahead of the evidence here.

    Yes, Diana is seldom shown with a private or domestic life, but how often is it shown with the other DC characters? Also, does she need a secret identity to have a private life? Rucka's first run had her writing a book, going on tour, and managing an embassy. Rucka's second run had a romance with Steve Trevor and working to create a place in Man's World. Fontana had her going to a wedding in Etta's family, and assisting a convalescent Etta. Orlando had one issue with her working to rehabilitate Mayfly.

    I'd say Diana probably has more of a domestic life shown in comics than most other superheroes, but we don't recognise it in the same way because there is no label attached to it.

    Meanwhile, the Diana Prince identity in the Golden Age was mostly used to create a neverending stupid romantic subplot with Steve Trevor. Good riddance to that, I say.

  13. #13
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    I don't think it needs to be a SECRET identity, but "Diana Prince" is an important part of WW history. If you go outside of the comics in the 1974 TV movie with Cathy Lee Crosby, there is a scene where she checks into a hotel as Diana Prince, but the bad guys recognize her as Wonder Woman and even refer to her as WW. Heck, by the end of the second season of Lynda Carter's show, she had pretty much stopped wearing glasses when she was DP. And even though the characters continued to act like DP and WW were two different people, I could have accepted the fact that it was an "open secret" if they had opted to play it that way. In WW's first big-screen movie, she is referred to as "Miss Prince" when Gal Gadot gets off the plane to go fight Doomsday. As far as I'm concerned "Diana Prince" is more of a "civilian identity" than a "secret identity."
    Last edited by The I.A.D.C.; 11-03-2018 at 12:21 PM.

  14. #14
    Incredible Member Geraldofrivia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzy Mittens View Post
    Honestly I see little reason for her not to have it. While Perez made disgarding it work, its been a big hurdle for later takes on the character that has been outright detrimental to her characterization.

    The fact is that while Wonder Woman has gone through a rotating supporting cast over the years, the amount of supporting characters she has in recent years has shrunk considerably. Its telling that to name some of the more iconic runs in post crisis the supporting cast consisted of
    Simone: a military guy and some gorillas
    Rucka 1: Some Amazons
    Azarello: a pregnant woman and a son of zeus
    Finch: An amazon and Donna Troy
    Rucka 2: Steve, Etta, and Cheetah
    Fontana: Steve and Etta
    Robinson: Steve and dumb brother
    Orlando: Aztec, Atalanta, and Artemis

    As it is, nowadays writers have reasoned that since she does not have a secret identity then she does not have a life. Thus theres never a moment where she has down time beyond flashbacks of her childhood so any supporting cast she has only exist to join her in non stop action scenes. Gone are the days of olde where she would chat up a publicist spend her time with professors and the educated sort. No more is the time when she would make regular visits to the Holliday college to hang out with Etta and the other sority members of Beeta Lamda. Gone are the Amazons who she would hang out with for fun or other supporting characters.

    And frankly its not to surprising because that sort of things become a bit of a dull trend in comics in recent years where instead of engaging storylines it is one big dumb action scene that melts into another big dumb action scene with no time for plot development because we need a twelve issue arc about X threat where thousands die and nothing will be the same again until the next arc where all the events of the previous are ignored and forgotten.
    True, one of the major flaw of Wonder Woman comics have been no constant supporting characters and their evolving relationship with her.

  15. #15
    Astonishing Member LordUltimus's Avatar
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    Hey, remember how Diana got her identity in the Golden Age?
    dp001.jpg
    Could we involve this somehow? Like this was the Diana that got trained in Kung Fu by I-Ching or something, and she lets Diana pretend to be her sometimes?

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