Marston's Magic Lasso vs the Lasso of Truth

[Zahina]

Hardly. She has plenty of enemies who are fast enough to avoid getting lassoed in combat. Writers can dream up any number of excuses for why she just didn't manage to bring the Lasso to bear in time.

Then there's the whole idea that Diana has a personal honor code for when and where she uses it. Robbing people of their free will is something Diana doesn't take lightly, so it's rarely something she just does right off the bat.

Good point. Just wondering, do you think Wonder Woman should have magic powers?

[Geraldofrivia]

Honestly, I would like the lasso to have mind control ability, the catch being Diana will not use mind control powers because it is unethical. This will make lasso much more OP object that villains will like to get.

[Vanguard-01]

Good point. Just wondering, do you think Wonder Woman should have magic powers?

Well technically, she's a magical creature, so ALL of her powers are magical.

Should she be able to cast spells, Zatanna-style? I don't think so. If she can do magic it should mostly be ritual stuff that's tied into her worship of the gods. She might be able to persuade Zeus to blast an enemy with lightning from time to time. She might be able to get Athena to intercede on her behalf in some circumstances. Stuff like that.

Honestly, I would like the lasso to have mind control ability, the catch being Diana will not use mind control powers because it is unethical. This will make lasso much more OP object that villains will like to get.

That's another good point. Diana rarely uses the mind control aspect, and even when she does use it, she limits herself greatly on what she will do.

A villain would use her Lasso to dominate and humiliate his or her enemies. Diana rarely uses it for anything more than ending fights and getting information out of people. This leads to villains who view Diana as weak for having such a formidable power and only using it's most basic applications.

[AmiMizuno]

I think she should be able to magic blast people. Due to the amazons magically nature I do think some amazons should have magically aspect.

[Vanguard-01]

I think she should be able to magic blast people. Due to the amazons magically nature I do think some amazons should have magically aspect.

Yeah, I'd be okay with her gaining a blast power on par with Superman's.

The Amazons should definitely have mystics. Themiscyra should be "Wakanda, but with magic" as far as I'm concerned.

[kjn]

Yeah, I'd be okay with her gaining a blast power on par with Superman's.

One thing I liked with the movie was that Diana won by absorbing Ares's lightning attack and returning it against him. In some stories I think she has been able to show control over bullets that she deflects, and this would be an expansion of that. It would also fit with the idea of Diana as a reactive fighter, who doesn't use more force than needed or than her opponent applies.

[Vanguard-01]

One thing I liked with the movie was that Diana won by absorbing Ares's lightning attack and returning it against him. In some stories I think she has been able to show control over bullets that she deflects, and this would be an expansion of that. It would also fit with the idea of Diana as a reactive fighter, who doesn't use more force than needed or than her opponent applies.

Yeah, when one really looks at Diana's concept as a character, it really seems like she should have more of a "soft" fighting style. If she's serious about preferring to resolve conflicts peacefully, then when she does find herself forced to fight, she should just about always be looking to de-escalate the situation.

No sword. No preemptive strikes unless lives are on the line. Fighting style probably more resembles Aikido or Judo. And she should be pretty much constantly inviting her opponents to calm down and talk this out.

Obviously, that's not quite as dynamic and exciting as big, high-octane super-brawls, which is why it's not used. But at the end of the day, that's definitely more in keeping with the "warrior for peace" concept. Of comics ever return to their original status as morality takes, perhaps it would fit then. You don't read Wonder Woman if you're looking for super-powered beatdown, just like you don't read Superman if you're into the "might makes right" mentality.

[kjn]

Yeah, when one really looks at Diana's concept as a character, it really seems like she should have more of a "soft" fighting style. If she's serious about preferring to resolve conflicts peacefully, then when she does find herself forced to fight, she should just about always be looking to de-escalate the situation.

I think I'd use "prefer" rather than "have". Given her background, and her canonicity as the most capable melee fighter in the DCU, I believe she should be just as capable of a hard aggressive style as a more soft and fluid one. Have some of the other master martial artists point out that's what they find really scary about her: the ability to switch from one to the other without warning.

No sword. No preemptive strikes unless lives are on the line. Fighting style probably more resembles Aikido or Judo. And she should be pretty much constantly inviting her opponents to calm down and talk this out.

At least no sword in the normal case. And if she takes the sword, she should take a shield as well. Classical age combat always had the sword used in conjunction with a shield. (In fact, I think Wonder Woman should be well-versed in both axe and shield, spear and shield, and sword and shield.) I think a sword has its place in her arsenal, and she'd bring it to problems like in Wonder Woman #52 and #53, but other than that, she uses her bracelets and lasso (whether it's the Magic Lasso or the Lasso of Truth).

[AmiMizuno]

Why can’t her bracelet also work as a shield? That she can summon a shield from her bracelet. She was able to do that before when crossing her bracelets. Why not have it be that she can actually summon one at anytime? I kind of like the idea of new 52 of Diana being able to summon weapons. But instead of it being due to her Demi goddesses power it’s more of magical storage. That amazons can storage weapons in their bracelets and summon them.

[kjn]

Depending on how things play out, a shield can offer the following advantages over the bracelets.

Sheer size. The bracelets are, what, 10 inches long by 2 inches wide? In comparison, even a shield will be at least 20 inches in diameter, but likely around 30. Sheer size means it is more useful when protecting against many simultaneous attacks, or when trying to cover allies.

The type of sword that Wonder Woman is usually depicted with is designed and developed to be used in conjunction with a shield (thus the relatively short length, the lack of a big or elaborate guard, and preferably the short grip), that amongst other things is used to protect the shield hand during attacks.

A shield can be quite useful as a bludgeoning weapon, as shown in the movie. In fact, as a pure bludgeoning device for subduing someone, a shield is probably superior to the flat of a sword. (Of course, Diana's preferred weapon there should be her lasso, but she didn't initially train with the goal of wielding a magic lasso.)

[richalex]

Diana's bracelets will and should always offer the best protect courtesy of the Aegis Effect (It should still be a thing.) Nothing should get past or through them when crossed. She doesn't need an actual shield other for ceremonial purposes as she is Amazon and should have full Armor and weapons.

They can also bludgeon someone as she did when she slammed them together fighting Superman and made him deaf for a bit.

[VonHammersmark]

Wonder Woman doesn’t really need a shield, or the aegis effect, because she’s got a perfectly good pair of iconic bracelets and the length of her arms actually cover a wider area whilst not blocking her line of sight so she can protect more people with them

[AmiMizuno]

Not that large. I don't know Since the Amazons are magically humans should some be able to create magically shield? That her bracelets could create shields?She never needs to carry a real one because she can summon. Kind of like Steven Universe. It's a real shield but it's magically

[Incognito]

I prefer the Lasso of Truth because it attunes to who WW really is, a symbol of truth, she can use the Lasso to use on people to reveal truths, get rid of illusions, mind control and removing possessions. I think the Lasso of Truth should have an ability to mentally project false information around them to know that they are not true and another ability is to see/perceive the true, inner self of themselves and others, what they truly wish, what they need, without the masks and personas that a recipient wears due to societal pressures. Even knowing things that they themselves do/did not know.

The Lasso of Truth not also can be a device for helping people but it could also be used as a weapon, for example, she could implant and erase memories, can make the truth into a lie or make a lie into the truth. I don't see WW using the darker side of the Lasso of Truth unless she really needed too.

Good point. Just wondering, do you think Wonder Woman should have magic powers?

For some reason I felt that if WW was a spellcaster with the addition of her existing powers it would be too much because not only she is the best fighter in the DCU but she is almost as strong as Superman and she does not have any notable weaknesses, before WW inclusion in the JLDark and exploring more of the magical side of the DCU, I wanted Aquaman to be the Justice Leaguer to use magic because he is from Atlantis, the central point of Earth's magic. I don't see Wonder Woman as a spellcaster she is in more in the line of Samurai Jack and Finn the Human, humans who happened to use magical weapons, but I think she should use theurgy, where she can call upon the Greek gods to perform miracles and enhancing her existing power. Magic has a price and gods, demons and spirits don't give powers for free so they will demand something in return.

[Powerboy]

I prefer it makes people tell the truth including not allowing them to remain silent when asked a question. It has to have a little mind control otherwise some of the more powerful ones would throw the lasso off or something. So it has to compel them to stand still and not fight to get free. But I'd prefer it can't force them to obey orders beyond that.