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  1. #1
    Astonishing Member mathew101281's Avatar
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    Default Has Wonderwoman actually gained anything by loosing her Diana Prince alias?

    I’m not sure she really has in the long term.

  2. #2
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    I think the question is what did the Diana Prince alias add in the first place?

  3. #3
    Extraordinary Member kjn's Avatar
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    What Agent Z said. The original Marston stories probably only used the Diana Prince identity because it was expected of the superhero stories of its time, and as a way to insert cheap relationship drama akin to the Clark-Lois-Superman love triangle. Except for Clark and Superman, that drama meant something. It doesn't mean anything for Diana.

    But a secret identity makes very little sense for Diana's character and is directly counter-productive for her mission to Man's World.

    What I think she has lost is the a set of narrative conventions and tropes that have been well-understood by writers, but since those are shared by just about everyone superhero around, dropping all the pretenses seems to at least give some points for originality. That writers have a hard time wrapping themselves around the concept of a truly public superhero is on them, not Wonder Woman, especially when one considers that most every writer has trouble handling her as a character.
    «Speaking generally, it is because of the desire of the tragic poets for the marvellous that so varied and inconsistent an account of Medea has been given out» (Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History [4.56.1])

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by kjn View Post
    What Agent Z said. The original Marston stories probably only used the Diana Prince identity because it was expected of the superhero stories of its time, and as a way to insert cheap relationship drama akin to the Clark-Lois-Superman love triangle. Except for Clark and Superman, that drama meant something. It doesn't mean anything for Diana.

    But a secret identity makes very little sense for Diana's character and is directly counter-productive for her mission to Man's World.

    What I think she has lost is the a set of narrative conventions and tropes that have been well-understood by writers, but since those are shared by just about everyone superhero around, dropping all the pretenses seems to at least give some points for originality. That writers have a hard time wrapping themselves around the concept of a truly public superhero is on them, not Wonder Woman, especially when one considers that most every writer has trouble handling her as a character.
    Pretty much this.

    I'm still in favor of having the 'Diana Prince' identity in the event of Diana just needing a way to blend in without drawing too much attention to herself - either to go undercover or just to relax. It could also be her way of exploring life as an ordinary woman in 'Man's World' - the way some people believe Superman uses 'Clark Kent' to explore living a human life.

    But no, I don't think 'Diana Prince' is fundamental to the Wonder Woman mythos the way Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent are to Batman and Superman respectively.

  5. #5
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    She never needed to disguise herself as diana prince.
    A lesbian Amazon does not pretend to be a mortal woman to be close to a man.
    The whole point of the diana prince thing is totally wrong. It should be clear that diana does not need to be close to a oh so mighty american male soldier because she is not interested in males, she is not interested in america, she is not interested in any army.
    All that stuff has always been against the very concept of WW.
    So, good riddance, it was about time
    Last edited by Serpis; 10-20-2019 at 06:45 AM.

  6. #6
    Extraordinary Member Dr. Poison's Avatar
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    The only thing I can think of that losing the Diana Prince ID has gained Wonder Woman is more attacks at her place of residence.

    Diana Prince had a job, privacy, and a social life not ridden with paparazzi trying to get pictures and interviews from Diana.
    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.

  7. #7
    Extraordinary Member AmiMizuno's Avatar
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    More people being attacked due to her living around everything people. I wouldn’t mind. I mean if she needs to her money it could easily be from now Perez’s showed us. Also it terms of her living Situation. Maybe she somewhat makes her own version of the gate ? That no matter what the villains can’t find where she lives?

  8. #8
    Mighty Member Largo161's Avatar
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    Stiff pomposity where there used to be comic book fun.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Largo161 View Post
    Stiff pomposity where there used to be comic book fun.
    Best explanation.
    Last edited by Lex Luthor; 10-20-2019 at 10:13 AM.

  10. #10
    Astonishing Member Koriand'r's Avatar
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    I think the better question is "What has she lost?" what's missing now is the modest working woman who can let her hair down, put on a shiny suit and becomes a powerhouse and save the day. That dramatic transformation aspect is gone, along with it's "average Jane" wish fulfillment that many people connect to. So the anticipation that something great is about to occur and the tension of wondering when and how it's going to happen is lost, along with a sense of danger when she's imperiled.

    If everyday is Christmas it loses it's meaning and there's nothing really to look forward to. Most readers have gotten used to having their cake all the time without having to wait for it, which makes the cake a lot less special. They're forgetting that familiarity breeds contempt and absence makes the heart grow fonder.

    I found this post from Screen Rant interesting...

    "It's safe to say that no one thinks Clark Kent is super (except for maybe Martha). Bruce Wayne is more of a rich, arrogant jerk than an outstanding role model. One spends their day as a journalist to get near the action while acting as inept as possible. The other goes out of his way to personify a spoiled playboy. Overall, Batman and Superman do very little to inspire while disguised in their secret identities. Wonder Woman's alter-ego, on the other hand, is just as amazing as she is.

    In the Golden Age, Diana Prince started off as an army nurse. She then worked her way up as an OSS secretary and was promoted to a Lieutenant then Major of Army Intelligence. From there, she became a U.N. translator, a U.N. Crisis Bureau agent, an Air Force officer, a Pentagon liaison dedicated to preventing global disasters, and an astronaut. In the '60s, when she lost her powers, she opened up a trendy fashion boutique in New York's Greenwhich village. Whether that last one was an ill-guided character development is up for debate, but could you see Clark Kent running his own business? Know what happened when Bruce Wayne was left up to his own devices? Zur-En-Arrh.

    From secretary to humanitarian to astronaut, Wonder Woman's private identity has done just as much to help the world, albeit through somewhat less flashy (yet no less heroic) means."

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dr. Poison View Post
    The only thing I can think of that losing the Diana Prince ID has gained Wonder Woman is more attacks at her place of residence.

    Diana Prince had a job, privacy, and a social life not ridden with paparazzi trying to get pictures and interviews from Diana.
    Diana of Themyscira had a job, privacy, a social life with her friends when she wanted and frankly this idea she was constantly being hounded by the paparazzi is more head canon as opposed to what actually happened in the books. It doesn't happen nearly as often as people think.

  12. #12
    Astonishing Member Koriand'r's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Agent Z View Post
    Diana of Themyscira had a job, privacy, a social life with her friends when she wanted and frankly this idea she was constantly being hounded by the paparazzi is more head canon as opposed to what actually happened in the books. It doesn't happen nearly as often as people think.
    It happens enough that she doesn't have a normal life or meet anyone who doesn't already know who she is. Anonymity and a semblance of normalcy is something the Diana Prince identity provides. The novelty of her being a celebrity wore off a long time ago. She deserves to have some down time, along with safety and privacy in her own home.

    ww196.jpg

    ww 537607-0004.jpg

    ww jasons party.jpg

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by mathew101281 View Post
    I’m not sure she really has in the long term.
    At the time, I didn't think the loss of the Diana Prince persona was a big deal. In the mid-80s, I thought the idea of Diana embracing and being herself in the public eye was a fantastic choice. It was a simpler time in the world--social media wasn't a thing yet, there wasn't a 24-hour news cycle, and the paparazzi hadn't become so ravenous and relentless (the death of Princess Diana hadn't happened yet). The idea that Diana could and would be Diana--ambassador, princess, Wonder Woman--without secrets/lies really jived with the Lasso of Truth concept. The writers tried to play with what it meant to have such a public persona/celebrity, but not too much.

    But things have changed a lot since then. Social media is rampant, the 24-hour news cycle is numbing and relentless, and celebrity and paparazzi have spiraled out of control. What does it mean to be Wonder Woman in today's world all the time? How does this affect the people she's closest to? How does this limit how she can operate in the world? Would a secret identity now be helpful?

    I think there's a lot that the Diana Prince persona can add to the Wonder Woman mythology now than before. The secret identity trope in the golden/silver age was used for many reasons, not the least of which is love triangles. In the 21st century, Diana Prince can exist for other reasons, none of which is to get close to a man or for a job.

    While I thought the David Kelly pilot was not great, I felt his intention to have the Diana Prince persona be a chance for her to take a break from the celebrity/super-hero identity made sense.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Koriand'r View Post
    It happens enough that she doesn't have a normal life or meet anyone who doesn't already know who she is. Anonymity and a semblance of normalcy is something the Diana Prince identity provides. The novelty of her being a celebrity wore off a long time ago. She deserves to have some down time, along with safety and privacy in her own home.

    ww196.jpg

    ww 537607-0004.jpg

    ww jasons party.jpg
    Well I'd imagine she'd be able to have safety and privacy in her own home when her idiot brother isn't inviting strangers to her house for a party she was neither told about not approved of. Fortunately with Jason in limbo (permanently I hope), that won't be an issue anymore. The other two instances weren't even in her house and were pretty much inconsequential to her anyway.

    Why is it that the novelty of her being a celebrity (which isn't even why the secret identity was removed) is gone but making her live a double life like 90% of superheroes in the DC universe is supposed to suddenly be refreshing? We had the Diana Prince identity for 44 years, it's been featured in other media and was brought back in the comics twice. It doesn't bring anything new to the table that we haven't already seen from either WW or other superheroes.

    I also don't get why the onus is on Diana to lie about who she is to have her privacy respected or for other people to treat her like a human being. Frankly, that says more about other people than it does her.
    Last edited by Agent Z; 10-21-2019 at 08:43 PM.

  15. #15
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    Scans daily has a summary of an interview Brian Michael Bendis gave on Word Balloon. Here's what was said about secret identities.

    https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/8564598.html#cutid1

    * Talking with people made him realize just how much the very concept of the secret identity has fallen out of the pop culture discussion thanks to the MCU, and how the primary equivalent cultural association these days is anonymous folks online where that often manifests in far more troubling ways (not that he considers that at all an equivalent to superhero secret identities, but that it's a huge association now).
    Seems like a good reason for Diana not to have one (not like there aren't plenty of other reasons).

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