Where should Diana's powers come from, and what should they be?

[Jcogginsa]

Diana's powers have had a lot of origins over the years. They've been Amazonian Martial Arts, blessings from the gods, outright divine lineage, etc. Which origin do you think works best.

Furthermore, what powers should she have at all? You can include what tools and gadgets she has as well

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For my money, I think the Amazonian training explanation works best with Diana's themes. Wonder Woman is about female empowerment, so having her powers stem from a source that any woman could gain access to and become empowered is logical.

Now as for what her powers should be, I'll cover the basic abilities first: Super Strength,Super Speed, and super toughness (With a singular exception to bullets due to magical reasons). No flight though, as it works best for that to be achieved through tools like the Jet or the winged armor.

Do to coming from a massively technologically advanced island, Diana is incredibly intelligent by the standards of man's world, though only slightly above average on Themyscira.

Her Amazonian martial arts gives her great skill in hand to hand combat, and excellent self control. It also grants her a degree of psychic powers, though she needs to use the mental radio to channel that into a useable form.

With the Mental Radio, she can listen to the hearts of creatures, allowing her to discern their feelings or any messages they're trying to send. The works on Animals, and even plants.

In terms of her other tools, she has the Lasso, which is another means of channeling her psychic abilities. She typically uses it to obtain the truth, but can also use it to issue commands in dire circumstances.

Her Bracelets allow her to do the Bullet deflecting trick, nothing much to say there.

She had the invisible jet, which has the shapeshifting abilities of the wonder dome.

[WonderLight789]

Why shouldn't she fly on her own? She has had that power for many decades now. And the weakness to bullets is not needed. In fact, there is potential for an arc where she overcomes that weakness via mental training, similar to how she gets her other powers via training. And with that, you can have another iconic moment of self empowerment and overcoming.

[Perseus]

Diana's powers should be gifts of the gods, when and how she gets them is up to interpretation. My personal belief is that she was innately blessed with them during her creation from clay but, she never really got to test the limitations or lack there of on the island. Only in the magic realms or cosmic space does she really get to cut loose her real power. She was created to be an equal to Superman, don't see how or why she can't be.

In terms of what god blessings/powers she should have...

• Demeter, goddess of the earth and harvest; Godlike strength and durability drawn by the primordial earth mother, Gaia. She also gets super breath due to her strong lungs and can hold her breath for days.
• Hermes, messenger of the gods and god of speed; Godlike speed and the ability to fly
• Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunt; eyes of the master huntress (Diana's insane reflexes and she can see atoms) , unity with nature/animals (Diana would have an encyclopedic knowledge of all plants and animals) , and her ability to talk with all animals.
• Apollo, god of the sun and healing; Godlike healing factor allowing Diana to heal from deadly wounds in minutes
• Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare; Great wisdom, a strong mind (how Diana can resist mental manipulation) , and the Grey eyes (like how Diomedes was blessed in the trojan war to see gods/souls and interact with them, Diana can also see and sense magic)
• Aphrodite, goddess of beauty; Stunning beauty (pretty self explanatory) and a source of love
• Hestia, goddess of the home and fire; unity with the flame of Olympus
• Zeus, king of the gods; unity with the eternal lightning
• Hecate, goddess of magic; the witch mark

The lightning and flame powers are magic and far more dangerous and power than anything in the natural universe. Her witch mark is something she needs to learn to control without losing control. Her witch mark gives her access to some of her older golden age powers like telepathy, teleportation, and astral perjection.

Diana's wisdom is said to be equal to Athena, so she would naturally excel at what Athena is known for... leadership, math, justice and law, medicine, crafts, war strategy, science, etc... so Diana is a nurse, lawyer, general and warrior, scientist, and ambassador all at the peak of their respective fields. She obviously spends an equal amount of time in the library studying as she does training on the field. Her smarts start as naturally gifted but, she still needs to grow and evolve and learn to get to that peak.

Equipment: Everything is made by Hephaestus using adamantine, amazonium, and Nth metal (except the lasso, lasso made by Hestia using the golden girdle of Gaia)

Champions armor (costume) - indestructible, fabric made from the Nemean lion's pelt, metal armor from adamantine, self repairing

Lasso - indestructible, has infinite length, revels the truth, commands people, manipulates souls, can channel magic
Bracelets - indestructible, creates a concussive blast when hit together, can redirect projectiles, can channel magic, can summon her sword and aegis
Royal tiara - indestructible, cuts electrons off atoms sharp, acts like a boomerang
(new) Royal belt - originally Hippolyta's belt from Ares, blessing of battle the longer you are in a fight the stronger and faster you get

Sword - indestructible, cuts atoms sharp, can channel magic, can be used two handed
Aegis - shield of Athena and Zeus, indestructible, possesses Medusa's head that turns mortals to stone can only be activated by the user

[Jcogginsa]

Why shouldn't she fly on her own? She has had that power for many decades now. And the weakness to bullets is not needed. In fact, there is potential for an arc where she overcomes that weakness via mental training, similar to how she gets her other powers via training. And with that, you can have another iconic moment of self empowerment and overcoming.

Because her being able to fly and being bulletproof don't add anything to her character and take away iconic parts of her. They make her less unique and more generic.

Diana's powers should be gifts of the gods, when and how she gets them is up to interpretation. My personal belief is that she was innately blessed with them during her creation from clay but, she never really got to test the limitations or lack there of on the island. Only in the magic realms or cosmic space does she really get to cut loose her real power. She was created to be an equal to Superman, don't see how or why she can't be.

In terms of what god blessings/powers she should have...

• Demeter, goddess of the earth and harvest; Godlike strength and durability drawn by the primordial earth mother, Gaia. She also gets super breath due to her strong lungs and can hold her breath for days.
• Hermes, messenger of the gods and god of speed; Godlike speed and the ability to fly
• Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunt; eyes of the master huntress (Diana's insane reflexes and she can see atoms) , unity with nature/animals (Diana would have an encyclopedic knowledge of all plants and animals) , and her ability to talk with all animals.
• Apollo, god of the sun and healing; Godlike healing factor allowing Diana to heal from deadly wounds in minutes
• Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare; Great wisdom, a strong mind (how Diana can resist mental manipulation) , and the Grey eyes (like how Diomedes was blessed in the trojan war to see gods/souls and interact with them, Diana can also see and sense magic)
• Aphrodite, goddess of beauty; Stunning beauty (pretty self explanatory) and a source of love
• Hestia, goddess of the home and fire; unity with the flame of Olympus
• Zeus, king of the gods; unity with the eternal lightning
• Hecate, goddess of magic; the witch mark

The lightning and flame powers are magic and far more dangerous and power than anything in the natural universe. Her witch mark is something she needs to learn to control without losing control. Her witch mark gives her access to some of her older golden age powers like telepathy, teleportation, and astral perjection.

Diana's wisdom is said to be equal to Athena, so she would naturally excel at what Athena is known for... leadership, math, justice and law, medicine, crafts, war strategy, science, etc... so Diana is a nurse, lawyer, general and warrior, scientist, and ambassador all at the peak of their respective fields. She obviously spends an equal amount of time in the library studying as she does training on the field. Her smarts start as naturally gifted but, she still needs to grow and evolve and learn to get to that peak.

Equipment: Everything is made by Hephaestus using adamantine, amazonium, and Nth metal (except the lasso, lasso made by Hestia using the golden girdle of Gaia)

Champions armor (costume) - indestructible, fabric made from the Nemean lion's pelt, metal armor from adamantine, self repairing

Lasso - indestructible, has infinite length, revels the truth, commands people, manipulates souls, can channel magic
Bracelets - indestructible, creates a concussive blast when hit together, can redirect projectiles, can channel magic, can summon her sword and aegis
Royal tiara - indestructible, cuts electrons off atoms sharp, acts like a boomerang
(new) Royal belt - originally Hippolyta's belt from Ares, blessing of battle the longer you are in a fight the stronger and faster you get

Sword - indestructible, cuts atoms sharp, can channel magic, can be used two handed
Aegis - shield of Athena and Zeus, indestructible, possesses Medusa's head that turns mortals to stone can only be activated by the user

1. I don't think the Amazons should worship any male gods, it doesn't make sense for their characters
2. I can't think of anything more anti-thetical to Diana's character than being a general
3. I don't think Diana should ever wield a sword, and a shield is completely redundant when she has the bracelets

[AmiMizuno]

I mean Diana has used Swords and Shields at times depending on the battle. It depends on the situation. With the bulletproof, it just shows that she isn't easy to take down. Not all powers add everything to their character. I mean in Superman has a lot of powers that add nothing. Even Batman. It just symbolizes something else. Diana being able to fly and bulletproof just shows other things. A lot of characters fly and that doesn't make them any less generic. How Diana flies can be important. Diana was made to somewhat be equal to Superman. So that is important. Not everything add character rather shows us what powers the characters have. Starfire is bulletproof and that adds nothing to her character. Just adds on how tough she truly is.

[Perseus]

Because her being able to fly and being bulletproof don't add anything to her character and take away iconic parts of her. They make her less unique and more generic.


1. I don't think the Amazons should worship any male gods, it doesn't make sense for their characters
2. I can't think of anything more anti-thetical to Diana's character than being a general
3. I don't think Diana should ever wield a sword, and a shield is completely redundant when she has the bracelets

Actually being able to fly opened a lot of doors creatively speaking for her. She could do things and go to places that she normally couldn't before hand. Its a legitimate addition of power that has only ever helped her stories and popularity. And being bulletproof doesn't take away anything from her; if anything it means that writers need to start being a bit more creative when it comes to putting Diana in harms way.

You cannot have it both ways. You can't have a character that is "stronger than Herakles and swifter than Hermes" and have her be in a situation where some guy or villain with a gun can harm her, its a mind boggling creative decision. There has only ever been bad results. The bullet would be stationary in comparison to her speed. She's survived god attacks, star explosions, nukes, and hits from beings like Doomsday and Darkseid; but you want a little metal thing to hurt her for no reason but "its always been that way". And for the record, Marston not once had her get shot to prove she wasn't bulletproof, its a weakness arbitrarily placed on her. Let it go and do something better.

1. I think that the amazons Not worshiping male gods on the basis that they are male, is antithetical to the amazon way.
2. The ability to make decisions in war and lead warriors into battle isn't in line with who Diana is? I'm not talking about some stiff in a chair making boys fight his own wars, I'm talking about someone in the field leading the charge. There was a whole scene about this in the first movie.
3. Look, every now and again she uses weapons ok. Even in the golden age she's used swords and shields. Should she use then all the time, like she does now? NO. But, they are a part of her tools now, so lets make them worth something.

[Phoenixx9]

Actually being able to fly opened a lot of doors creatively speaking for her. She could do things and go to places that she normally couldn't before hand. Its a legitimate addition of power that has only ever helped her stories and popularity. And being bulletproof doesn't take away anything from her; if anything it means that writers need to start being a bit more creative when it comes to putting Diana in harms way.

You cannot have it both ways. You can't have a character that is "stronger than Herakles and swifter than Hermes" and have her be in a situation where some guy or villain with a gun can harm her, its a mind boggling creative decision. There has only ever been bad results. The bullet would be stationary in comparison to her speed. She's survived god attacks, star explosions, nukes, and hits from beings like Doomsday and Darkseid; but you want a little metal thing to hurt her for no reason but "its always been that way". And for the record, Marston not once had her get shot to prove she wasn't bulletproof, its a weakness arbitrarily placed on her. Let it go and do something better.

1. I think that the amazons Not worshiping male gods on the basis that they are male, is antithetical to the amazon way.
2. The ability to make decisions in war and lead warriors into battle isn't in line with who Diana is? I'm not talking about some stiff in a chair making boys fight his own wars, I'm talking about someone in the field leading the charge. There was a whole scene about this in the first movie.
3. Look, every now and again she uses weapons ok. Even in the golden age she's used swords and shields. Should she use then all the time, like she does now? NO. But, they are a part of her tools now, so lets make them worth something.

Loved this and your last post. They are sooooo spot-on!!

This is how I see Diana as well. Thank you for putting all of this into words!!

[Jcogginsa]

I mean Diana has used Swords and Shields at times depending on the battle. It depends on the situation. With the bulletproof, it just shows that she isn't easy to take down. Not all powers add everything to their character. I mean in Superman has a lot of powers that add nothing. Even Batman. It just symbolizes something else. Diana being able to fly and bulletproof just shows other things. A lot of characters fly and that doesn't make them any less generic. How Diana flies can be important. Diana was made to somewhat be equal to Superman. So that is important. Not everything add character rather shows us what powers the characters have. Starfire is bulletproof and that adds nothing to her character. Just adds on how tough she truly is.

Being equal to Superman doesn't require her to copy everything about him. Making them too similar just hurts Diana.

Actually being able to fly opened a lot of doors creatively speaking for her. She could do things and go to places that she normally couldn't before hand. Its a legitimate addition of power that has only ever helped her stories and popularity. And being bulletproof doesn't take away anything from her; if anything it means that writers need to start being a bit more creative when it comes to putting Diana in harms way.

No, being able to Fly did not add anything to her, because she already had a super advanced vehicle that could take her anywhere the plot needs her to go.

And being bulletproof makes it completely contrived for her to deflect bullets with her bracelets, and that's one of her most iconic elements. Making her vulnerable to bullets is much better for her character.

You cannot have it both ways. You can't have a character that is "stronger than Herakles and swifter than Hermes" and have her be in a situation where some guy or villain with a gun can harm her, its a mind boggling creative decision. There has only ever been bad results. The bullet would be stationary in comparison to her speed. She's survived god attacks, star explosions, nukes, and hits from beings like Doomsday and Darkseid; but you want a little metal thing to hurt her for no reason but "its always been that way". And for the record, Marston not once had her get shot to prove she wasn't bulletproof, its a weakness arbitrarily placed on her. Let it go and do something better.

If a guy with a hi tech gun can be one of the Flash's most iconic enemies, Diana can have issues with bullets.

1. I think that the amazons Not worshiping male gods on the basis that they are male, is antithetical to the amazon way.
2. The ability to make decisions in war and lead warriors into battle isn't in line with who Diana is? I'm not talking about some stiff in a chair making boys fight his own wars, I'm talking about someone in the field leading the charge. There was a whole scene about this in the first movie.
3. Look, every now and again she uses weapons ok. Even in the golden age she's used swords and shields. Should she use then all the time, like she does now? NO. But, they are a part of her tools now, so lets make them worth something.

1. It makes sense for Amazons to be worshiping a bunch of rapists
2. Diana would never lead people into war because her goal would always be to end the war with the fewest amount of casualties as possible
3. Maybe you can come up with ways for her to use a sword that are in character, but the Shield offers nothing.

[WonderLight789]

Because her being able to fly and being bulletproof don't add anything to her character and take away iconic parts of her. They make her less unique and more generic.


1. I don't think the Amazons should worship any male gods, it doesn't make sense for their characters
2. I can't think of anything more anti-thetical to Diana's character than being a general
3. I don't think Diana should ever wield a sword, and a shield is completely redundant when she has the bracelets

Her flight doesn't take options away from her. It gives her more options. Specially when she has to face flying bricks.

Her "iconic" blocking bullets move is not even relevant anymore. She almost never uses her bracelets nowadays. It's all shield and sword. So your logic that she must be weak to bullets because her bracelets trick is iconic doesn't work. Because DC has made WW forgot all about her bracelet and have her using a shield all the time now. And it's been these way fro years. She is more generic now with the sword and shield thing, than if she was bulletproof. And no, having that weakness is not easier for writers to use. Because they literally earse her other super powers everytime they want her to get shot. All of a sudden her super speed, skills a d healing factor disappear magically the moment a writer decides that he/she wants WW getting shot to create a "dramatic" moment. That's the defination of bad and lazy writing. Her stories don't have to suffer jus because she is bulletproof. She can be bulletproof and still have great stories and use her bracelets. Something she almost never does nowadays.

[Gaius]

Powers from the main patron deities of the island, for simplicity sake narrowing it down to just three major patrons; Artemis (strength, speed, communion with animals, reflexes, invulnerability, flight), Athena (wisdom, immunity to mind control, can speak multiple languages), and Aphrodite (limited empath abilities, healing factor).

Tools:
Lasso - The usual stuff, giving commands with it however requires a certain mastery/skill with of it.
Bracelets
Invisible Plane - more a mobile base than anything else. Similar from the Wagner mini-series.