Originally Posted by
kjn
I'm rather back to basics, and I want to avoid adding stuff without a clear thought and purpose to it. Adding too many powers to a character can be just as damaging as removing them. I also want to get rid of elements that I think diminish her feminist message and core. And third, I want to tie Diana more strongly to other pieces of the Matter of DC and to make the backstory of Diana a stronger feminist take on Greek mythology.
So with that in mind. Clay origin, and Diana was brought to life by Aphrodite, or possibly Hestia. She was raised, trained, and educated by the Amazons, who are nymphs of civilisation—that is, minor gods dwelling on Earth. She is an expert in fields as diverse as rhetorics, mathematics, philosophy, poetry, medicine, botany, psychology, and history. The training also included stuff like gardening, pottery, baking, and cooking. She also got a thorough grounding in martial arts and logistics.
From her Amazon training and heritage she already has superhuman strength, reactions, speed, endurance, senses, and some minor psionic/empathic powers.
After winning the contest (or at birth, but like WonderScott I prefer sometime after the contest), she was further gifted by the following set of gods: Aphrodite, Athena/Hekate, Hestia, Artemis, Demeter, and Prometheus/Hermes. Because the Greeks adopted the Amazon pantheon and then made it more palatable to them by removing key aspects of especially Hestia, Hekate (turning the remaining pieces into Athena), and Promethus (turning the remaining pieces into Hermes).
Aphrodite: Love, passion, and a superpowered empathy. This ties into her Amazon training in psionics and psychology. Remember her scene with Charlie in the movie? That's totally Aphrodite's blessing in play.
Athena/Hekate: Wisdom, good judgment, and clarity of mind. Also, Diana is not a magic user per se, but she has a thorough knowledge about the use and limits of magic, and has a good set of regular rituals that protect and help her and her household in various ways. Trying to mind control Diana is like hitting a brick wall, even without the lasso.
Hestia: Invulnerability to nearly all fires (note: volcanoes are not fire) and the lasso. She also boosts Diana's skills in stuff like planning, logistics, diplomacy, politics, and so on.
Demeter: Strength, endurance, and resistance of the earth (well, maybe she is impervious to volcanoes. Space stones will still be a hassle). Through Demeter, Diana also has a connection with the Green. And Diana is an excellent baker as well. I'd also add that there are two men that Diana should call brother. The first is Superman. The second is Swamp Thing.
Artemis: Communication with beasts, boosting all skills related to hunting and wilderness, and a connection to the Red. Also, Diana is a superlative midwife and physician thanks to her connection to Artemis.
Prometheus: As humanity's staunchest ally among the gods of Greek mythology, I think he deserves a much more important spot in Diana's backstory. From him Diana got speed, flight, and quickness of mind.
Also, get some one-shot issues where Diana tells Amazon mythology, before the Greeks got their grubby hands on it.