People are, in general, too obsessed with a character's power levels.
Diana was created to have all the strength of Superman, but less invulnerable. Diana being bulletproof or not is a consequence of these characters being a shared universe and Marston actually never showing it (I believe), leaving future writers not understanding it. In the end, I like what Johns did in his JL, Diana can tank a lot of bullets up until it gets really heavy. That'll be the only time you see me praise Johns's WW from his JL run.
So, should Diana be bulletproof? I like the idea of powerful character like her being invulnerable to an extent.
We've already discussed other solutions to Diana's durability that are more interesting and creative.
I think she should strike a good balance between Superman’s powers and Batman’s tools and martial skill. Even if she didn’t have her powers she would still be an Amazon who would be able to go toe to toe with most non powered fighters. When you take all her abilities and skills together she should be on par with the other members of the trinity, but that doesn’t mean that one or the other doesn’t have her beat in one area or another.
One thing that needs to stop. Is WW being writen with this idea in mind that she shouldn't enter into a territory where she becomes a challenge to another character. Usually batman or superman. Those characters are respected and they let them be the best they can be. WW deserves the same treatment. Not this middle of the road mess, because oh no, if she is this strong she can maybe give Superman a run for his money. Oh no if she is this skilled, she can maybe give batman a run for his money. Let her be the best she can be and was meant to be. Or just stop hyping her up only to come out short.
Yea. This is why the whole is or isn't she bulletproof. This is the thing. I wouldn't mind if there was a balance. Like she can be harmed by bullets but not die. Like auto rifles do more damage but they don't kill her. They go throw her off make but she can bounce back. We see her have her arm cut off and be fine. OR plans to take her out. Bruce has nanobots to give her heart out. I mean that makes no sense. Because she isn't reckless why keep having her fight. The best way would have Bruce look for amazonian weapon. Since we have seen the Amazons having magically weapons
Ok so I can be toxic at times, like BiteTheBullet pointed out, and I would like to apologize. I'll try to be better. I regret what I wrote.
I do feel that magical vulnerability to bullets is the wrong way to approach her durability and I would like to explain why I feel that way. In a sense, it's the same reason why the "chained by a man" needed to be abandoned. Both those weaknesses have a strong thematic basis, which is good, but it takes this character that is supposed to be above the nature of mankind, and you make her unproportionately vulnerable to mankind. There is something noble about her overcoming such a thing, but it takes away from the idea of wish fulfillment. And more than that, what plot purpose would this have? Is it important for Diana to get hurt when she is shot?
At the same time, I think there should be some kind of distinction between Superman and Wonder Woman because of what each one of them appeals to. Superman, at least in the versions of him I prefer, is about great power and great responsibility. He is the most powerful man on earth and nothing can hurt him, but all of that power still doesn't tell him how to solve Israel-Palestine. Many of his great stories are about his philosophical questions. The more powerful he is the harder it is for him to see a clear path forward.
Wonder Woman on the other hand is about someone with a clear philosophy, trying her best to overcome people's desire not to change through her sheer force of will. This means that while her power must be astonishing, it is her unrelenting spirit that makes her compelling. My ideal version of Diana is someone that would never get tired from a fight, no matter how much damage she took. In fact, the more she got hurt, the more she would be energized to keep pressing on. So Diana getting hurt but being able to handle immense amount of pressure is the ideal state for me.
The solution I propose to this is for Diana's skin to resemble human skin but function more like a rock, whereas her inner muscles and skeleton are comparable to those of a kryptonian. When Diana gets hit by a bullet, she doesn't get a bullet hole. Instead, her skin gets a small crack, and maybe the bullet gets stuck at times. The more damage she takes, the more cracks form on her body. But the thing is that as the damage builds up her body seems to tighten and become even tougher. So Diana would try to block bullets with her bracelets just to maintain her integrity and aesthetic, but getting hit by a bullet wouldn't stop her in her tracks, in fact, it would make her even tougher.
To be clear, Diana could still get her arm torn off by Doomsday, but that wouldn't make her lose strength. If she gets her arms and legs all torn off for example, she wouldn't be able to fight. But she would still be at her maximum stamina.
Last edited by Alpha; 05-28-2021 at 04:11 PM.