Wonder Woman Rogues Gallery Appreciation 2022

[Mantis-Ray]

I recently read over the list of WW's rogues gallery and found about this guy, Angle Man. He seems really cool, has he appeared in anything recently?

[Nyssane]

I recently read over the list of WW's rogues gallery and found about this guy, Angle Man. He seems really cool, has he appeared in anything recently?

He was in Deathstroke's group of supervillains during Dark Crisis, but he doesn't really do anything but make nonspeaking cameos nowadays. He was cited by Dan Didio as being one of the silliest villains who nobody can take seriously. Very eyerolling statements, but it seems like most writers don't really care to use him.

It's a shame, Phil Jimenez's version is great.

[HestiasHearth]

As others mentioned too, I’m not a believer in the necessity of having a single arch nemesis for Diana. Diana is too multifaceted thematically in my opinion. We should be celebrating Diana’s foes for many thematic dichotomies (if that’s your thing):

Diana and Ares = Love & Hate
Diana and Ares = Peace & War
Diana and Ares = Defensive Warrior & Offensive Attacker
Diana and Cheetah = Civility & Savagery
Diana and Cheetah = Royalty & Deposed Royalty
Diana and Cheetah = Freedom & Subjugation
Diana and Cheetah = Equity & Colonization
Diana and Cheetah = Different POVs on Feminism
Diana and Circe = Might & Magic
Diana and Circe = Community & Isolation
Diana and Circe = Different POVs on Feminism
Diana and Circe = Altruism & Selfishness
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Woman & Man
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Feminism & Misogyny
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Physical Strength & Emotional Trauma
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Truth & Honesty & Lies & Gaslighting
Diana and Giganta = Woman & Monster
Diana and Giganta = “Jason” & “Goliath”
Diana and Doctor Poison = Life & Death

Queen Clea, Eviless, Angle Man, Silver Swan, Heracles, Grail, Doctor Cyber, Inversion and other adversaries all can play a role is stories that peel back all the layers to Diana. IF someone thinks about Diana’s world as a whole and starts using her foes in ways that start challenging and attacking Diana from every angle.

LOVE IT!

Diana and Queen Clea: empowering others versus obsessing with one's own power (megalomania)
Diana and Silver Swan: helping others locate their inner beauty versus coveting physical beauty for selfish reasons
Diana and Minister Blizzard: kindhearted versus coldhearted
Diana and Dr. Cyber: humane, warm living creature versus calculating, ruthless mechanized being
Diana and Duke of Deception: duh Truth versus Lies
Diana and Genocide: Order versus Chaos
Diana and Zara: Respect versus Fear
Diana and Eviless: inspiring versus coercing

[marhawkman]

LOVE IT!

Diana and Queen Clea: empowering others versus obsessing with one's own power (megalomania)
Diana and Silver Swan: helping others locate their inner beauty versus coveting physical beauty for selfish reasons
Diana and Minister Blizzard: kindhearted versus coldhearted
Diana and Dr. Cyber: humane, warm living creature versus calculating, ruthless mechanized being
Diana and Duke of Deception: duh Truth versus Lies
Diana and Genocide: Order versus Chaos
Diana and Zara: Respect versus Fear
Diana and Eviless: inspiring versus coercing

For Devastation: nature vs nurture. how much does the way you were raised determine who you are?

[bardkeep]

As others mentioned too, I’m not a believer in the necessity of having a single arch nemesis for Diana. Diana is too multifaceted thematically in my opinion. We should be celebrating Diana’s foes for many thematic dichotomies (if that’s your thing):

Diana and Ares = Love & Hate
Diana and Ares = Peace & War
Diana and Ares = Defensive Warrior & Offensive Attacker
Diana and Cheetah = Civility & Savagery
Diana and Cheetah = Royalty & Deposed Royalty
Diana and Cheetah = Freedom & Subjugation
Diana and Cheetah = Equity & Colonization
Diana and Cheetah = Different POVs on Feminism
Diana and Circe = Might & Magic
Diana and Circe = Community & Isolation
Diana and Circe = Different POVs on Feminism
Diana and Circe = Altruism & Selfishness
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Woman & Man
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Feminism & Misogyny
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Physical Strength & Emotional Trauma
Diana and Doctor Psycho = Truth & Honesty & Lies & Gaslighting
Diana and Giganta = Woman & Monster
Diana and Giganta = “Jason” & “Goliath”
Diana and Doctor Poison = Life & Death

Queen Clea, Eviless, Angle Man, Silver Swan, Heracles, Grail, Doctor Cyber, Inversion and other adversaries all can play a role is stories that peel back all the layers to Diana. IF someone thinks about Diana’s world as a whole and starts using her foes in ways that start challenging and attacking Diana from every angle.

The really great Comic Book Herald essay series Wonder Woman Historia has an article about WW’s GA villains that basically sums them up along these lines. Mars/Ares = war and patriarchy, Earl of Greed = capitalism, Lord Conquest = colonialism, Dr. Psycho = misogyny, Queen Clea = misandry, Eviless = fascism, etc. It kinda makes the case for Mars/Ares as the archvillain but I think you’re right on and her rogues have always been defined by those dichotomies..

https://www.comicbookherald.com/wond...-the-villains/

[Nyssane]

I'm not a big fan of Ares representing the patriarchy. That's more Doctor Psycho's shtick, and didn't Ares respect women in classic mythology as much as he did men as long as they were warriors?

[Gaius]

I'm not a big fan of Ares representing the patriarchy. That's more Doctor Psycho's shtick, and didn't Ares respect women in classic mythology as much as he did men as long as they were warriors?

I think an amusing thing with Ares vs his myth counterpart is whereas comics Ares is usually a bad parent in the myths he was actually one of the only Olympians who was probably decent-ish.

[HestiasHearth]

for devastation: Nature vs nurture. How much does the way you were raised determine who you are?

omg yes!!!!!

[Dr. Poison]

He was in Deathstroke's group of supervillains during Dark Crisis, but he doesn't really do anything but make nonspeaking cameos nowadays. He was cited by Dan Didio as being one of the silliest villains who nobody can take seriously. Very eyerolling statements, but it seems like most writers don't really care to use him.

It's a shame, Phil Jimenez's version is great.

Yeah, poor Angle Man has been reduced to cameos for the last few decades when a writer seems to want to add some color to a group of villains. I'd like to see the character return with the Phil Jimenez personality and the green & gold suit w/Angler.

[marhawkman]

I think an amusing thing with Ares vs his myth counterpart is whereas comics Ares is usually a bad parent in the myths he was actually one of the only Olympians who was probably decent-ish.

Ares was a surprisingly good father figure for Lyta Milton too.

[Mel Dyer]

Dr. Poison I like you, you make great comments and contribute a lot to this board, but I really don't get your dislike for public domain characters. Don't take it personal, I don't get Mystical41's power level complaints, certain posters' hatred of cleavage, or Mel Dyer's strange love for "Prince Jason" either. It really does take all kinds to make a community.

'Public domain characters' are just characters, who aren't protected under copyright or other licensing. Classical literature and folklore gods and places, like King Arthur or Hyperborea, ..are considered public domain, ONLY because they were never under licensed protection in the first place. Ares, Circe, Themyscira are inspired by these classical and popular figures and characters. While the classic ideas or gods, that inspired their creation, are technically in the public domain, ..DC Comics Ares, Circe and That Damn Island are not. They're something we can call myth-inspired.

WONDER BOY, the Golden Age national Comics character, is a public domain character, simply because no one is using him, and his copyright has expired.

There are aspiring comic book creators, here. They need to know what public domain and copyrights and all that fancy legal stuff really is. We're not helping them, when we throw that word around, ham-handedly...used incorrectly. Doing this off-board creates an opportunity for our fellow fans and creators to be grossly misinformed. Let's share good information, here, and, with support and encouragement, ..fix it, right out in the open! If it seems like Koriandr and I are picking on Dr. Poison or treating her, strangely, we aren't.

Strange is relative.

One might think it strange, that I LOVE the idea of the WW comic having a regular cast, like all them big man-superhero comix! I think the best archenemy has to be a natural enemy, who threatens what is most important to Wonder Woman, ..or whose ambitions are similarly threatened by her. I think good writers and editors have to define Wonder Woman, before stories can define who will be her archenemy ..or her lover/s ..or where she would choose to live--big, East Coast city or somewhere in the American Southwest. I think it's ridiculous, WW hasn't had her DKR or All-Star Superman class story, yet. Is it strange that I think an iconic city might help writers define Wonder Woman? My use of the grown-up words enmity, ongoing narrative, ambitions, myth-inspired, ..or my belief in a two monthly comic publishing solution for Wonder Woman stories?

I got a lot of strange wish list items to chat up, here.

But, Jason...? Koriandr, ..you worried Prince Jason or any popular male WW characters will make Diana a side order in her own book? It might, for a hot minute. Even if it did, would that be the end of Wonder Woman? [Yawn. Stretch.]

Your attachments to eunuch Steve Trevor and half-eunuch Ed Indelicato [Seriously? Ed Indelicato?] are equally peculiar, as I see it, ..since neither one of them could drive a story, with a [koff] ..gale force wind behind them. That may change, with the current creative team and regular cast. You love them anyway, because they're male non-entities, ..and we support you, Koriandr. LOL

[HestiasHearth]

Well I love me some Ed Indelicato, and I don't care to admit it. Heck, I even enjoyed Mike Schorr (despite Mike sometimes seeming like an Ed Indelicato clone) AND Trevor Barnes AND Bobby Barnes, and Ferdinand as well. I also love Rama and I wish that someday we can see any (or all) of these men (and minotaur) back on the pages of Wonder Woman. Damn, if we only had a second WW-centric book or some sort of monthly Wonder Woman Family comic, maybe we could get short "Whatever Happened to..." tales of the men in Diana's history...

[Gaius]

"eunuch"...

[Mysterious]

Marvel wonder man is getting a show sadly. Can't believe thats really his name ugh. DC should've had THEE LEGENDARY ONE AND ONLY WONDER MAN. I would've loved to audition for that role.

I can see me now, getting a chance to run in slow motion like gal & lynda moving at incalculable speeds. Plus a great Greek accent. Sigh..

[WonderScott]

He was in Deathstroke's group of supervillains during Dark Crisis, but he doesn't really do anything but make nonspeaking cameos nowadays. He was cited by Dan Didio as being one of the silliest villains who nobody can take seriously. Very eyerolling statements, but it seems like most writers don't really care to use him.

It's a shame, Phil Jimenez's version is great.

Jimenez’s version was fantastic.