Nubia 'Queen of the Amazons' Appreciation Thread 2022

[bardkeep]

As much as I like Nubia's new origin as this reincarnated Madagascar(ian?) princess, I do miss the twin sister of Diana too. I know she came from the well of souls at the same time as Diana but being really close to Diana is something that really attracted me to her. I know there is a way to keep the twin sister route and have this new origin for her. I just really want to see Diana interact more with Nubia, dive into their connected creations, possibly give Nubia back that title of Diana's physical equal, etc...

Yeah, it's a shame the whole "one baby from white clay, one baby from black clay" thing is so dated and problematic. I obviously get why Stephanie Williams did what she did, but it feels like a lot of long-time Nubia fans were really upset by the change and it's a bummer that her powers have been pretty seriously downgraded.

There was probably also an unfortunate cascading effect from the Daddy Zeus retcon where they had to get rid of any derivative of the clay origin. I suppose they could have made her the demigoddess daughter of Philippus and a different god - she and Diana could have been raised as sisters that way plus it'd put their power levels closer together - but I also don't want to drag her down with the rest of the Wonders and give her a father so idek.

If the rumors of Nubia being in the 3rd movie are true I'll be verrrrry curious to know what angle they take with it.

[VonHammersmark]

I think I prefer Nubia being Diana’s twin ‘cause if Diana’s to be replaced, I’d rather Nubia took up the Wonder Woman mantle as opposed to Yara whom I don’t particularly care for, no offense. Also the black clay origin seems totally fine to me, though I can certainly see how the usual suspects could interpret it in the most uncharitable way possible

[SonOfBaldwin]

As much as I like Nubia's new origin as this reincarnated Madagascar(ian?) princess, I do miss the twin sister of Diana too. I know she came from the well of souls at the same time as Diana but being really close to Diana is something that really attracted me to her. I know there is a way to keep the twin sister route and have this new origin for her. I just really want to see Diana interact more with Nubia, dive into their connected creations, possibly give Nubia back that title of Diana's physical equal, etc...

Initially, the rebooted Nubia was going to be Diana's twin. L.L. McKinney, the writer of the Future State Nubia story, had fully intended to use Nubia's original origin. But then something happened between her and DC and she was fired from the project and replaced by Stephanie Williams and Vita Ayala, who went in a different direction.

[MarquisAsh]

I prefer her being Diana’s twin as well.

[Phoenixx9]

I prefer her being Diana’s twin as well.

Me too!

The fix-around for the "blessing by the gods/goddesses that endowed Diana and Nubia with their divine superhuman powers" could be changed to happen sooner, such as when both came to life. Both twins were equally blessed and when everyone turned away for an instant to celebrate with refreshments, alas, Nubia was gone! Stolen by Ares! It works for me, lol.

[John Venus]

You know, I never gave much thought to the symbol on her armor. Is there a backstory to it?

As much as I like Nubia's new origin as this reincarnated Madagascar(ian?) princess, I do miss the twin sister of Diana too. I know she came from the well of souls at the same time as Diana but being really close to Diana is something that really attracted me to her. I know there is a way to keep the twin sister route and have this new origin for her. I just really want to see Diana interact more with Nubia, dive into their connected creations, possibly give Nubia back that title of Diana's physical equal, etc...

I was all for Nubia being her own thing but I have mixed feelings as well. I like her being a Madagascar princess but I would have also liked some references to her old origin. Like maybe she was a pre teen and the same age as Diana when she reincarnated on Themyscira and thus she, Diana and Donna were 'sisters'.

Maybe we all just need some time to get acclimated to the brand new origin.

I admit, part of me is also really taken by the idea of Nubia being the child of Phillipus and Hippolyta via magic.

[wonder39]

Yeah, it's a shame the whole "one baby from white clay, one baby from black clay" thing is so dated and problematic. I obviously get why Stephanie Williams did what she did, but it feels like a lot of long-time Nubia fans were really upset by the change and it's a bummer that her powers have been pretty seriously downgraded.

There was probably also an unfortunate cascading effect from the Daddy Zeus retcon where they had to get rid of any derivative of the clay origin. I suppose they could have made her the demigoddess daughter of Philippus and a different god - she and Diana could have been raised as sisters that way plus it'd put their power levels closer together - but I also don't want to drag her down with the rest of the Wonders and give her a father so idek.

If the rumors of Nubia being in the 3rd movie are true I'll be verrrrry curious to know what angle they take with it.

Well, they could still have been sculpted of the same clay, but obviously they would have had different features. It's not like Diana is clay colored. She was brought to life and made flesh and bone, so as Diana became her skin tone, Nubia would have as well, despite the color of clay. It was just a simple way back then to explain to kids why one was white and one was black...

[wonder39]

I don't get this whole " and they remember their life before being reincarnated" jazz.... I know it's unfolding in the book, but I can't say I care for it. They've been reborn, so let them be without the trauma of what cause their souls to need to be reborn....

[Garrac]

Well, if you like the old origin, it is present in Nubia The Real One. Such a cool comic btw! I wish it had sequels...

[Primal Slayer]

I don't really want her to be a twin in the sense that Hippolyta created her. I've always been for Ares creating her from the same clay Diana was created from with the intent of using her as a weapon against the Amazons and someone meant to replace Diana/Hippolyta as head of the Amazons. Leads them in the way of Ares. Of course that fails and she joins the good guys.

[SonOfBaldwin]

I don't really want her to be a twin in the sense that Hippolyta created her. I've always been for Ares creating her from the same clay Diana was created from with the intent of using her as a weapon against the Amazons and someone meant to replace Diana/Hippolyta as head of the Amazons. Leads them in the way of Ares. Of course that fails and she joins the good guys.

I don't like the retrograde racial implications of this idea.

[John Venus]

I remember Nubia going viral around 2011 or so.

I've mentioned it before but it's not just that she is Diana's equal within the narrative but also the fact that she is kidnapped from her culture, brainwashed to be a weapon against it, only to realize that she was being manipulated, then rejoined her sisters and rejected attempts to pit her against her sisters, those aspects really resonated with the audience as well.
Kanigher most likely didn't intend it but there is some anti-colonial subtext as well as feminist commentary on rejecting attempting women being pit against each other there.

[Perseus]

You know, I never gave much thought to the symbol on her armor. Is there a backstory to it?



I was all for Nubia being her own thing but I have mixed feelings as well. I like her being a Madagascar princess but I would have also liked some references to her old origin. Like maybe she was a pre teen and the same age as Diana when she reincarnated on Themyscira and thus she, Diana and Donna were 'sisters'.

Maybe we all just need some time to get acclimated to the brand new origin.

I admit, part of me is also really taken by the idea of Nubia being the child of Phillipus and Hippolyta via magic.

I always thought of her old symbol of being a Dragon. Both her and Diana have flying animals as their respective symbols. But Nubia's is cool and different something just as beautiful but more distant. It's also rare I think, lion iconography within black culture is so... well basic to me. I understand the cultural significance and relation to lions being primarily in Africa, but a dragon is unique something you wouldn't expect. But I've come to accept that for me it's a nitpick not a major issue. I've come to be accepting of the lioness.

I don't need Nubia to be made of clay or have 100% the same origin as Diana. Just that she maintains a very close twin sister relationship with Diana and her status as Diana's physical equal. I liked Nubia's story of being kidnaped and brainwashed and then breaking free of that and joining her sister., but I don't think we'll get that back. I don't mind Nubia having some more experience than Diana on account of her being a full-grown woman by the time Diana was sculpted. Maybe the powers the patrons gave to Diana as a champion was just the powers any amazon would have gotten had they become one. Since in Nubia's new origin she was still considered a champion of Dooms Doorway then maybe she's just had the same base powers that Diana started out with.

[Alpha]

Why are pretending like Nubia and Diana ever had a close relationship?

Writers made that dumb story about needing a different type of clay to make Diana a brown colored sister, and while Diana got to live her life in Paradise, Nubia was kidnapped and nobody ever mentioned her again or bothered to ask the gods to bring her back. So white Diana never knew she had a brown sister. And one day this brown sister came back to kill her and had to be reasoned with after being brainwashed by War.

Thus is a terrible story, and Diana and Nubia aren't in each other's lives

[Garrac]

Yeah, little tip: when approaching to Robert Kanigher stories, you must allways do it with a stick.

And, well, I don't, I like the current status of Nubia in canon. I mean, at this point Stephanie Williams is her mother, let her write her daughter as she pleases.