Wonder Woman's Weaknesses

[Koriand'r]

Problem 1: Diana's only weakness is to piercing weapons, any kind, regular old bullets and knives will do the trick.

Problem 2: Diana is too stupid fast to be hit by bullets and to stupid tough to be conceivably hurt by anything man made in particular, knives and bullets especially.

Problem 3: writers naturally use a character's weakness in stories. This is a problem with a Goddess level character, sculpted by clay and brought to life by the breath of Gods, when the only weakness is something that doesn't take much thought into it. Put Diana against a shotgun, that's all the tension you need, right?

Good solutions: give Diana more believable weaknesses to her power level, make her bullet proof, make writers use their creative brains to put Diana in situations that don't involve the deadliest thing being a glock.

Bad solutions: Perform mental gymnastics to justify a bad, outdated weakness. Make her "skin" kind of tough but still not bullet proof.

That's not a good solution. This is your problem. It's only an issue in your own minds. Wonder Woman has been vulnerable to bullets since her inseption. After 80 years you want it changed because you don't want to go thru mental gymnastics.

Not only do you want to change how her powers work, you want to give her a new weakness that you can get behind.

That level of entiitlement is ridiculous. It's like saying "I don't like how history makes me look so I don't want it taught in schools because it makes me feel bad". So what? That's a bridge you have to get over.

Where do the changes stop?

[WonderLight789]

That's not a good solution. This is your problem. It's only an issue in your own minds. Wonder Woman has been vulnerable to bullets since her inseption. After 80 years you want it changed because you don't want to go thru mental gymnastics.

Not only do you want to change how her powers work, you want to give her a new weakness that you can get behind.

That level of entiitlement is ridiculous. It's like saying "I don't like how history makes me look so I don't want it taught in schools because it makes me feel bad". So what? That's a bridge you have to get over.

Where do the changes stop?

WW was stated invulnerable in Marston run. And she has been stated and or shown that way in other runs since then.

Also this character has been going through constant changes for the last 70 years. And it shows no sign of stopping. so let's not act like her power set is a set in stone deal. Because it has been as inconsistent as her personality, supporting cas and everything else.

If flight was a good adition to her power set decades ago. I don't see why being bulletproof is any different. It does not limit the potential for stories or dramatic moments. It only limits writers from the possibility of treating her like trash. By having a random person on the street pose a threat to her. Or throwing her supposedly God level speed and reflexes under the bus, by having her unsble to react to a bullet in order to show a ''dramatic'' moment.

[Perseus]

That's not a good solution. This is your problem. It's only an issue in your own minds. Wonder Woman has been vulnerable to bullets since her inseption. After 80 years you want it changed because you don't want to go thru mental gymnastics.

Not only do you want to change how her powers work, you want to give her a new weakness that you can get behind.

That level of entiitlement is ridiculous. It's like saying "I don't like how history makes me look so I don't want it taught in schools because it makes me feel bad". So what? That's a bridge you have to get over.

Where do the changes stop?

Show me one panel of Diana being vulnerable to bullets in the golden age... I'll wait.

Wow... that is quite the stretch. On that note I'm done talking to you about this. You don't address this issue in good faith and your responses are getting worse. This "purist" behavior is just getting childish with you.

[WonderLight789]

Show me one panel of Diana being vulnerable to bullets in the golden age... I'll wait.

Wow... that is quite the stretch. On that note I'm done talking to you about this. You don't address this issue in good faith and your responses are getting worse. This "purist" behavior is just getting childish with you.

I am searching for the scan from Marston run. Where they literally say she is invulnerable. I don't remember the issue. But i know it exists because i saw it when i read the marston run years ago.

[Koriand'r]

Show me one panel of Diana being vulnerable to bullets in the golden age... I'll wait.

Wow... that is quite the stretch. On that note I'm done talking to you about this. You don't address this issue in good faith and your responses are getting worse. This "purist" behavior is just getting childish with you.

Here you go, from Wonder Woman #1

BULLETS AND BRACELETS WW 1A.jpg

"Each of you will shoot five times. Your opponent must catch the bullets on her bracelets - or else expect to be wounded!"

Then next we have "No. 7's bracelets become silver flashes of streaking light as they parry the death-thrusts of the hurtling bullets!"

[WonderLight789]

Here you go, from Wonder Woman #1

BULLETS AND BRACELETS WW 1A.jpg

"Each of you will shoot five times. Your opponent must catch the bullets on her bracelets - or else expect to be wounded!"

Then next we have "No. 7's bracelets become silver flashes of streaking light as they parry the death-thrusts of the hurtling bullets!"

You should post the issue from Marston run where they say she is invulnerable.

[Koriand'r]

You should post the issue from Marston run where they say she is invulnerable.

I don't know if such a thing exists.

[WonderLight789]

I don't know if such a thing exists.

I found this one.

WW bulletproof 10.jpg

''She is super human, bullets do not hurt her''.

[Koriand'r]

I found this one.

WW bulletproof 10.jpg

''She is super human, bullets do not hurt her''.

That's not it, "Wonder Woman fends off the rifle fire of elite guards with her bracelets"

One more time for the cheap seats in the back, bullets don't harm her because she has her bracelets!

[WonderLight789]

That's not it, "Wonder Woman fends off the rifle fire of elite guards with her bracelets"

One more time for the cheap seats in the back, bullets don't harm her because she has her bracelets!

Still a weakness with no explanation that only makes her weak.

[phonogram12]

I'll put it simply, if it can harm any other heavy hitter than chances are it's going to harm Diana, with some exceptions. Hence the bracelets, which among other things are designed to negate said harmful damage. Other characters either have to tank the hit or dodge it. Diana can do both or, through speed and skill, just negate it all together. She has another way to deal with incoming attacks.

Heck, I'd be fine if they took from the 2017 movie Ares fight and have her bracelets create a shield around her that stops projectiles and throws them back at enemies. It gives her more options.

I already posted a list of weaknesses I personally find interesting and cool to implement for Diana that allows for a lot of variability in threats and tension/drama and elevates her villains to greater potential. I really don't want to try and find it, but I will if I need to.

Could you repost it or provide a link, please? I must've missed it somewhere.

[Perseus]

Could you repost it or provide a link, please? I must've missed it somewhere.

Here I found it, basically its these ones....

1) MAGIC or other wise UNIQUE piercing weapons: First on the list and the most obvious. Diana fights enemies with swords and spears and any other sharp pointy objects on a day to day basis. The problem is not that she can be cut or stabbed, its WHAT can cut or stab her. An amazon divinely sculpted and given gifts from Gods should not be affected by MORTAL weapons. Regular old bullets and knives, that already move too slow for her and she's too tough for, should not hurt her. The reason is simple, she is a god or at least godlike and because of that, weapons of that level can really pierce her skin. Regular bullets should be like NERF bullets for her y'know, like soft styrofoam. She can still block them, I don't want her to stop blocking them, but this way we don't have to cringe every time she "misses" and gets shot in the stomach or head. Heck we had a moment in DK: METAL where she was shot in the head by an 8TH metal bullet, 8TH metal is a rare (magical) material that should and did pierce her skin, it wasn't a regular old bullet she didn't get shot by some rando, it took the villain (aka the writer) some forethought and planning to pull this off, that's pretty neat if you ask me. I mean it was the Bat that Laughs, so F him, but still neat.

2) MAGIC poisons/venoms: Why have a villain named DR. POISON in your rouges list and not have special poisons as a consistent weakness. And with Diana's connection to mythology... there are plenty of divine or magical toxins that our esteemed Dr could find. Medusa's snake venom, hydra blood, arch-griffin venom, heck make some stuff up. What's cool about this weakness is how versatile it is, different poisons can affect Diana in different ways much like in real life. One poison can make her light headed, another could slow her healing factor, some could cause her paralysis, most could kill her if not treated properly. You can really get creative with it.

3) RADON: If radon can kill New Gods, it can hurt Old Gods. While I'm afraid this weakness will find its way back to some BS story about Batman fighting Zeus or something it would be consistent with the theme of Diana's weaknesses, that pretty much only godly or un/otherworldly things can truly harm her. Orlando already demonstrated this weakness in his run.

4) Super Advanced otherworldly technology: If Apokolips or any alien race can create weapons that can hurt Martian Manhunter, SHAZAM, etc... they can hurt Diana. You have Veronica Cale and Dr. Cyber as villains; they would easily have the funds and knowledge to build this stuff too. Not to mention the revamped Greek myth inspired weapons dealer they turned Aegus into. Imagine mercenaries cosplaying as roman legionaries with black hole guns, or a "midas bomb" that turns people gold.

5) Blunt force trauma: Like EVERY OTHER super hero, even Superman, Diana can be hurt by punches and kicks. The thing is, like Superman, you need to hit her really really really really hard. But there are a number of villains and heroes that can do this. Just from her rouges list: Devastation, First Born, Ares, Zeus, any God actually, Cheetah, Circe if she magically made herself as powerful as WW which she has done, Herc, Medusa, Barios, etc... that's just the top of my head. I'm sure there are villains she has that can physically harm her that I didn't list.


Not only does she keep the fact that she can be cut/stabbed/pierced but she also has solid new ones for writers to use. No more knives or bullets, all crazy syfy and magic stuff, get creative with it, this is all I'm asking.

[Alpha]

WW was stated invulnerable in Marston run.

No she wasn't

Also this character has been going through constant changes for the last 70 years. And it shows no sign of stopping. so let's not act like her power set is a set in stone deal. Because it has been as inconsistent as her personality, supporting cas and everything else.

That's true

If flight was a good adition to her power set decades ago.

It wasn't

[John Venus]

How/why is this a separate thread?

[Gaius]

How/why is this a separate thread?

Folks, didn't take the hint.

Just a little nudge - let's try to keep this thread on topic and not diverge too far into the 'just how tough should Diana be?' idea.

Feel free to make a new thread if you'd like!

EDIT

So clearly that polite nudge was ignored. Let's refrain from ignoring polite nudges in the future.

All posts after this one regarding Diana's weaknesses have been moved to a new thread aptly entitled 'Wonder Woman's Weaknesses.'

Any posts after this time that continue down this particular off-topic branch will be deleted.