What Is Wonder Woman Afraid Of?

[Guy_McNichts]

This came up in another topic, but it got me thinking.

What is Wonder Woman really afraid of? Obviously, as a great hero and powerful Amazon, there's little that scares Diana. She's been described as fearless, no one's doubting her courage. But everyone has chinks in their armor. That thing (or things) that slips her defenses and shakes her to her core.
I don't mean the obvious stuff like her friends/family getting hurt. I mean like deeply rooted fear that keeps her up at night. What's something that would really rattle her?

I suggested in another thread that I think the thing that scares Diana the most is the possibility she isn't all she believes she should be.
She does have that competitive/over-achieving side to her, and she did choose to put the weight of the world on her shoulders. She knows what the importance of what she stands for and the standard she believes she needs to live up to. What happens when she's confronted with the possibility she's just not good enough? She has been faced with foes she's unable to overcome. Does that haunt her in some way?

We have seen this fear explored to some extent in the lead-up to Infinite Crisis, Kingdom Come, and Rise of the Olympian. In those stories, Diana does get shaken when she's faced with the possibility she's screwing up and making things worse despite her efforts. And worth noting in those stories, she doesn't crumble to pieces. She hardens and doubles-down, which doesn't always help.

But what else is there? Is there anything else? If a story was to properly address and explore Diana's fears and dreads, what would it tackle?

[Alpha]

That deep down, humanity enjoys humiliating each other and hurting each other and don't deserve help

[Zagre]

That deep down, humanity enjoys humiliating each other and hurting each other and don't deserve help

You mean she fears thinking like that or that sentence potentially being true?

[Zagre]

I've always wondered if Diana, post-arrival at Man's World, is afraid of having people around her dying. She's an immortal (whether she's 30 or 3000) from a society of immortals so she may be afraid of outliving all her friends and loved ones in a world where the rest of people inevitably die. There was a story in Black and Gold that explored it a little.

[Alpha]

You mean she fears thinking like that or that sentence potentially being true?

That she fears thinking that

[Phoenixx9]

Not being able to get Ice Cream when she wants it??

[billee0918]

Sitting next to a clown holding live snakes on an airplane!

[WonderLight789]

Easy. DC and WB. Who wouldn't after seeing how badly they can treat you?

[Guy_McNichts]

That deep down, humanity enjoys humiliating each other and hurting each other and don't deserve help

That she fears thinking that

That would be an interesting thing to explore. As opposed to the more common and cartoonish "I'm afraid I can turn evil," Diana being afraid she might become apathetic and stop caring about others suits her more and is more relatable in my opinion. Especially since she's immortal who's taken on a seemingly impossible task.

I've always wondered if Diana, post-arrival at Man's World, is afraid of having people around her dying. She's an immortal (whether she's 30 or 3000) from a society of immortals so she may be afraid of outliving all her friends and loved ones in a world where the rest of people inevitably die. There was a story in Black and Gold that explored it a little.

I wonder if Diana might be afraid of being alone. It obviously hasn't come up, as she has and always had plenty of people in her life, what if she reached a point or things got so bad that she was left alone in the world? This is something else that would hang over her as an immortal since she is likely to outlive most of the people she's met in the Man's World, and if something were to happen to Themyscira...

This can tie into Alpha's idea. What if combination of loss and frustration over a long enough period of time left Diana closed off and unwilling to form new bonds as time goes on?

It would be interesting to see how Diana would react if she had a vision of a possible future where she's left a bitter, isolated woman with no to care about or cares about her?


Now that I think about it...considering my first post, and the notions Diana's afraid she might become apathetic and/or alone...they are kind of extensions or forms of the same core fear: failure.

[Alpha]

I wonder if Diana might be afraid of being alone. It obviously hasn't come up, as she has and always had plenty of people in her life, what if she reached a point or things got so bad that she was left alone in the world? This is something else that would hang over her as an immortal since she is likely to outlive most of the people she's met in the Man's World, and if something were to happen to Themyscira...

This can tie into Alpha's idea. What if combination of loss and frustration over a long enough period of time left Diana closed off and unwilling to form new bonds as time goes on?

Yes absolutely. That is where her loss of faith in people would lead. She would distance herself from everyone she trusted in and now disgusts her. And she would suddenly force herself to be alone, and die inside. Because she really is the type of extrovert that needs to share experiences with others.
Her archenemy should be someone that can most successfully lead her down this path.

Now that I think about it...considering my first post, and the notions Diana's afraid she might become apathetic and/or alone...they are kind of extensions or forms of the same core fear: failure.

I suppose it's actually a more general fear that every hero faces I think, and yup, does apply to Diana. Though she really is so goal oriented and enlightened in general, that it's hard to make her feel this way.

[wonder39]

Writers, who want to reinvent her story to make her " relatable "?

[Stanlos]

Writers, who want to reinvent her story to make her " relatable "?

This!

Beyond that, an Amazon knows no fear!

[Alan2099]

She has a recurring nightmare where she shows up to a Justice League gathering in her underwear and gets compliments on her "new costume".