Wonder Woman Rogues Gallery Appreciation 2021

[I'm a Fish]

But beyond that story and a couple Golden Age stories where he usually let his minions do his dirty work, he wasn't really a prominent villain. He's spent more time in his comic book history as a neutral figure or a straight-up ally to Diana. They even left him off the big splash page for post-Future State. I'm not sure DC cares about Ares as a villain, at least any more than they do Cheetah.

He didn't really do anything villainous after his first battle with Diana post-crisis, he wasn't really a villain in New 52, and in rebirth he was just a nice handsome man. Let's all take a moment to appreciate how handsome Liam Sharp drew him.

[Gaius]

There's been stories where I've enjoyed Ares as a villain but I think he works better as a villainous neutral type like in Rucka's first run or something like he did in his second run.

Wilson did something interesting trying to build off that but I had to stop reading and from what I heard it didn't really go anywhere.

[PopQuezy]

He didn't really do anything villainous after his first battle with Diana post-crisis, he wasn't really a villain in New 52, and in rebirth he was just a nice handsome man. Let's all take a moment to appreciate how handsome Liam Sharp drew him.

This was a handsome man and extremely tall. I would help him start World War 3 but perhaps I've said too much. LOL

Seriously, I like the setup that Rucka did in this run. Personally, I would have liked if he was still somewhat villainous behind-the-scenes as I do think Ares should be a mastermind character that Diana only ocasionally comes to blows with but I also think the same of Circe.

[Nyssane]

He didn't really do anything villainous after his first battle with Diana post-crisis, he wasn't really a villain in New 52, and in rebirth he was just a nice handsome man. Let's all take a moment to appreciate how handsome Liam Sharp drew him.

He was super handsome in Rucka's first run too. I'll take beefcake Ares any day.

[PopQuezy]

That design is boss, it really only fits the Death Earth theme though. I wish she got to do a little more fighting in that series, she still had some cool moments though. And at least the writer remembers Cheetah has a prolonged lifespan. That was the whole reason Barbara became Cheetah post-crisis after all, for immortality.

I agree that design only works for Dead Earth, but I like her to be monstrous in general. I think Rebirth does a better job of having her be monstrous and not a sexualized cat lady in body paint. And I also like this statue:

cheetah-statue.jpg

[I'm a Fish]

I agree that design only works for Dead Earth, but I like her to be monstrous in general. I think Rebirth does a better job of having her be monstrous and not a sexualized cat lady in body paint. And I also like this statue:

cheetah-statue.jpg

Yeah I think Liam Sharp's redesign of Cheetah is a defendant improvement. I liked George Perez' drawing Cheetah, but most other artist just drew her with looking like, well, as you perfectly put it "a sexualized cat lady in body paint"

Only problem with Liam Sharp's design is some art's are terrible at drawing it for some reason. Most are OK, but Liam Sharp, Nichola Scott and Travis Moore have all done it the best so far. For some artists, they just draw her like a Looney Toons character.

Good Drawings:

Liam Sharp:


Nichola Scott:


Travis Moore:



And I like the movie Cheetah design too, I thought she looked scary in a good way. I know a lot of people complain, "her face doesn't look cat like enough" but trust me, it would look 100 times worse if she had any more prosthetics on her face. I remember Beast from X-Men: First Class and the actor could barley do anything except blink and open his mouth. When he had to do more intense facial expressions they had to edit it with the most obvious CGI shots, that's why they changed his face to be more human like in the movies after.

[Gaius]

Yeah I think Liam Sharp's redesign of Cheetah is a defendant improvement. I liked George Perez' drawing Cheetah, but most other artist just drew her with looking like, well, as you perfectly put it "a sexualized cat lady in body paint"

Only problem with Liam Sharp's design is some art's are terrible at drawing it for some reason. Most are OK, but Liam Sharp, Nichola Scott and Travis Moore have all done it the best so far. For some artists, they just draw her like a Looney Toons character.

Good Drawings:

Liam Sharp:


Nichola Scott:


Travis Moore:



And I like the movie Cheetah design too, I thought she looked scary in a good way. I know a lot of people complain, "her face doesn't look cat like enough" but trust me, it would look 100 times worse if she had any more prosthetics on her face. I remember Beast from X-Men: First Class and the actor could barley do anything except blink and open his mouth. When he had to do more intense facial expressions they had to edit it with the most obvious CGI shots, that's why they changed his face to be more human like in the movies after.

Yeah, that's kind of how she looked in Snyder's JL run under Jorge Jimenez to me. I like him on other characters but I can't say I've like his Cheetah or Diana.

[WonderScott]

Yeah, Simone was weird in that she probably did better with Wonder Woman villains on her other books than in her time on the actual WW book.

One of the best and most accurate portrayals of Cheetah outside the Wonder Woman title. YMMV on which version of Barbara Minerva you prefer, but Simone did her justice in SS.

[WonderScott]

I feel like we need to write a fan-made treatise on why Diana’s villains are amazing, yet unrealized.

Granted she’s my favorite character, but I’m always thinking of ways to interconnect her mythological adversaries, costumed supervillains, human foes, sci-fi antagonists, and fantasy enemies into a cohesive mythos, where they can play off one another and be recombined again and again into animosity-driven relationships and/or partnerships. It be good if some Diana’s foes had relationships and character development together like Circe/Ares and Veronica Cale/Doctor Cyber have at various points.

I just wish editors and creators would lovingly and surprisingly play with her deep bench of foes in a consistent manner.

Characters like Doctor Psycho, Doctor Cyber, Eviless, Angle Man, Osira, Queen Clea, Captain Wonder, and so many others have the potential to be fun an interesting if creators didn’t put so many limitations on their thinking about the extended Wonder cast.

[PopQuezy]

I feel like we need to write a fan-made treatise on why Diana’s villains are amazing, yet unrealized.

Granted she’s my favorite character, but I’m always thinking of ways to interconnect her mythological adversaries, costumed supervillains, human foes, sci-fi antagonists, and fantasy enemies into a cohesive mythos, where they can play off one another and be recombined again and again into animosity-driven relationships and/or partnerships. It be good if some Diana’s foes had relationships and character development together like Circe/Ares and Veronica Cale/Doctor Cyber have at various points.

I just wish editors and creators would lovingly and surprisingly play with her deep bench of foes in a consistent manner.

Characters like Doctor Psycho, Doctor Cyber, Eviless, Angle Man, Osira, Queen Clea, Captain Wonder, and so many others have the potential to be fun an interesting if creators didn’t put so many limitations on their thinking about the extended Wonder cast.

I like how both Rebirth and Bloodlines established the Poison/Cyber dynamic. It seems that on some level; DC realizes these two are an amazing pairing be they unwilling co-conspirators like Rebirth or equal masterminds like Bloodlines. I would love a story where these two get to shine equally in the main villain role. I actually would love if they were the co-leads in a Villainy Inc. team up like with Bloodlines. There is something about that dynamic that I think could be rich and fuel story in multiple media.

[I'm a Fish]

Omg I just realized Cheetah is rolling her R's in Suicide Squad. Only Rucka wrote her like that. Could that mean the writer actually read a Wonder Woman book?! Is that why Hypnotic Woman was actually written decently? Do I dare let myself hope?

(I know Robinson rolled Cheetah's R's too and he wasn't a good WW writer, but at least he gave her villains appropriate power levels)

[WonderScott]

I like how both Rebirth and Bloodlines established the Poison/Cyber dynamic. It seems that on some level; DC realizes these two are an amazing pairing be they unwilling co-conspirators like Rebirth or equal masterminds like Bloodlines. I would love a story where these two get to shine equally in the main villain role. I actually would love if they were the co-leads in a Villainy Inc. team up like with Bloodlines. There is something about that dynamic that I think could be rich and fuel story in multiple media.

I definitely can see Doctor Poison being part of Doctor Cyber’s cabal. (I like a hybrid human/suit of armor/cyborg Doctor Cyber who runs a nefarious organization. Diana could use one or two more of those in her life, besides the missing Villainy Inc. presence and the occasional GodWatch organization.)

This is the kind of thinking I’m talking about though... Which of the villains get on together well and why? Which ones detest one another? Which ones are intimidated by which others? I mean... does anyone trust Circe when she shows up and are they afraid to say so?

[WonderScott]

Omg I just realized Cheetah is rolling her R's in Suicide Squad. Only Rucka wrote her like that. Could that mean the writer actually read a Wonder Woman book?! Is that why Hypnotic Woman was actually written decently? Do I dare let myself hope?

(I know Robinson rolled Cheetah's R's too and he wasn't a good WW writer, but at least he gave her villains appropriate power levels)

I really need to get to reading this issue today.

[Gaius]

[Psy-lock]

He didn't really do anything villainous after his first battle with Diana post-crisis,

Ares was pretty villainous in Messner-Loebs' run. He was also an antagonist in Jimenez' Gods of Gotham and he was the mastermind behind Genocide in Simone's run. And he's the only villain who appeared in some capacity in every major run post-COEI. So I'd say his credentials are still pretty good despite the New 52/Rebirth downgrade.