Warning: Spoilers for Wonder Woman #19After watching it happen to bothBatmanandSuperman,Wonder Womanhas joined the exclusive club of fallen heroes. When a hero is out risking their lives every single day, it’s no surprise that sometimes the villain might get the upper hand, and the hero might lose. One possible future leads to that exact scenario for Diana of Themyscira.
Recently,Wonder Woman has been fighting against Sovereign, the secret king of America. While Wonder Woman stands for truth, the Sovereign has managed to use his Lasso of Lies to retain the highest position of power in America. The Sovereign attempted to use this power to destroy Wonder Woman, but it didn’t work out that way - butone possible future does lead to Diana’s death, as revealed inWonder Woman#19 by Tom King and Daniel Sampere.
While it seemed like Sovereign was completely defanged and defeated in this issue, his future revenge seems to be what finally kills Diana, granting her entrance to a club that Batman and Superman never wanted her in.
Fans Just Witnessed Wonder Woman’s Greatest, Final Defeat
Wonder Woman#19 by Tom King, Daniel Sampere, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles
Make no mistake: Wonder Woman has had plenty of setbacks in her life. There was that weird time she had to become a karate master because she had lost her powers. There was alsothe time Wonder Woman became blinddue to Medusa’s venom. She’s had plenty of setbacks in her life, but death hasn’t really been one of them. Sure, she’s died in alternate universes, like when Wonder Woman became a brutal vampire over in the Elseworlds seriesDC vs. Vampires. Butshe hasn’t really had a story that’s revolved around her death.
Wonder Woman Debuts Several New Weapons That Make the Lasso of Truth Rather Outdated
Absolute Wonder Woman doesn’t just have more impressive gear than her counterpart, she had to fight like hell to forge her powerful weapons.
Wonder Woman has died a few times, such as when the Anti-Monitor obliterated her or when the Batman Who Laughs killed her in his home universe, but these are either examples of mass death, such as the Anti-Monitor, or an alternate universe stories. Diana hasn’t really had a storyline that has revolved around her death and return like Batman and Superman have. But all of that has changed now, asWonder Woman has officially been killed in the main continuity, putting her in the same exclusive club as Batman and Superman.
Batman’s First Major Setback Is an Iconic Story That Fans Will Never Forget
Batman#492 by Doug Moench, Norm Breyfogle, Adrienne Roy, and Richard Starkings
One of the greatest setbacks that Batman ever suffered was at the hands of Bane in the iconicKnightfallstory. Bruce is someone who is used to either being the smartest or the biggest person in the room - often both. But that wasn’t the case when Bane came to Gotham.Bane was both bigger than Batmanand just as intelligent as him.It was a combination that Batman had never gone up against before, and Batman suffered majorly for it. Bane was able to figure out Batman’s secret identity and broke into the Batcave, ambushing Bruce after a hard night out in Gotham City and famously breaking his back.
Knightfallwas one of the lowest points in Bruce Wayne’s superhero career, and it took him months before he was able to return.
Bruce had totemporarily give up the mantle of Batman and leave Gotham City entirely.Knightfallwas one of the lowest points in Bruce Wayne’s superhero career, and it took him months before he was able to return. Unfortunately, returning wasn’t an easy feat, as Jean-Paul Valley, the man Bruce chose as his successor, had gone insane and had no intention of giving the Batman mantle back to Bruce. The two battled, and Batman ultimately ended up the victor.
While what happened to Batman was certainly horrific and a major low point in his life, it wasn’t nearly as bad as what happened to Superman. When a powerful alien known as Doomsday arrived on Earth, it seemed like he was completely unstoppable. Doomsday slaughtered his way through the superhero community until he met Superman.Doomsday and Superman battled in the streets of Metropolisfor days. The two were seemingly evenly matched, and while Superman did manage to kill Doomsday, he also succumbed to his wounds and died soon after.
The Death of Superman Was a Pivotal Moment in Comics History
Superman#75 by Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Glenn Whitmore, and John Costanza
The death of Superman was huge, so big that it was even reported on by news stations. People couldn’t believe that DC had actually killed off Superman, and he stayed dead for an entire year. During that time, the superheroes tried to continue protecting the world without him. It was a major defining moment, not just for the character, but for DC as a company. While he was gone, several impersonator Supermen showed up,each claiming to be the real Superman, but it turned out that none of them were.
Eventually, Superman returned, wearing a slick new black and silver suit. While it took a while for things to go back to normal, eventually, Superman slipped back into the role that he was best known for, and he went right back to protecting the world like he was never even gone.While Doomsday has continually been a threat since then, and Superman has gone up against even more dangerous enemies than Doomsday, there’s never been a low point for Superman like the time he was first killed by Doomsday.
Wonder Woman Has Finally Joined the Fallen Heroes Club
Though It’s Not Exactly a Happy Occasion
While all of these stories were absolutely brutal for the respective characters, here’s the important thing to remember:all of them come back stronger. When Batman returned to Gotham City, he was stronger than ever and was more than ready to take on both Bane and Azrael. When Superman returned from the dead, his powers were a bit weakened, true; but he was able to quickly prove that he was Superman, disproving the others who tried to take his title.
“This Is My Fury”: Wonder Woman Debuts DC’s Newest Legendary Weapon With Dark Twist
In a pivotal issue of DC’s “Wonder Woman” series, the hero debuts a powerful new weapon, but it comes along with a shocking twist of fate for Diana.
DC is not going to keep Wonder Woman dead, even in a possible future, and it’s not a secret that she will definitely be back for one reason or another. It’s very likely that she is going to come back stronger than ever. So, while this may seem like the lowest point in Diana’s life, the first time she’s been properly killed off in continuity, this is just another challenge for her to overcome.Batmanovercame it,Supermanovercame it, and there’s simply no doubt thatWonder Womanwill also overcome it.
Wonder Woman#19is available now from DC Comics!
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is the superhero identity of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. Created on the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is a super-powered demi-goddess with extreme physical strength who utilizes magical gifts (like her famous Lasso of Truth) to defeat her foes. As mighty as her fellow heroes Superman and the Justice League, Wonder Woman is unmatched in her compassion and virtue.
