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The Arrowverse's Wonder Girl promises to be very different to Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman. DC Comics' Future State initiative is one of the boldest in the publisher's history, with almost the entire line replaced with books exploring the dystopian future of the DC Universe. These have introduced a swathe of new legacy heroes, ranging from Tim Fox's Batman to Yara Flor's Wonder Woman.
Surprisingly, back in November 2020, DC and The CW announced the new Wonder Woman was coming to the Arrowverse - as Wonder Girl. The Arrowverse is changing shape right now, with Supergirl finishing after season 6 and the launch of Superman & Lois in its place. But something about Yara Flor appealed to The CW, who decided to sign off on a new Wonder Girl series as well. This news was all the more remarkable given that, at the time, the character was yet to appear in a single comic book.
Now, after two issues of Future State: Wonder Woman, it is possible to figure out just what viewers can expect from the new series. No doubt there will be differences - apparently Yara Flor's winged horse Jerry will be cut, probably in part for budget reasons - but the broad brushstrokes will be the same. And it's becoming clear Yara Flor will be very different to Diana.
Yara Flor Is The Opposite Of Diana Prince
Traditionally, so-called "legacy heroes" like Yara Flor draw inspiration from the originals, who serve as their inspiration; think Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel, James Rhodes' stint as Iron Man, or Sam Wilson as Captain America. Yara Flor is a different type of legacy hero, however, in that she is essentially the antithesis of Diana, the yin to her yang. Where Diana is the epitome of grace, Yara Flor is brash and impatient; where Diana strives for peace, viewing violence as a necessary evil, Yara Flor seems to take pleasure in it. While she can find a place of inner peace and harmony, as seen in Future State: Wonder Woman #2, this does not come easily to her. Frankly, she'd much rather be tackling injustice head-on - and she's willing to go to lengths Diana would flinch from, making wrongdoers truly fear her retribution lest they change her ways.
"I think the real difference between her and Diana is that she’s not a princess or a queen," Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman writer told Polygon. "She hangs out in weird bars with Amazon gods and she’s running around the streets of Brazil and helping people where she finds them." It's safe to assume these character traits were a major reason The CW became interested in Yara Flor; because they felt she'd appeal to their viewing demographic as a new type of Wonder Girl, more accessible than a beautiful goddess, someone who stumbles along the way. The story of Wonder Girl will presumably be a journey of self-control, as a reckless and impulsive heroine learns to temper her impulses and think things through. What's more, Yara Flor's interest in social justice means the show can have a sharp cultural edge, in the vein of Supergirl's feminism or Black Lightning's commentary on systemic racism. It's a natural fit for the Arrowverse.
Yara Flor's Origin Appears A Lot More Complicated
Wonder Girl's actual origin story is still something of a mystery. Future State: Wonder Woman #1 revealed that, in ancient times, there were two kingdoms of gods who ruled the world - with Zeus enthroned in the east, and Tupã in the west. These two kingdoms appear to have been mirror image of one another, and thus it seems Yara Flor hails from the Amazons of South America rather than those of Themyscira; she is apparently the daughter of an Amazonian warrior and a Brazilian river god. This explains why Yara Flor has been touted as the first Latina superheroine to star in her own Arrowverse show; she hails from South America, not Greece. There does appear to be some sort of relationship between the two Amazonian communities, but the nature of it is unclear, likely deliberately so in order to leave some surprises for the TV show.
The Amazonian island of Themyscira exists in the Arrowverse, and has even been glimpsed in Legends of Tomorrow, but Yara Flor's origin may well have nothing to do with those particular warrior women at all. The interesting question is whether or not she'll pay homage to Diana herself, given Batwoman season 1 name-dropped Wonder Woman, with Kate Kane making a quip about how she'd totally dress as Wonder Woman if she were going to be a hero. That suggests Diana already exists in the Arrowverse, and is well-known enough for a Gothamite to make a throwaway reference to her. But it's anybody's guess whether or not her reputation has reached Yara Flor's ears - or whether Yara Flor instead adopts the title "Wonder Girl" because it is a ceremonial one among the Amazons.
Wonder Girl's Mission May Be Very Different
Future State: Justice League #1 suggested that, while Yara Flor's Wonder Girl is indeed concerned with matters of social justice, she has a very different mission to Diana's Wonder Woman. The book is set further forward in the timeline, in a period where Yara Flor has truly established herself as a hero in her own right. It opens with a scene in which the Justice League's villains remember their opponents' greatest accomplishments in order to prepare to defeat them in battle, and the comments about Yara Flor are particularly intriguing. "Her predecessor wished to bring peace to humanity," the evil T.O. Morrow observed, "but she wished to bring peace to the gods." Diana left Themyscira as the Amazons' gift to the world, attempting to usher in an age of peace. It sounds as though Yara Flor, however, will find herself increasingly focused on her interactions with the gods themselves, attempting to end the millennia of conflict between members of DC's various pantheons. No doubt more will be revealed in a recently-announced Wonder Girl comic book series, due to launch in May 2021.
It will be fascinating to see whether this aspect of Yara Flor is adapted into the Wonder Girl series as well. There's no reason why not; the supernatural has long been a core part of the Arrowverse, and gods and devils have been routinely referenced, especially in Legends of Tomorrow. That approach may well help The CW avoid making their Wonder Girl series nothing more than a cutting-edge superhero social commentary; it would ground the story of Yara Flor in a mystical world she ultimately came to realize was flawed, and sought to correct. Wonder Girl would not be the Amazons' gift to the world; she would be humanity's gift to the gods.