For almost 75 years, the superhero demigoddess known as Princess Diana of Themyscira, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, has been fighting evil on the pages of DC Comics. Ever since her first appearance in All Star Comics in 1941, Diana has been a favorite around the world, inspiring girls (and boys) everywhere by proving female superheroes were just as powerful (and in her case, MORE so) than their male counterparts.
There's a reason why Princess Diana is so powerful though: she was crafted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta, brought to life as the daughter of the god Zeus, granted her superpowers (near-immortal life, superhuman strength and speed, virtually indestructible, divine wisdom and more) by the Greek Pantheon (Olympic deities) and raised to be an Amazonian warrior alongside her aunts, Anitope and Menalippe.
Unlike heroes like Superman and the Flash (who have some form of superpower that can be manifested physically), Wonder Woman employs the use of various tools, equipment and weapons to engage her enemies (much like Batman) -- though she doesn't necessarily need them to kick ass. Based on the trailers for her upcoming solo movie, the superheroine will make use of several pieces of equipment from the comics.
We've listed those items below in order of what we can confirm as being featured in the upcoming Wonder Woman and Justice League movies to those she has used in the comics, but either have very little chance of showing up on screen or haven't been confirmed just yet.
The following items are confirmed to appear in one of the upcoming movies featuring the Amazonian princess.
12. Lasso of Truth
One of Wonder Woman's best known weapons, this glowing lasso has already appeared on the big screen, when she used it in that epic Batman v Superman battle against Doomsday. We've also seen it coiled on her hip in the trailers for her upcoming solo outing, so there is absolutely no doubt that we will be seeing a lot more of it in the DCEU.
The lasso originally came from the Golden Girdle of Gaea, worn by Antiope. Forged into a weapon by the Greek god Hephaestus, the lasso (like most of her weapons) is more than a glowing rope. We have already seen its immense strength (and magical length) in action, but it also has some more magical applications. In the comics, the lasso is able to force people to tell the truth, and it can also dispel illusions (to reveal the truth -- hence the name) and restore memories to those who have lost them. It can even restore the mind to sanity and protect people from magical attacks.
In some stories, it has also been used to force someone bound by it to unquestioningly obey the one wielding the lasso, and even to allow Diana to change her clothes! More often than not though, it's used to wrangle up bad guys and/or whip them into the ground.
11. Bracelets of Victory
A key part of Wonder Woman’s costume, the Bracelets of Victory are silver cuffs worn around Diana’s wrists – but they are far more than jewelry. These bracelets were forged from the shield of the Zeus himself, and as such, are indestructible. Their connection to Zeus even allows Wonder Woman to use her cuffs in order to project a lightning blast from them, using them as an offensive weapon (a maneuver which may soon translate to the big screen).
Most of the time, however, the bracelets are defensive. They can deflect bullets (as well as blades, blows, and virtually any other attack), and Wonder Woman sometimes uses them to deflect a bullet back at the person who fired it. When she crosses the bracelets in front of her face, they create a shield which protects her (and anyone behind her) from explosions and larger blasts. These have also been used not only to protect Wonder Woman, but to protect others from Wonder Woman. Originally, the bracelets were used to control her incredible power, and when taken off, she would let loose with her full strength in a berserker rage.
10. Royal Tiara
While Wonder Woman’s tiara is a symbol of her royalty (as Princess of Paradise Island) and her heritage, it's important to keep in mind that she is a warrior princess -- so her crown is also used as a weapon. Although it has appeared as gold and silver, the tiara always has a star in the center. Originally, this was red, although in the live-action version it is the same color as the rest of the tiara. She is able to take it off and use it as a throwing weapon, and with sharpened edges and her super-human strength behind it, a throw can dole can dole out an impressive amount of damage.
The tiara also acts as a boomerang, always returning to Diana when she throws it. Although the tiara has had a few incarnations over the years, and is now part of the set of weapons given to her on Themyscira, it was originally gifted to her in outer space out of gratitude for helping an alien world.
9. Battle Armor
As she's proved in her various incarnations over the years, Wonder Woman is more than capable of fighting in just about anything. In the latest trailer for her solo movie, we even see her strapping a sword between her shoulder blades while wearing an evening gown…and wondering how women move around in the restrictive fashions of the early 1900s.
However, when Diana knows that she's headed out to do battle, she does have specific battle armor to protect herself and move as easily as possible. There have been many, many different costumes that Wonder Woman has donned over her years in comics, but the common thread is the armored breastplate that covers her torso. The film version also includes a classic warrior skirt for freedom of movement, although comics have seen her in skirts, leotards, shorts, and even pants (for a brief period). She has also been known to wear a shield for extra protection, as well as her bulletproof bracelets.
8. Martial Weapons
Although Wonder Woman has some very specific weaponry and magical equipment that she uses, she is capable of using a huge variety of martial weaponry. Her training as a warrior on Themyscira included a range of fighting styles and tools, and she is capable of fighting with swords, daggers, axes, spears, the bow and arrow, shields, staffs, and much more. She is also able to use almost anything in hand as a weapon should the need arise, making her one of DC Comics' very best and most powerful melee fighters.
Trained from a young age, her abilities are certainly augmented with natural talent, but are largely the result of a lifetime of hard work and perseverance. In the New 52, she was such a talented warrior that Ares, God Of War, offered to train her as his protégé. Although she prefers to use weapons and her other tools, she is also an incredible hand-to-hand combatant, even if she loses her powers.
7. War Suits
While Wonder Woman is usually either in disguise or in her iconic blue, red, and gold battle costume, she does have other sets of armor as well. In the trailer, we can see Wonder Woman in a more ‘everyday’ Themyscirian suit that is entirely copper and much simpler than her usual armor. In some scenes, however, she and Queen Hippolyta look like they are wearing suits a little like her comic book War Suit. This gold suit covers more than her usual costume, with shoulder plates, gold greaves, a chest plate and a helmet. The suit also sprouts a pair of wings from her shoulders, making her look even larger and more formidable than usual. Wonder Woman wears this War Suit when she is going into larger battles, wars rather than one-on-one fights, or her most important battles. Other Amazonians also have war suits like this, sometimes in silver or bronze rather than the gold that Wonder Woman wears.
6. Magical Sword
We’ve seen quite a lot of Wonder Woman’s sword in the latest trailers for her film, but some may not be aware that it is actually a magic sword. The primary magical property of her sword is its ability to work on invulnerable beings – including Superman. This sword, therefore, can hurt and even (theoretically) kill Superman without Kryptonite (good thing that they're on the same side!).
At one point in the comics, she's shown using a sword to split atoms, but the history of her sword isn’t as well known as that of many of her other signature weapons. In the DCEU, her sword is also known as the Sword of Athena, and it's much more closely connected to her Amazonian heritage. The live-action version of the sword is also engraved. It reads “Life is killing life all the time and so the goddess kills herself in the sacrifice of her own animal”, which is a quote from Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Joseph Campbell.
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Note: The following items are either confirmed to NOT be in the upcoming films, merely speculated to be in the movies, or have little-to-no chance of appearing on screen.
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5. The Invisible Plane
One from Wonder Woman's early days, the Invisible Plane was her primary mode of transport in the days before Wonder Woman could fly. Originally Amazonian technology, Diana used her invisible jet to bring Steve Trevor back to the world of man, and then to transport herself and others. A later version of Wonder Woman’s plane was retconned to become alien tech – and this plane could do a whole lot more than hide in plain sight. The plan has an autopilot mode, various weaponry, can fly in space, and can repair iteself when damaged. Wonder Woman also has a telephathic connection to her plane.
The latest version of the jet isn’t even an aircraft most of the time, but the floating WonderDome, a secret lair and home for Diana. Although it would be easy to fit the jet into the story of the upcoming film, we won’t be seeing this just yet, according to director Patty Jenkins. "The invisibl jet is not in this movie, but it might be in the future. It [the movie] takes place in such an early period that it wouldn't have been the jet we want."
4. Sandals of Hermes
The Sandals of Hermes have been used by multiple heroes in the DC universe, but they're primarily associated with Wonder Woman. Taken straight from Greek mythology, where Hermes was the fleet-footed messenger of the Gods, these sandals are winged at the heels and enable the person sporting them to fly. Given that Wonder Woman can fly without the sandals in most incarnations, these are not entirely necessary. However, they do also give the wearer greater speed and a smooth journey through the Air of Chaos – the protective field between Themyscira and the World of Man.
Diana's mother Hippolyta has also worn the sandals, during the invasion of Our Worlds at War, and Pythia (another Amazonian) sported them as well at one point. Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark) and Artemis have rocked them too, although only for brief periods of time. In all cases, the wearer is able to fly and their speed is increased, although only when the sandals are actually on.
We're still getting to know the DCEU's version of Wonder Woman and what exactly she's capable of doing. But needless to say, if she is indeed capable of flight and super speed, it's unlikely that those abilities will be explained away by a pair of sandals.
3. Gauntlet of Atlas
Another item with a pedigree from Greek mythology are the Gauntlets of Atlas. In the myth, Atlas was a legendary Titan who literally held up the sky. His gauntlets give the wearer increased strength, said to be ten times their usual power. At the same time, they increase the wearer’s durability and stamina, allowing them to fight longer and handle more powerful blows. They are depicted as gold cuffs that spiral up the arm, and you can check them out in the photo for the Sandals of Hermes entry above. Wonder Woman is not the only Amazonian warrior to have worn the Gauntlets, of course. Hippolyta and Artemis have both worn them, as well as Wonder Girl – and they are usually given to an Amazon warrior as a set, along with the Sandals of Hermes.
Wonder Woman has used these to increase her strength when fighting Doomsday – although in her battle against the beast in Batman v Superman, they were nowhere to be seen. It's likely that we'll just see her usual Bracelets of Victory in the films for now.
2. Earrings
Wonder Woman no longer wears weaponized earrings, but during her Golden Age days, she did from time to time. At one point, she had a set of red earrings that had been ‘magnetized’ by Desira, Queen of the Planet Venus. These allowed Diana to communicate with the Queen over any distance, courtesy of their gift of “magnetic hearing”. (This was comfortably in the days of pseudo-scientific words being bandied about all over comic books).
Diana has also worn Gelignite Grenade Earrings that she is able to take off and use as miniature grenades that are powerful enough to blow through a steel door. While both of these would be interesting additions to the DCEU, they haven’t been a part of Wonder Woman’s costume in the DC Comics for many years. And it's unlikely that we would see Gal Gadot’s Diana headed off to the Planet Venus any time soon!
1. Power Rings
During the events of Blackest Night, Wonder Woman was given two different power rings. Initially, she was one of the many DC superheroes who died and were resurrected as Black Lanterns. Later, she was separated from her Black Power Ring and given a Violet Power Ring, in order to become one of the Star Sapphires who bands together with the other Lantern Corps to defeat Nekron and save the day.
As a Star Sapphire, Wonder Woman was granted all of the usual power ring abilities: the creation of energy constructs, manipulating energy through emotion (love, in this case), intergalactic travel, and survival in space being chief among them. However, it is very unlikely that we will see this story arc happening on the big screen. If it does, and we do get to see Diana as a Lantern, it will happen after the DCEU has expanded to a much greater extent – and introduced the Green Lantern Corps themselves, of course.
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What's your favorite Wonder Woman weapon of all time? Are there any from the comics that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2nd, 2017.