Warning! Spoilers for Wonder Woman #774 ahead!
After the Gods of Olympus have all been slaughtered, Wonder Woman has no choice but to descend into the darkest reaches of hell known as the Graveyard of the Gods to save them. Serving as her guide in this journey is the ghostly superhero Deadman.
Wonder Woman learns of the gods' fate upon her arrival to what is now the smoldering remains of the blood-stained Olympus after having been trapped in Asgard. The Roman god Janus is there to divulge the horrific details of what happened to her kin in full in Wonder Woman #774 by writers Jordie Bellaire, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and artists Andy MacDonald and Paulina Ganucheau. Janus is a god who has been split in two, and he reveals that his female other half is the culprit of the devastation and that she now reigns supreme. He tells Diana that she is powerless to do anything to stop his other half, but Diana is not one to roll over and accept that.
Wonder Woman turns to Deadman for help because he was the one who originally informed her that she should return to Olympus. Deadman soon devises a plan for them to bring the gods back, but it involves venturing into a hell created especially for deities, the Graveyard of the Gods. Their journey is like the Divine Comedy with a futuristic twist as they must descend through what is clearly the first of many levels by way of an elevator. Of course, their mode of transportation has no walls and consists only of bars closely constructed together so any terrified travelers inside can truly behold the horror and suffering around them with no visual impediments.
All of the gods in this literal hellhole are chained to the rocky terrain for eternity where miniature humanoids impale them with sharp, spear-like instruments. The pit apparently smells like "troll droppings," according to the Norse squirrel who has been accompanying Wonder Woman since Asgard. The sight is so unbearable for Wonder Woman that she feels compassion for many of the poor, tortured souls even though it was their own atrocious actions that damned them there in the first place. She even pities a god she helped put there herself, Cronus. His cries to her for mercy shake her to the core despite his past actions, and it is Deadman who assures her that they all deserve their fate. Once they reach the bottom, it's clear that their unsettling journey is just beginning.
Diana has ventured into some pretty unpleasant places throughout her tenure as Wonder Woman, but the fact that she can still be affected by such an ungodly sight proves how truly abominable the conditions are in the Graveyard of the Gods. More importantly, the overall experience provides a glimpse at Wonder Woman's forgiving side. As readers may recall, Cronus once unleashed his terrible children on Earth and even helped spark a war between the Olympian and Hindu pantheons. Even Diana was unable to defeat him during his assault, only succeeding in shattering his sickle as he beat her mercilessly. And yet, the fact that she can muster more than an ounce of pity for him and even suggest mercy is a testament to how forgiving Wonder Woman can actually be. This is especially moving when considering the numerous shameless acts she's perpetrated throughout her career. Although her descent into hell is enough to even capture the interest of readers who do not share an affinity for the macabre, it's the compassion that Wonder Woman experiences that's truly captivating.