WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Wonder Woman.
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The Wonder Woman movie has given DC's best known heroine a brand new set of powers, meaning Diana has put Batman and Superman on notice come Justice League. The producers had let it slip in the very beginning that the DCEU would most likely be following her New 52 origins as Zeus's daughter, and director Patty Jenkins more recently teased Diana's "secret" superpower granted as a result. It didn't take us long to theorize that Wonder Woman can now use Zeus's lightning... but that's just the beginning of her new, demigod superpowers.
Fans have already seen that Diana of Themyscira has the powers to stand beside-- well actually, in front of Superman and Batman in Dawn of Justice, and looks to once again be on the frontlines against the forces of Apokolips come Justice League. We're not surprised, given the unparalleled powers introduced in Wonder Woman, even if they break with DC tradition, or at least 'tweak' the typical physiology and powers of both the Amazons and their favorite daughter.
To get down to just what Diana is now capable of (and which powers can be honed in future Wonder Woman sequels), we're taking a closer look. Those who have yet to see the movie, but plan to, should (obviously) read no further in our look at Wonder Woman: New Movie Superpowers Explained.
Super-Human (and Super-Amazon) Strength
If you go to the comic books, you're likely to find several instances where it is at least implied (if not outright stated) that the Amazons are a race of warrior women blessed by the gods with immortality and superhuman physiology. It's in keeping with the classical tradition of capital-H 'Heroes,' typically showing their favor among the gods in the form of strength, speed, endurance, or wisdom superior to those of a normal man or woman. But in the DCEU, that is a little unclear. Diana's Amazon sisters seem to be as strong and rigorously trained as would be expected, but the idea that they are blessed with strength beyond muscle fiber isn't directly presented.
That's a point clarified when Diana makes her giant leap towards the tower holding Themyscira's prized military possessions, as it certainly seems that her being able to make the jump at all is an act of greatness. In other words, Diana crosses the gap not because she is able to as an Amazons, but because she simply believes she can. When falling, Diana is surprised that her hand can actually shatter the stone blocks of the tower to offer a handhold - confirming, we would argue, that her superhuman strength is due to her divine parentage, and not simply her Amazon blood.
Both Diana and the Amazons are still susceptible to bullet wounds (at least we assume?), seeing Amazons succumb to such simple injuries, and implying they possess the same weaknesses as humans. Technically, it's unclear whether that's a ceiling on the kind of weapons the Amazons were built to resist, while they are still stronger or more resilient than the humans firing at them. The movie steers clear of that question to instead drive home the point that Diana is stronger than either race - even if her own weaknesses aren't actually known just yet.
Projected Energy From Bracers
It's the scene that all but confirmed for viewers who knew Diana's New 52 origin that the DCEU would also reveal Wonder Woman is the daughter of Zeus. As Antiope pushes Diana to her limits, shouting that she must never allow a distraction in combat to drop her guard, and never expect a fight, or an enemy, to play by the rules, she succeeds in totally disarming the princess. With no means to defend herself left, Diana reaches out, slams her bracers together in front of her to stop the coming blow... and what happens next proves once and for all that Diana is no normal Amazon.
A burst of fiery orange energy erupts outward from her wrists with enough force to send Antiope flying through the air along with the other Amazons in the immediate vicinity - producing a shockwave that slams every spectator to the ground. It startles some in attendance, but Antiope - like the audience - grins, knowing that Diana is beginning to use the powers afforded her by her father, the King of the Gods. And as is to be expected, the exact nature of the blast, the energy, the shockwave, and its limits... well, they're as hard to pin down as any other aspect of the Greek Gods' physiology.
Fortunately, the final act of the movie leaps headlong into this power. Not only does Diana use it in tandem with another Greek God possessing similar gifts, but she finds a new gear, obliterating everything around her as her anger and rage fuel energy blasts and shockwaves befitting her godlike lineage. And in that same fight, she uncovers powers given to her by her father that even her brother, Ares, doesn't know to expect...
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Diana Can Wield Lightning of Olympian Gods
When Diana finally realizes the true role Ares has played in not just the War, but her own story through it, she's put on her heels almost immediately. With Ares overloading the Lasso of Hestia to cause a massive, lightning-colored explosion, and Steve's men detonating the factory producing the combustible nerve gas of Doctor Poison, the battlefield soon becomes a fiery inferno. The perfect backdrop for a battle of the gods - according to the story told, the only gods left in the DCEU. Since Ares has a bit more practice, he takes an early lead.
From the start, Ares appears to be utilizing the same formless, innate power Diana used to blast Antiope away. The most obvious conclusion to draw is that this is simply 'a power of the Gods,' ejecting energy in controlled or directionless blasts that mere mortals are hopeless to resist. Ares also uses what appears to be a form of telekinesis, calling metal scarps to himself to form armor and weapons, and even manipulating metal, concrete, and earth to attack his opponent. Diana has yet to grasp this variation of 'The Force,' but she does soon discover that some of these godly powers can be controlled, and countered thanks to her own divine genetics.
The twist begins when Diana faces a full blast from Ares's lightning - and manages to resist it.
It's a big moment for Diana, she it marks the point at which she discovers she may not only pack the same powerful punch as her brother, Ares. But as the child chosen by her father to carry out the destruction of Ares on behalf of all mankind, she may be even more powerful than the God of War. It's hard to forget the moment that Diana comes to this realization, as Ares ceases his fruitless attack, and Diana watches as his lightning dances across, around, and through her own vambraces. Swirling her hands around it to concentrate an attack, she has mastered the lightning of the gods with a speed that is, even for a god, impressive.
Once knocking him back on his feet, Diana finally reaches a state of self-realization that even Antiope may not have thought possible. Having loved Steve Trevor, she has become a link between mankind and the gods in a new way - she no longer is simply charged with defending humanity, but believes in the humans she defends. The moment she rises to prepare for her final attack, Ares seems to know that his time is up, and that the blast which sent him into hiding for millennia was only an appetizer. Spreading her arms as she lifts into the air, and crossing her wrists in front of her, the now famous shot from the trailers and TV spots receives a bit of an upgrade, charging up with a serious dose of lightning.
Letting it loose in a beam, the energy punches straight through Ares's chest, dropping him for good. It's a sign of Diana's mastery of the godly lightning that she is able to do what even Zeus could not. We don't yet know if that's confirmation that Diana's shared parentage has made her even more of a powerful wild card than her father, Zeus. But what we DO know is that trailers have already shown Diana will use lightning in Justice League, even if it isn't in such a blown-out, show-stopping fashion.
Wonder Woman Can Fly
Yes, as mentioned above, part of Diana's acceptance of her godly lineage, and her wielding of full demigod powers is the ability to shrug off gravity itself. It was a question that fans had before they knew for a fact that Wonder Woman's story began in Batman V Superman, since even the regular reboots and re-imaginings of DC Comics disagree on Diana's power of flight. In some cases, she possesses the same ability to fly as Superman (at speed, and through space). In others, she can merely leap as far as someone blessed with superhuman strength would be able. In the DCEU, the answer seems to be... well, somewhere in the middle may be the simplest way of putting it.
First things first: no, Wonder Woman never showed an ability to fly in her BvS debut. Although, one might point out that she never really had to (the fight with Doomsday was locked to the ground the entire time she was present). In her solo movie, Diana never bursts into the air, or takes to the sky like Superman, instead rising to a hovering position as she prepares to engage Ares, and get in touch with the demigod powers she is only learning to use. So is her flight better described as 'rising above the Earth,' and typically tied to a supreme use of force she'd prefer not to make a habit of? Perhaps. It's the clearest answer we've got for the time being.
In all honesty, it's hard to know how much the question will factor in going forward. The final scene of Wonder Woman shows Diana dressing in full armor, and leaping into the sunset of Paris in response to a new threat. Her trajectory suggests she is headed straight for the horizon, so fans are free to debate whether that moment is an actual application of her 'canon' powers, or merely an artistic flourish on which to close the film. If you're looking for a simple answer, saying Wonder Woman could fly, but does just fine leaping wherever she needs to go may be most serviceable for now.
As for Justice League - and all things going according to plan, a big screen sequel - we'll have to wait and see if Superman has some aerial competition in the near future. Especially if the rising stakes of supervillainy call on her demigod abilities with greater frequency.
