DC’s Future State initiative has introduced a new Wonder Woman – and she’s a different kind of legacy hero. DC has recently launched one of its boldest publishing initiatives, replacing the entire comic book line with new books set in future timelines. Future State introduces a number of key new superheroes, including Yara Flor, Diana’s successor as Wonder Woman in the year 2050.
To the surprise of readers, back in November 2020, The CW announced a Wonder Girl TV series that would be bringing Yara Flor to life in the Arrowverse. It was a remarkable statement of confidence in the new superhero, given she wouldn’t make her comic book debut until January 2021. It seems both DC and The CW believe Yara Flor will be a hit – and justification has now been provided, with the first issues featuring the new Wonder Woman finally coming out. They reveal she’s a very different kind of legacy hero.
Traditionally, legacy heroes are more diverse characters who are seen as somehow embodying the mantle of a long-lasting superhero; think Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel, John Stewart’s Green Lantern, or Sam Wilson’s stint as Captain America. At first glance, Yara Flor appears to fit with this, because where Diana is a Greek goddess in her own right, she’s Latino. But it’s now becoming clear DC Comics has taken a different approach with the new Wonder Woman. There’s a strong sense in which Yara Flor does not embody Diana’s legacy; she contrasts with it.
The contrasts begin with what little is currently known of Yara Flor’s origin story. According to Future State: Wonder Woman #1, in ancient times there were two kingdoms of the gods on either side of the globe, ruled by different thunder gods; Zeus in the east, and Tupã in the west. These appear to have been inverted mirror images of one another, and naturally, that meant what arose in the west – the creation of the Amazons, and ultimately the birth of Wonder Woman – also happened in South America. Yara Flor is the Wonder Woman of South America, champion of a race of Amazons who have never been seen in the comics before, wielding a golden lasso weighted as a weapon.
That weapon signifies how different Yara Flor’s character is as well. Diana is the epitome of grace, but Yara Flor is brash and impatient, rushing in where even gods would have feared to tread. Where Diana views conflict as a necessary evil, Yara Flor clearly takes a visceral pleasure in it; one memorable scene in Future State: Wonder Woman #1 shows a savage grin upon her face as she beheads a monster in the Amazon Jungle. “Well, that was anticlimactic,” she observes at the apparent ease with which she has felled the beast.
All this means Yara Flor does not embody the legacy of Wonder Woman, as is traditional for so-called legacy heroes. Instead, she is quite literally the polar opposite of it, while still being a hero. This is a much more intriguing approach, seldom seen in comic books before, and it makes her a far more interesting character. It’s easy to see why DC and The CW believe the new Wonder Woman will be a hit.
