Warning! Contains spoilers for Birds of Prey #3!
Most fans are aware of classic Justice League match-ups like Batman vs. Superman, but very few characters could actually take down Wonder Woman. That’s why it was so surprising that DC recently revealed that if push came to shove, Green Arrow could bring the Amazonian princess down — at least for a little while.
The surprising confrontation between the Emerald Archer and Amazonian Princess takes place in Birds of Prey #3 by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. In this story, the Birds of Prey need Diana distracted while they infiltrate Themyscira to save Black Canary’s sister, Sin, and Oliver Queen takes the job of keeping Wonder Woman busy.
While Green Arrow has beaten some powerful enemies, having him distract Wonder Woman is a major step up from what he was used to. This leads Green Arrow to fight Diana with all sorts of magically enhanced arrows, and while Oliver is clearly on the losing end of things, he does manage to bring Diana down, at least for a few moments, by turning her into a flock of butterflies. She later shows up to confront the Birds on Themyscira, slowed down but not defeated.
Green Arrow Battles Wonder Woman on Black Canary’s Behalf
Green Arrow has tons of trick arrows at his disposal, including truly iconic arrows such as the Boxing Glove Arrow or the Iron-Lung Arrow. But despite having these arrows, there’s little a lone archer could hope to do against a literal demigod. Diana has strength on par with Superman, speed that surpasses him, and, unlike Superman, absolutely no real weaknesses. While Clark is vulnerable to Kryptonite and magic, Wonder Woman isn’t really vulnerable to anything. Magic will hurt Diana just as much as it might hurt anyone else, but given her speed and sheer durability, actually putting her down isn’t so easy.
Wonder Woman is the Justice League’s most powerful hero because there’s no real way to stop her. Batman usually defeats Wonder Woman by trapping her in a form of illusion, but the issue is that Wonder Woman’s powers should prevent this. Diana is all about truth, and she literally becomes the Goddess of Truth at one point. Because of this, she can see through all forms of lies, even escaping the Black Mercy on her own at one point. This is why Ollie bringing her down in this issue is so impressive, even if it only lasts a few seconds. While Ollie can’t stop her for any real length of time, he does slow her down with a surprise arrow — a “defeat” that makes perfect narrative sense.
Green Arrow Temporarily Defeats Wonder Woman
Green Arrow has fought some truly powerful enemies in his time, even battling Starro by himself with his classic Atomic Warhead Arrow. But Diana is, without a doubt, the most dangerous foe he has ever faced. While Diana obviously wouldn’t have seriously harmed Oliver, the fact remains that Ollie had to keep her busy for Black Canary so she wouldn;t return to Themyscira too soon. This leads Green Arrow to defeating Wonder Woman — even if only for a few minutes.
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