Warning! Spoilers ahead for Wonder Woman #2!A classic element returns to Wonder Woman’s origin for the first time in years. The Amazons are on the run and Diana is taking on the United States military. But a bit of narration during the intense battle reveals that Wonder Woman’s classic origin is once again canon in the DC Universe.
For years, Wonder Woman had an iconic, if unconventional, origin story. Princess Diana was brought into the world by Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, who sculpted her daughter out of clay. After praying to the gods for a child, the deities responded in kind by giving the clay sculpture life, giving the world one of its greatest champions.
However, Wonder Woman’s origin was retconned during the New 52 years. In her new origin, Diana was the naturally-born daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, making her a demigod. While many of the New 52’s changes to DC history were undone or ignored, Wonder Woman’s updated parentage stuck with her.
Wonder Woman’s Clay Origin Returns to the DC Universe
In Wonder Woman #2 by Tom King and Daniel Sampere, the United States Army has come to arrest Diana for violating the Amazon Safety Act, a law banning Amazons from America. Wonder Woman refuses to comply with the military and defends herself as the soldiers attack. While fighting, narration from the Sovereign, the secret king of America, discusses Wonder Woman, saying she is not “born of woman“, but “forged first of clay“. The Sovereign acknowledges the story of Zeus and Hippolyta and admits that part of the story is true, but the center of that story is a lie “like any good fable“.
Since Dark Nights: Death Metal, DC Comics has taken the approach that everything is canon in the DC Universe. But this is the first time Diana’s origin has been touched on in-canon since it was changed back during the New 52. Obviously, it’s impossible to have two contradictory origins and the narration pretty much confirms that the new origin is just a fable. However, it leaves just enough room so that elements of the updated origin are still true, likely the brief affair between Wonder Woman’s mother and Zeus. But by bringing back Diana’s old origin, it once again strongly emphasizes Wonder Woman’s connection with her mother.
DC Goes Back on a Big Change to Wonder Woman’s History
While tweaks to the history of superheroes aren’t uncommon, changing something as crucial as an origin story is a harder sell to fans. Wonder Woman’s original origin was the story of a mother whose love and labors were rewarded by the gods. While the updated origin did easily explain where Diana’s amazing strength and skills came from, it lost the heartwarming nature of Wonder Woman’s backstory. But now, Diana’s classic origin is canon again and instead of emphasizing Zeus, Wonder Woman’s backstory goes back to being a tale of a mother and daughter. Wonder Woman #2 is on sale now.
