Warning: Spoilers for Birds of Prey #5!
One member of the Birds of Prey knows the biggest difference between Wonder Woman and the rest of the Amazons. One can argue that there is no one in the DC Universe that Diana is closer to than the Amazons. However, she does hold one key distinction that separates herself from her sisters: her willingness to forgive.
The difference between Wonder Woman and her Amazon sisters boils down to forgiveness in Birds of Prey #5 by Kelly Thompson, Arist Deyn, and Clayton Cowles. The newly formed Birds of Prey, led by Black Canary, have been on a mission to save Dinah’s sister, who has been isolated on Themyscira. Sin Lance doesn’t need to be saved from the Amazons themselves, but from the Goddess of Vengeance Megaera, the harbinger of a Ragnarok-level apocalypse.
The Birds might be too late: the damage has been done, and the Amazons have been totally brutalized by Zealot and the Birds. According to Zealot, the only one of the Amazons who will be willing to forgive them is Wonder Woman — as per usual.
The Other Amazons Aren’t as Forgiving as Wonder Woman
As if the last issue’s ending, depicting the end of the world, wasn’t dire enough, this issue sees Megaera use its powers to mind control the Amazons of the island, including Wonder Woman. Despite this massive threat, Zealot agrees to take on a horde of Amazons by herself. Zealot has expressed her desire not to fight or kill any Amazons, especially without reason, so having to fend off what is practically an army of them is no easy task for the popular Wildstorm mainstay. Nonetheless, she does what she thinks needs to be done and remains apologetic to the Amazons about her actions.
Zealot expresses her respect for the Amazons as she continues to slice through each one in her path, as she thinks they all deserve better than to be wrapped up in the schemes of an angry god. Zealot doesn’t seem to strike any fatal blows, pointing out the Amazons will heal eventually. She also hopes that in time, as their wounds heal, so will whatever anger or disdain they might feel toward her for this moment — though Zealot thinks that may be unlikely. The only Amazon likely to forgive her for this day — or to forgive in general — is Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman Is a Naturally Forgiving Character
More often than not, forgiveness is a consistent quality for Wonder Woman, so much so that forgiveness is a lesson that Wonder Woman once had to teach God. Some Wonder Woman stories tend to walk the line between her being very forgiving and very remorseless, but thanks to this quote from Zealot, even Wonder Woman’s remorseless stories can now be justified without being viewed as out of character. Whenever she does unleash a more ruthless, unforgiving side, then it’s a moment where Wonder Woman is tapping into her nature as an Amazon. That said, her forgiving nature is among Wonder Woman’s most heroic traits.
BIRDS OF PREY #5 (2023) | |
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Birds of Prey #5 is available now from DC Comics.
