Summary
A recent DC Black Label series has givenWonder Woman’sclassic clay origin story a major and utterly badass update. It not only reveals why Hippolyta chose to craft her daughter from clay but also discloses the secret ingredient she added. While this ingredient may account for Diana’s unparalleled power levels, it also comes with significant consequences.
This act makes Diana not only a child of clay but also the progeny of every Greek deity.
Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer’sWonder Woman: Dead Earth#1 kicks off a dark narrative where Diana awakens from a centuries-long slumber to find her friends gone and Earth reduced to a wasteland. With her recent memories missing, Wonder Woman embarks on a quest to uncover the mystery behind the devastation.
The story is interwoven with flashbacks of Diana’s past, especially her time on Paradise Island. Notably, two flashbacks—one in issue #1 and the other in issue #2—offer a detailed explanation of Diana’s creation and the significant consequences of those origins.
DC Reveals Why Hippolyta Chose to Shape Diana From Clay (Hint: Immortality)
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth#1opens with a flashback of Hippolyta telling a young Diana the story of her creation. The Amazon Queen guides her daughter to place her hands in the clay of the Earth, revealing that this clay is what Diana was made from. While Diana’s origin as being crafted from clay is a well-established element of her lore, Hippolyta’s explanation offers a fresh perspective. She describes the clay as being from the Earth’s core,“the strongest of what this broken world had to offer,”andexplains that she chose clay to ensure Diana would be“strong.”
Hippolyta continues to elaborate on her choice of clay for shaping Diana, explaining that she wanted to make her daughter strong enough so that no one could ever hurt her and that, when the world eventually came to an end, Diana would live on and be safe. This provides the most profound insight fans have received into Hippolyta’s choice of clay for Diana’s creation. It also uncovers thatthe clay contributes to Wonder Woman’s immortality and a degree of invulnerability.This explanation is brilliant because it doesn’t retcon Diana’s origin but rather enhances it in a genuinely captivating way.
My Stomach Seriously Went Sour When I Saw Wonder Woman’s Mother’s Horrifying Villain Transformation
Wonder Woman’s mother undergoes a villainous transformation so shockingly grotesque and graphic that I’m surprised it was approved for publication.
Hippolyta Reveals Wonder Woman Possesses a Drop of Blood From Each Greek God & Goddess
InWonder Woman: Dead Earth#2, a flashback reveals more about Diana’s creation through a conversation between Hippolyta and Nubia.Hippolyta discloses that Diana is not only made of clay but also contains a drop of blood from each of the Greek Gods, unbeknownst to them. The queen explains that the extravagant party she hosted for the gods, complete with the finest food and wine, was actually a ploy to put them into a deep slumber. This allowed her to steal a portion of their blood, including that of Zeus, the most powerful of the gods.
Hippolyta kept the blood hidden until the moment she was ready to create Diana. Johnson’s art captures the scene, showing Hippolyta on her knees as she pours the divine blood of all the Greek gods and goddesses onto the clay, which she then uses to shape Diana.This act makes Diana not only a child of clay but also the progeny of every Greek deity.Hippolyta explains to Nubia that her purpose was to make"[Diana] strong. So strong that she could never be hurt.”This revelation provides a profound explanation for Diana’s extraordinary power levels.
An Iconic Piece of Wonder Woman Lore Returns With A Badass Post-Apocalyptic Upgrade
Wonder Woman revives a classic element of her lore with a brutal, post-apocalyptic twist that’s sure to leave fans grinning from ear to ear.
Diana Prince’s Origin Update Explains the Consequences of Being Crafted From the Blood of Gods
Despite the invulnerability, immortality, and other powers Diana gained from the gods' blood, there were significant consequences to such a method of creation. As Nubia notes,the divine blood has endowed Diana with more power than she can control, making her“too strong”and posing a danger not only to others but to herself as well. This uncontrollable strength is vividly illustrated during a training session, where Diana accidentally causes the collapse of an entire cliffside. Thus, the power Hippolyta intended to be Diana’s greatest strength has also become her greatest weakness.
In addition to highlighting the dangers of Diana’s power, Nubia devises a solution:Wonder Woman’s signature Bracelets of Submission, rebranded in this Black Label series as the Gauntlets of Submission. Nubia offers the gauntlets to Diana not as a mandate but as an option, explaining that they were crafted to help her control her immense power and keep her strength in check.While the gauntlets will make Diana“weaker,”they will also make her“safer.”Their effectiveness depends on Diana’s willingness to wear them, making it her choice, which she readily accepts.
Panel Is FromWonder Woman# 6 by Tom King
This origin update is masterful because it doesn’t retcon Diana’s established clay origin story; instead, it enriches it with new layers of depth. By detailing Hippolyta’s choice to use clay and revealing the dramatic addition of the gods' blood, the update clarifies the origins of Wonder Woman’s powers, including her immortality and immense strength.This enhancement not only deepens Diana’s backstory but also perfectly aligns with her current origin in mainstream continuity, seamlessly integrating these new elements into her established lore.
Tom King’sWonder Woman#6 confirms thatmainstream continuity follows Diana’s clay origin storyby having Diana herself acknowledge that she was made from clay. Hence, there are no contradictions between theDead Earthand mainstream continuity origin stories for Wonder Woman. Fans can therefore imagine that the intriguing additions fromDead Earth—Hippolyta’s reasoning and the use of the blood of all the Greek deities—could also apply to theWonder Womanof the main DCU.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is the superhero identity of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. Created on the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is a super-powered demi-goddess with extreme physical strength who utilizes magical gifts (like her famous Lasso of Truth) to defeat her foes. As mighty as her fellow heroes Superman and the Justice League, Wonder Woman is unmatched in her compassion and virtue.
