Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: brian azzarello, george perez, greg rucka, Tom King, wonder woman

Clay Or Daughter Of Zeus? The War Of Wonder Woman's Origin Continues

Clay or Daughter Of Zeus? The War of Wonder Woman's origin continues with a new encyclopaedia entry

Clay or Daughter Of Zeus? The War of Wonder Woman's origin continues, as it has done for 85 years, with a brand new entry into the mix. But first, back to the beginning…

Wonder Woman's origin story, written by her co-creator William Moulton Marsden back in 1942, states that she was sculpted from clay by her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and given life as an Amazon by birth.

Indeed, all the Amazons were created from clay by the goddess Aphrodite to challenge the warmongering mortal men, led by the war god Mars, who left for Paradise Island to escape the abuses of men who enslaved them.

In the sixties, that would change, losing their divine origins save for Hippolyta being the daughter of Mars/Ares. They left for Paradise Island because their husbands had all been killed at war.

No longer made from clay, Wonder Woman now had an unnamed husband, and her powers were gifted to her by the gods.

In 1987, George Perez restored the clay and divine origins, the Amazons being reincarnated souls of murdered women across history since prehistoric times. Hippolyta had been murdered when pregnant, and so was later sculpted by Hippolyta on Paradise Island.

Again, her powers were granted to her by the gods. And this lasted for two-and-a-half decades.

The New 52 reboot from Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang would see this revealed as a lie, the Amazons now revised as violent pirates who raped and killed men to reproduce, and that Diana was not born of clay but the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus.

In 2016, this was rewritten again for DC Rebirth by Greg Rucka and Becky Cloonan. Wonder Woman was still the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, but the Amazons returned to being reincarnated women put on Themyscira by Aphrodite to oppose Ares.

In 2020 in the Black Label future world story from Daniel Warren Johnson, Wonder Woman Dead Earth, that version saw Wonder Woman return to being born of clay…

…her life and powers coming from the blood of gods that had been added to the clay.

This was a parallel future, but it led the way to a new past. Tom King and Daniel Sampere's current Wonder Woman run from 2023 started to return to the clay origin.

First in asides…

…but then we saw her create her own daughter, Trinity, from clay and soul strands of both herself and Steve Trevor, while talking about how her mother had formed her.

Then, in the recent Mark Waid-written New History Of The DC Universe, the clay origin was referred to again.

But now it seems in the new edition of the DC Encyclopedia out in March from DC Comics and DK, even though it uses imagery front and centre from Tom King and Daniel Sampere's run, the origin has gone back fifteen years to the New 52 version…

It reads "If nothing else, Diana Thymeria stands for truth. However, she said she had been living as the daughter of Zeus and was the Amazon Queen Themyscira. However, she was known to protect her from the wrath of Zeus' wife Hera, his legitimate children. This gave rise to the legend that Queen Hippolyta had adopted Diana from clay.".

Maybe there needs to be a brand new Wonder Woman origin story to clear this all up for good. And maybe they could get Clay Mann to draw it…

DC Encyclopedia New Edition by Scott Beatty, Dan Brooks
The official and definitive guide to the dynamic and engrossing characters of the DC multiverse – now updated with more than 1,000 entries. Written by DC experts, the fifth and latest edition of the comprehensive DC Encyclopedia includes more than 1,000 Super Heroes and Super-Villains, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Joker, and Harley Quinn. The most captivating and complete DC Encyclopedia to date:The fifth edition of the highly celebrated DC Encyclopedia contains over 1,000 entries for DC's eclectic cast of Super Heroes and Super-Villains, as well as features for major events from the comics.
Exclusive cover artwork created by renowned Dark Crisis and Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampere, as well as fresh new character artworks on expanded entries.
The ultimate gift for DC and Super Hero fans looking for an official and up-to-date reference book for this influential franchise. This fresh and exciting update makes new additions to the DC Encyclopedia, introducing new content that covers the latest events in the DC multiverse – including Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lazarus Planet, and Absolute Power, as well as new and enhanced character entries. Stunningly illustrated with DC artwork, including hundreds of new images from the latest DC comics, this book is a must-have on any DC fan's shelf.

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