'Wonder Woman': Diana Will Be More Powerful Than Any Other Amazon— and the Reason Why Is More Important Than You Think

Fans were introduced to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and thrilled us with her skills as a warrior. The film saw Diana dive straight into an epic clash with Doomsday, showing a sense of visceral joy as she dove into the heat of battle. Fans were fascinated to see her power and skill as she traded blows with the Kryptonian monster, and boldly declared that she's killed gods before.

But where does Wonder Woman get her powers from? Is she an ordinary Amazon warrior — or is there more to Wonder Woman than meets the eye? At a press event hosted by Warner Bros. last week, we got some fascinating hints...

The Origin of Wonder Woman

Over in the comics, Wonder Woman's origin has been subtly retold many times, and each version has been slightly different. Right now, Greg Rucka's revisiting that origin, bringing it back to a more familiar version in which Diana is blessed by the gods — receiving powers that leave her friends and allies reeling in shock!

In the #DCEU, though, Diana's story seems to be ever-so-slightly different. According to Anna Obropta, Production Liaison on Wonder Woman, she was created by Zeus as a gift for Hippolyta. We were told that Ares had gone to war against the gods, and that Zeus created Themyscira with his last breath; it seems likely that Diana was one of Zeus's last gifts for the Amazon race — and that she may well have been the only child on Themyscira.

We already know from Batman v Superman that Wonder Woman possesses tremendous power beyond any other Amazon. Wonder Woman will chart the story of her growth as a character, of a process of self-discovery that leads to Wonder Woman learning her true power...

What powers does Wonder Woman have?

There seems to be a lot more to Diana's origin than meets the eye. In one clip I saw last week, Hippolyta and a fellow Amazon warrior watched Diana and Steve Trevor leave Themyscira, and as they did so, they discussed the question of Diana's identity. Asked if she should have told Diana the truth, Hippolyta reflects:

"The more she knows, the sooner he'll find her."

Tied to this, it's hinted that Wonder Woman possesses greater power than any other Amazon — and that she'll learn the nature of her powers as the film progresses. In one training montage early in the film, she shocks the Amazons when she generates the shockwave we saw in Batman v Superman. As she explores the real world, Wonder Woman learns that she's fast, strong, and resistant to injury; her eyes can focus in on a single bullet, so she can watch it fly towards her and deflect it. Intriguingly, Anna Obropta reflected that she doesn't believe there's anything special about Wonder Woman's bracelets; instead, she believes the ability to deflect the bullets lies in Wonder Woman herself.

It's clear that Wonder Woman is no ordinary Amazon, and that this ties to a secret about her origin — one that will be unveiled as the film progresses.

A Weapon Forged Against Ares

As I've discussed in an earlier post, it seems that Ares will launch a campaign against the gods in Wonder Woman. It seems to me that Diana is Zeus's answer to that: a god-killer, created to be raised by the Amazons, and perhaps literally a goddess herself (later in the event, it was notable that director Patty Jenkins constantly referred to Wonder Woman as a 'goddess').

The Wonder Woman costume is tied to this; as she prepares to head into the real world, Diana breaks into the armory of the Amazons, and takes the weapons she needs. These are mystical gifts left behind by Zeus, including the famous God-Killer, a blade that can literally kill the gods.

It seems likely that, as the film progresses, Diana will learn the truth of her identity. Although she's been told she was created by Zeus as a gift for her mother, I strongly suspect there's a lot more to it; that scene, with Hippolyta challenged as to whether or not she should have told Diana the truth, hints at a secret that weaves all the way back through Diana's cinematic origin. It's going to be fascinating to see where this goes...