10 Things Wonder Woman Could Learn From Her Absolute Universe Counterpart

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Wonder Woman , the Amazing Amazon, has been reinvented for a new audience in the Absolute Universe, with Absolute Wonder Woman being one of the debut books of the line. This new take depicts her as a warrior from Hell, although she still is as kind and understanding as her mainline counterpart.

This is one of many intersecting points of similarity between the two. Both the main and the Absolute Wonder Women have a fair amount they could discuss if they ever meet, with the former potentially having the chance to learn a lot from the latter.

It’s Worth It To Have A Cool Animal Sidekick

Wonder Woman has always been able to talk to animals, but hasn’t had a super consistent animal sidekick— until now

An underrated tidbit of information about Wonder Woman’s history is the fact that she can communicate with animals. It’s the reason the character is canonically a vegetarian, as she can’t eat beings that she could easily communicate with. It lends the heroine an empathic, almost Disney Princess sort of quality, especially considering the number of animals she’s had as pets over the years, like Jumpa the Kangaroo.

The Absolute universe takes Wonder Woman’s familiarity with animal creatures in a new direction. She not only playfully interacts with them in the Underworld, befriending many demons and beasts, but she also manages to tame the mythical Pegasus as her steed. Granted, this version of Pegasus is dead, but Diana has befriended its spirit and rides its now-living bones in battle. Even if her trusty animal sidekick is a bit unorthodox, maybe it’s something that the main version of Wonder Woman could also utilize.

Veronica Cale Is Not To Be Underestimated

While not a villain that appears too often these days, Veronica Cale is building herself up as a major threat in the Absolute Universe

Already, a fair few of Wonder Woman’s villains have appeared in the Absolute Universe: Circe is her mother, Barbara Ann Miverva is currently a friend interested in Amazonian culture, and Doctor Poison is working to research this new power that’s come onto the scene. But a major player who has just come onto the scene is the underrated foe Veronica Cale, someone with lots of power, intent on taking Wonder Woman down.

Readers don’t know much of this take on Cale just yet, but they are familiar with what her main universe counterpart is like. She’s cruel and crafty, but does have a heart deep down, especially in the Rebirth era, where she was softened down a bit. So far? In Absolute Wonder Woman, Cale seems to be much colder than her main universe counterpart, leaving readers curious as to how low she just may go in pursuit of her goals.

Sometimes She Needs More Than A Lasso

There’s more tricks up the Amazing Amazon’s sleeve than one may expect

The Lasso of Truth is an iconic tool in Wonder Woman’s arsenal. It’s something emblematic of the core themes of the character, in that it’s a tool that allows for its victim to submit to Wonder Woman rather than be outright harmed by her. It’s something used for restraint rather than maiming, understanding rather than torture, and best of all, it just looks incredibly dynamic when used in combat situations. It’s a wonderful piece of iconography.

The Absolute Universe doesn’t have Wonder Woman use the Lasso of Truth per se, but the Nemesis Lasso is a solid counterpart that reflects the grittier tones of this universe rather well. Even then, the rope isn't this version of Wonder Woman’s only weapon in her arsenal— she utilizes a giant sword, potions, and of course, many powerful spells to get by in combat scenarios.

She Can Look Really Good In Black

For once, sporting full-body armor is a good look for Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman’s most famous colors are red, blue, silver, and gold, something that’s stuck since her debut in 1941. Rarely has an official Wonder Woman redesign by DC eschewed these colors, as well as avoided the general pieces of her costume being a bodice, tiara, belt, boots, and either shorts or a skirt, if not some combination of both. However, Wonder Woman in the Absolute universe looks a lot more grim and gothic than any of her mainline counterparts ever have.

Considering her status as a warrior from Hell rather than a princess from Paradise Island, Absolute Wonder Woman looking more menacing than usual makes sense. But artist Hayden Sherman doesn’t go overboard in the darker aesthetics. Wonder Woman here is not a female Kratos of some sort, as she is depicted with a warm kindness and grace even through the heavy armor. All in all, it’s a very interesting look that her main continuity counterpart could take some cues from.

The Gods Deserve Some Criticism

The Gods in Wonder Woman stories have always been a bit grey, but here, they’re antagonistic

The Olympic Gods have always played an instrumental role in the history of Wonder Woman, something that has intensified over the years as they’ve become more of a focus in the heroine’s mythos beyond just Ares and Aphrodite being present. Usually, they are depicted as somewhat benevolent entities— even if they cause trouble in the life of Wonder Woman, they’re usually repentant or caught in some sort of moral grey. It has only been in recent years that the Gods have been depicted as more outright antagonistic, as per all of the New 52 era and the recent Wonder Woman: Historia comic run.

Absolute Wonder Woman continues this trend by establishing the Olympians as responsible for the disappearance of the entire group of Amazons, and the god Apollo being rather dismissive and rude to Circe when giving her the baby Diana. A mystery has been established around these deities, and their rather unfavorable energies as outright antagonists so far is a unique spin for a Wonder Woman title— none have outright been her allies.

Circe Is Not Pure Evil

Perhaps there’s a second chance for one of Wonder Woman’s most dastardly foes

The Absolute Universe loves flipping the polarity of a villain’s morality on an axis. Many characters that would otherwise be a hero’s worst enemy are a close friend to the hero, something that has popped up with many of Batman’s foes , Gorilla Grodd , and, of course, Circe. In Absolute Wonder Woman , she isn’t a hateful witch as much as she is a snarky and lonely one who learns to open her heart after she takes in a baby Wonder Woman.

It’s something that makes Circe stand starkly different next to her main universe counterpart, someone who is petty, vindictive, and cruel, a witch who enjoys sowing chaos for her own pleasure. There is very little about the main continuity Circe that seems worth redeeming, but the Absolute Universe reminds readers that sometimes it’s just a few small things that can completely change the outlook and ultimate fate of a person. Circe’s attitude in this universe also feels reminiscent of the time she had a child, Lyta, whom she genuinely did care for, a sense of love that could maybe be coaxed out once again.

Things Could Be A Lot Worse For The Amazons

The history of the Amazons could be much more tragic, as evidenced by the Absolute Universe

The story of the Amazons usually begins with very tragic events. For years, they've been the spirits of women who met tragic ends, who then got reincarnated for a second chance, only to be tormented by those in Man’s World who didn’t respect or understand them. After being enslaved by Heracles and fighting for their freedom, they’re sentenced to live in isolation on Paradise Island until Diana encourages them to end their isolationist tendencies centuries later.

It’s a painful history that readers can understand and empathize with, but in the case of Absolute Wonder Woman, things seem to be much grimmer for the Amazons overall. The broad strokes of their history appear to be the same, however, a key factor has changed: they lost their war with Heracles or whatever divine entities they came into conflict with. The last Amazon for now is Diana, as the rest of her people have vanished off the face of the Earth. The name Amazon has also been scrubbed from history, leaving Diana’s people a tragic mystery for the heroine to investigate.

She Can Still Be A Heroic Icon Without Being An Ambassador

Ambassador or not, Wonder Woman is still a hero

Wonder Woman has many monikers— the Amazing Amazon, the Warrior or Goddess of Truth, Princess of Themyscira, and the Ambassador of Peace. This last title suits the heroine rather well, considering one of her long-standing occupations has been her role as an ambassador representing Themyscira to the rest of the world . It’s been an essential part of her history for decades, so much so that she even became an honorary UN Ambassador in the real world for a short time, though it makes sense why it's absent in the Absolute Universe.

Wonder Woman is both a newcomer to this world and one that doesn’t immediately seem set on engaging with politics, so her role as an ambassador doesn’t quite make sense to appear here just yet. But it is important to remember that Wonder Woman is capable of inspiring others and saving the day even without an official title like Ambassador or even Princess.

Her Closest Allies Don’t Have To Be Amazons Or Wonder Girls

Civilian supporting casts are essential for a hero

Many typically associate the closest allies of a hero to be their sidekicks. In many cases, this is very true, especially looking at some, like the Robins who operate as the adopted wards and Watson figures of Bruce Wayne. This sort of connotation also carries over to many of Wonder Woman’s sidekicks, aka the Wonder Girls , and her Amazon sisters in general. However, all these characters have been all but scrapped from the Absolute Universe, either having mysteriously disappeared or not having debuted yet.

Instead, many of Wonder Woman’s closest allies here aren’t Amazons at all. Instead, they’re standard civilian cast members like Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and Barbara Ann Minerva, a definite shift from the heroine primarily relying on her Amazon sisters or characters related to them to save the day. So far, it’s a book that’s relying on civilian characters to tell its story, which is always welcomed in the world of superhero comics.

Magic Can Be Great To Use More Often

Even though she exists in a magical world, Wonder Woman ought to use her magic abilities more

Wonder Woman has always been a mystical, mythic character, but the Absolute Universe is taking her skills in those fields to new heights. Usually, Wonder Woman is not casting spells or using magic herself; rather, she is surrounded by these powers and often has to combat them. She’s more a gateway into this world, occasionally dipping her toes in deeper when engaged with teams like the Justice League Dark. But the Absolute takes on the heroine has her operate as a full-on witch.

Many of Wonder Woman’s new attributes in this universe stem from her background. No longer raised by Amazons on Paradise Island, Wonder Woman was raised by the witch Circe in the Underworld. While this take on the heroine still uses variants of her classic bracelets and lasso, she also wields spells and magic in battle to great effect, something that her main universe counterpart could also utilize.