Absolute Wonder Woman’s Best Trait Isn’t New (And That’s The Best Part)

DC’s Absolute Universe was pitched as a brand-new universe with brand-new rules. Instead of the decades of lore about heroes who have continuously guided the world down a better path, the Absolute Universe’s soul leaned towards Darkseid’s selfish evil. The world was fundamentally changed, and, in turn, so were the heroes. At their core, each hero still stands for the same values. Superman is the ultimate symbol of choosing to be better, and the Green Lantern still overcomes fear. However, each of them has fundamentally changed. Superman doesn’t have his endless hope or idealism, and the Green Lantern Corps doesn’t exist. Every hero is somewhat the same, but also incredibly different. All except for Wonder Woman.

Absolute Wonder Woman and the original are practically the same character. This doesn’t mean they are the same at their core, but approach their mission or feel different, but that they are the same character with only superficial differences. Wonder Woman and her Absolute counterpart could swap places, and the only difference would be their aesthetics and connection to Themyscira. Despite all other Absolute characters being reinventions or new takes in some way, Absolute Wonder Woman is just the original if she grew up in Hell, and that’s the best part of her character.

Two Women Made of Wonder

Before we dive into why the two Wonder Women being so similar is the best possible thing, let’s dive into what makes them that way. Every Absolute hero is the same at their core. The premise of their universe is that the heroes we know and love were dropped into a grimdark universe and are transforming it into something more hopeful. While the Absolute heroes represent the same heroism as the originals, they are different. They are all younger, less experienced, and struggle more with the ideals that they are supposed to embody. Sometimes, their differences run even deeper. Heck, Martian Manhunter is a disembodied thought-alien, and Oliver Queen is dead. 

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That precedent was thrown out the door with Wonder Woman. Yes, there are clear differences, with Absolute Wonder Woman having a much deeper mastery of magic and being raised in Hell instead of Themyscira, but beyond that, she’s the same as her counterpart. Both came to Man’s World to protect it from all manner of threats. Both are advocates for truth and compassion above all else, and see that love is the way to save the world. Most importantly, both heroines have practically the same personality, which is unique for all of the Absolute characters. They are both warriors who choose peace, and you could replace any of their dialogue with that of the other at virtually no effort. These two are the same character, and that’s amazing.

A New Chance to Make a Mark

Absolute Wonder Woman being the same as her Prime counterpart is the best thing for both characters because it gives a whole new audience a chance to become fans of Wonder Woman. Despite being one of the best-known and most important heroes in the world, her sales have traditionally lagged behind other big names like Batman and Superman. The Absolute World’s Finest are both very different from the originals, with Batman being more gruff and juvenile, and Superman fighting despite not believing he can make a difference. Both are among DC’s most popular characters with the most representation, so their Absolute versions being different like this makes sense.

For Wonder Woman, a character who has always struggled to maintain a big audience despite being so popular, it makes sense. For whatever reason, likely due to the majority of Elseworld versions being the worst characters ever written, Wonder Woman has never reached the peaks of her compatriots. Then the Absolute line exploded onto store shelves like nothing else has in years. Countless eyes, old and new, were on these books and buying them even without having a previous love for the characters. This made Wonder Woman more popular than ever. While the mainline Wonder Woman title sells alright, Absolute Wonder Woman is consistently one of the best-selling books every month.

Where new fans going from other Absolute titles to the mainline counterparts would need time to adjust to what is effectively a new character, Absolute Wonder Woman fans would not need that. The Dianas’ similarity would let the fans hop over with virtually no issue. This could lead to a massive influx of new fans for the Prime Wonder Woman. More than that, it exposes a criminally under-pushed character to an audience that never would have read her otherwise. Wonder Woman is one of the best characters in DC, but despite that, it’s almost like she’s always playing third fiddle to the more popular Superman and Batman. This is Wonder Woman’s chance to change a whole new audience’s lives. 

We all need more Wonder Woman in our lives, after all. What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!