Wonder Woman‘s solo outing is earning some big bank based on its critical reception as the first truly heroic superhero story in the DC Extended Universe – even drawing comparison to classic films in the genre, like Richard Donner’s Superman. Well, it isn’t just the noble heart of Gal Gadot’s Princess Diana/Wonder Woman that is thrilling fans – it’s the fact that Wonder Woman makes the superheroine truly feel as powerful and extraordinary as the Man of Steel. But how powerful is Wonder Woman, really?
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The movie doesn’t do any kind of official breakdown of Diana’s abilities and power levels, but DC Comics fans have been able to infer a lot from certain scenes of dialogue and/or action that we see in the film.
With that, here is Wonder Woman’s DCEU Movie Powers Explained.
Super Strength and Speed
The Amazons are shown to be more powerful than average humans, capable of physical feats mere mortals are not. However, Diana is more powerful than any of the rest of the Amazons – a fact she discovers when she must scale the wall of the Amazon stronghold, to steal the iconic costume and tools she will use in battle (more on them later).
As the film goes on, Diana quickly learns just how powerful she is, as we see her lift tanks; bring entire buildings down with a punch; kicks and tosses soldiers around rooms; and in one epic sequence, cut down so many enemy combatants, so fast, they barely saw her coming.
Since the Wonder Woman movie embraces Diana’s demigoddess origin from the New 52 era of DC Comics, it’s only natural that she should have the strength and speed of a god. Well, the Wonder Woman movie makes sure to illustrate that point very well.
Super Stamina, Durability & Rapid Healing
It’s not 100% clear just how indestructible (or not) Wonder Woman is in the film; however, it is made clear that she can fight for a long time without tiring and take big hits without injury – and that if injured, she heals rapidly.
We learn as much in the scene after the Amazons battle the German soldiers invading their shores. Diana is being treated by The Amazons’ healer, who is amazed that her wounds from the battle have already mended themselves. Diana nonchalantly explains that she heals quickly – yet another early sign that she’s more than the average Amazon.
Again, with her lineage being what it is (part Amazon, part god), Diana being able to shrug off injury is a logical part of her power set.
Energy Projection & Manipulation
One of Wonder Woman’s movie powers – that even DC Comics fans may not recognize – is her strange (and only vaguely explained) energy powers.
When we see Diana training on Themyscira with her aunt, General Antiope, Diana manifests a sort of glowing energy burst on instinct, while defending herself from attack. As the movie goes on, however, Diana learns to master that energy more and more. By the end fight with Ares, she’s tapping into her own massive energy, as well as redirecting the energy being shot at her, in crackling bolts of lightning – as we all saw in her Batman v Superman battle sequence.
It’s not hard to infer that being Zeus’ daughter would give Diana access to a portion of Thunder God’s power; however, it’s not clear if/why Diana needs her gauntlets to harness energy, though we may learn more about that in future films.
*Flight
We note this one with an asterisk because it’s not made explicitly clear in Wonder Woman (or Batman v Superman for that matter) that Diana can fly – except for one inconclusive moment, in the final shot of her solo movie.
We know that Diana can jump very high and far, or dash forward at tremendous speed (almost hovering, really); but the only hint of her having Superman-style sustained flight like her comic book counterpart, is when Wonder Women ends things with a shot of Diana leaping out over modern-day Paris, seemingly in full flight.
Since Wonder Woman explored the arc of Diana just learning the full extent of her powers, it wouldn’t be too surprising to learn that she developed full flight capabilities over time.
Weapons & Armor
Of course, Wonder Woman’s “powers” also include the tools she uses in combat, which include the following in this DCEU origin story:
- The God-Killer Sword – It turns out just to be a sword, but it’s a damn sharp one, based on the number of foes Wonder Woman cuts down.
- Lasso of Hestia (aka “Lasso of Truth”) – created by the god Hephaestus, this golden lasso compels those snared in it to speak the truth. It is also unbreakable and changes length based on the wielder’s needs in combat. Lesser-known features are its ability to restore memory, hypnotize people, and to negate magical spells and illusions.
- The Armor – The Armor that creates Wonder Woman’s iconic costume is a ceremonial Amazon armor – some of the best ever forged. Diana wears it in honor and representation of her homeland. For those who feel it’s too “skimpy” – well, Amazons (as we see in the film) didn’t battle in full suits of armor, preferring freedom of movement in combat.
- The Shield – A magical Amazon shield that is nigh indestructible.
- Bracelets of Submission – These Amazon gauntlets can stop virtually any attack – be it bullets in WWI, or Doomsday’s energy blasts in Batman v Superman. As stated, it’s unclear whether it’s the bracelets or Diana herself that can redirect energy back at attackers.
- *Sword of Athena – The sword that Wonder Woman wields in Batman v Superman after her God-Killer sword is destroyed by Ares in Wonder Woman. Being a mystical sword, the Sword of Athena can cut virtually anything – including alien threats like Doomsday.
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- DC Comics Easter Eggs in Wonder Woman
- Wonder Woman‘s DCEU Connections Explained
- Wonder Woman’s Possible Aquaman Easter Egg
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SYNOPSIS: Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Joining Gal Gadot in the international cast are Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui. Patty Jenkins directs the film from a screenplay by Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, story by Zack Snyder and Allan Heinberg, based on characters from DC Entertainment. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston.
The film is produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Richard Suckle, with Rebecca Roven, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, Wonder Woman.
Photo Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
