The legend that is Wonder Woman has gone through the rumor mill that her story has many versions. The truth behind it? Only Diana knows.
Diana was born approximately in 3000 B.C. on the island of Themyscira, to Zeus, the King of the Greek Olympian Gods, and Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. Her mother Queen Hippolyta, rules over the isle as a mother rules over her children, yet it was clear that Diana was favored by the Queen above all.
Diana grew up surrounded by her "sisters" who loved and cared for her through her entire childhood. She gained a great deal of knowledge through their mentorship. As she grew older, Diana showed the speed, strength, and prowess that most Amazon Warriors showed, yet her abilities exceeded those of her age. Eventually because of this, she drew the attention of the gods for her valor, her determination, and her skill. It was clear that at a young age, Diana would follow the path of an Amazon Warrior. Her leadership skills grew orming numerous bonds with her sisters that would fast their first real test when a pilot accidentally crashed on the mystical isle. It was the first time Diana had met a man.
Diana witnessed the airplane soaring through the sky, before crashing in the nearby bay outside of Themyscira, close to the cliff where she stood. She leapt down into the ocean and rescued the pilot, only to discover a human soldier named Steve Trevor lying unconsciously on the Themysciran beach. She approached him as he came to, asking him if he was a man, due to Diana never having come across a male before in her life. Though somewhat confused, Steve affirmed that he was, rhetorically asking if he looked like one.
Enemy soldiers stormed the beaches of Themyscira on that same day, the Amazonian Warriors were forced to fight them off and for the first time generations, man clashed with Amazon. Many lives were lost on that day, and Steve Trevor was forced to face the leaders of the Themysciran Council, to answer the questions of why this all happened.
Steve explained the current state of man's world, and he plead for his safe return to it, so that he may regain his fight against the enemies of his people. It was then that Diana saw an opportunity to leave her homeland and experience what the rest of the world had to offer. She chose to take it, through much turmoil with her mother and aunts.
Diana would leave Themyscira and participate in events of World War I, fighting along side the Allied Powers. At or near the end of the war in 1918, Diana was in Belgium, where a photograph was taken of her with Steve Trevor and a number of others. It was not long after these events that Steve's plane went down in combat behind enemy lines, he was declared KIA. Diana attempted to find him, but she was never able to.
Stricken with grief, Diana would take on the persona of an antiqueties dealer and she'd spend the next 90 years traveling the world. It was not until a massive alien attack, that Diana would reveal herself as Wonder Woman to the world. There-after, once the aliens had been stopped, she would hide no longer and isntead has merged into the role of an Ambassador to her people.
This is where Diana Prince is today. Themyscira has a public Embassy in Metropolis, Diana still helps all of humanity, but from a more public-persona now.
Power: Amazon Physique
Diana's strength and durability were gifts from Demeter. As a being whose
origins are in magical clay, Diana's strength and durability are tied to
Gaea herself. She draws her strength and toughness directly from Gaea, in
other words. She is strong enough that she surpasses many - if not most -
of her heroic fellows, whether they be man or woman and is tough enough to
shrug off all but the most powerful blows.
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Power: Athena's Blessings
Then it came time for Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage, strategy and
skill, cities and civilization, to bestow her blessings upon Diana. For
the Amazon Princess, Athena gave her great wisdom and great intelligence.
It is because of Athena that Diana is so adept at learning new things, and
that she has a passion to do so. Most importantly, it is because of Athena
that Diana knows how to use what she has learned in judicious ways, for
without that what good would be the learning? Essentially this means that
although Diana is from a culture that has not developed as Man's World has
developed, she is quick to catch on to new concepts and ideas. She is a
very fast learner.
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Power: Blessed by the God
Being an Amazon comes with many advantages. Aside from the combat
advantages (discussed elsewhere), Diana's been blessed by the patron
deities of the Amazons. Some are powerful blessings and have their own
entries, while those listed before are more minor, though no less
important to her.
Aphrodite's Gift: At the creation of the Amazons, all were blessed by
Aphrodite — one of their patrons — with great inner and outer beauty.
This applies to Diana as well. This is not physical beauty, but a
supernatural, almost otherworldly beauty that transcends her form, meaning
that even were she robbed of her physical beauty, her inner beauty would
shine through such that most people wouldn't even care.
Immortality: To be sure, immortality has its advantage. It means Diana
will never die of old age. She looks like a woman in her early prime of
life, and so shall she remain, assuming she does not find her death in
some fashion. The immortality of her sisters has benefited her, in that
she has learned from them - and they have had thousands of years to hone
their skills. Immortality means Diana has time to learn and hone whatever
skills she wants - it gives her the time many people so sorely want.
Unity With Beasts: Granted to her by the goddess Artemis, Diana has a
special rapport with beasts. She can understand them, and they can
understand her. This is no mere "dog whisperer" type of skill and her
making sure her actions come across as passive. Oh no; the animal's sounds
and movements communicate to her, precisely what the animal wants, needs,
or means, as plainly as if they were speaking to Diana in English, and the
reverse is also true.
Blessed by Hestia: Because of Hestia's blessings, Diana has an almost
supernatural empathy with those around her. She's able to read the body
language and emotional states of others in such a way that she can
empathize with and understand others better. She is also immune to damage
from mortal based fires, and can use her lasso to control them in an
extremely limited fashion.
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Power: Enhanced Senses
What many work at for their whole lives, Diana was born with. Her eyes are
sharper than an eagle's, her ears sharper than any cat's. All her senses
are thus effected, save touch, to be much higher than the Amazonian or
human norm. She can track the source of a sound, see with perfect accuity
for great distances and smell with greater detail than a human nose,
though she's not capable of tracking by scent alone.
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Power: Flight
Wonder Woman is able to ignore Earth's gravity fly and can reach
hypersonic speeds.
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Power: Healing
One of the many blessings bestowed on Diana, the Amazon Princess heals
much more quickly than humans or even her fellow Amazons. Lesser things,
like scraps or bruises are healed nearly instantly, while the speed of
healing for much more serious injuries have their healing times shortened
immensely. Finally, there is an ancient Amazon ritual, allowing for an
complete merging with the Earth itself. Doing such immediately heals Diana
and expels any poison or disease from her body… but it is incredibly
taxing and only ever used a last resort.
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Power: Iron Will
Not to be mistaken for hubris or arrogance, Diana has an unquenchable
resolve. She is grounded and certain in her beliefs, and refuses to be
shaken. Despite the horrors of war, the hellishness of demons, and the
capriciousness of the gods, any of which might shake a lesser soul, she
remains true to her self and her cause.
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Power: Super Speed
Another blessing from Hermes. Not only can Diana fly, but she is
exceedingly quick on her feet as well. This allows her to run more quickly
than non-powered individuals. She's certainly not as fast as someone like
the Flash, but within Earth's atmosphere, she can move up to 10,000 mph
when on the ground.
Skill: Acrobatics
Whether in the air or on the ground, Diana is very agile and capable of
amazing maneuvers to keep herself out of harm's way, or to deflect or stop
an enemy's attack. She is adept at using the environment around her to
help her spring around to attack or avoid an attack directed at her
person. This should be considered part of her blessing from Hermes.
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Skill: Combat
Since she was old enough to hold a sword, Diana has been trained in the
ways of combat. She has had the good fortune to have many teachers, all of
which have several thousand years experience in honing their abilities. As
such, Diana is extremely skilled in a variety of methods of combat and
with a wide variety of weapons. Not only this, but her Athena-bestowed
gifts mean she can deduce the proper use of a weapon she has never seen
before and approximate using it effectively in combat.
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Skill: Diplomacy
The Amazons may be masters in combat, but that is not the way they prefer
to deal with things. Diplomacy lies at the heart of Amazon philosophy and
Diana, as their ambassador to the world of men, is well-schooled in this
discipline. She knows well how to get her points across with words, how to
make deals and concede when she is incorrect, as well as knows the ins and
outs of diplomatic meetings. All in all, she was the best choice for her
people to send out.
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Skill: Leadership
Early in her childhood, Diana was taught the difference between wearing a
crown and being a princess. She has, of course, been trained in courtly
etiquette and affairs of state. She is a gracious, dignified ambassador
for her people. These are the trappings and duties of her office and
upbringing. What makes Diana a leader is not her position, but her ability
to inspire others, and her genuine concern for those who follow her
example. While she does not actively seek out positions of authority, she
does not shirk her duty or her obligations, and in times of crisis, those
who know her, know they can turn to her.
Diana has the resources of her people at her disposal and all that she has done in the 100 years that she has been away from the island of Themysira. She is wealthy. She has the power of being the official Ambassador to her people and a founding member of the Justice League.
Diana is a strong woman and a natural born leader. She believes in the good of mankind and cares about all life. She wants no harm to befall anyone and will fight for whomever deserves it. She believes even the weak can be brave. She loves her home, be it Paradise Island or the entire planet of Earth itself. She will only kill when she is forced to do so.
Flaw: Amazon Code
The Amazon Code is a different thing when compared to some more modern
codes of behaviour. To be sure, there are things many would recognize -
respect for others, for authority, for the gods. But then there are
obscure rituals and rites, such as the Hiketeia - a ritual that binds the
oath-taker to eternally protect another mentioned in the ritual. Such
differing requirements on her person can and will, like the
responsibilities she is duty-bound to perform, tear her away from others
and even set her at odds with her fellows.
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Flaw: Enemies
The gods have enemies. And because they have enemies, Diana has enemies.
She is their agent in the mortal world and as such must take a stand to
defend them when their enemies are ready to strike. Likewise, because
Diana sees herself as a defender and protector, she must defend humanity
against the mythological horrors and nasties that may seek to turn
humanity into their prey. If some sort of mythological monstrosity is
involved in any given incident, it will be all Diana needs to intervene,
putting herself at risk to defend others.
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Flaw: Piercing Attacks
While Diana is tough and can withstand many different kinds of attacks
piercing attacks will always cut through the majority of her defenses.
What this means is that a piercing attack (arrows, bullets, etc) will deal
damage to her as if she was no more durable than the average
human.
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Flaw: Responsibilities
Diana has many responsibilities. As a daughter of Themyscira, as their
Ambassador to Man's World, as a daughter, and as a worshipper of the Gods
and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. At any time these responsibilities may
rear their head - enemies may try to get at her through her embassy staff,
the Gods may decided to send her on a mission, she may need to represent
her nation at a conference, or her mother might simply need her daughter
to talk to. Some of these things can be simple, but often they cannot. All
of them can and will affect Diana's life in a variety of ways when they
come into play, depending upon a given situation.
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Flaw: Ritual
Even though her armor has been truly blessed by the gods, Hephaestus
ALWAYS puts a weakness in the armor he makes to keep a certain level of
"balance". He would say, "…it keeps them honest." This is no different
with Wonder Woman's armor. The bracelets she wears are a symbol of her
heritage but they also bear a secret. If removed thru a magical ritual, it
causes Diana to go into an uncontrolled rage. She goes into a "battle
rage" that rivals the Gods, and has no control over her actions. She will
go on a rampage until she is knocked out, tied down, or killed.