Wonder Woman's Rogues Gallery

*Originally published on 5/10/10


We've talked about Batman's rogues gallery as well as Superman's, so I figure it's time we talk about the villains who threaten the last of DC Comics' big three, Wonder Woman. While her rogues gallery lacks the punch of the two aforementioned heroes, there are still a few good villains of note. In fact, one theory as to why Wonder Woman doesn't get as much respect as the others is because she lacks memorable villains. Efforts have been made recently to remedy this.

The most recent addition to Wonder Woman's rogues gallery is a monster by the name of Genocide. This creature appeared during Gail Simone's run and has proven capable of besting the Amazon warrior, as well as the rest of the Justice League in combat. The monster even manages to steal Diana's lasso of truth to use against them. I won't go into the details of the creature's background, for that you'll have to pick up the comics, but rest assured, Genocide has the potential to be an iconic Wonder Woman villain.

Taking a cue from Diana's roots in Greek mythology, Circe has become a recurring foe for the Princess of the Amazons. Classic literature fans will note that a character with the same name appeared in The Odyssey. While the villain is certainly based on the older version, I can't say for certain whether it's supposed to be the same character. Really, it's just splitting hairs as the comic character displays the same powers, turning people into animals as well as being capable of casting other spells.

Wonder Woman's biggest enemy is probably Ares, God of War. He stands as the opposite of Diana in many respects. In some continuities, it is because of him that the women of Themiscyra have such a low opinion of men. Furthermore, as a being who desires to bring war, he stands against Diana's role as an ambassador and bringer of peace.

One of the more mainstream Wonder Woman villains is the Cheetah. Originally, the Cheetah was just a woman who donned a costume, making her a carbon copy of Catwoman. The more recent incarnation is a result of genetic engineering. With superhuman strength, she now has the capability to go toe to toe with Wonder Woman, who has strength on par with Superman.

Giganta is also a big thorn in Diana's side, and I do mean that literally. While I was familiar with the character (she appears in both Superfriends and the more recent Justice League animated series, I didn't know that she was a Wonder Woman villain. The original Giganta was a gorilla who was evolved by Professor Zool (isn't he a minion of Gozer?). This was retconned and her origin was tweaked. Instead, a Dr. Zuel (seriously, where's Vinz Clortho?) tried to perform an experiment on herself and botched it when Wonder Girl got in the way. She transferred her essence to a gorilla and then to a circus strong-woman.

As you can see, Diana's roster of villains isn't quite as beefed up as Batman's or Superman's. It's a problem that's being addressed. While there are certainly other villains that Diana has faced, those are the biggest of the recurring foes. It's getting better, but a few more iconic villains certainly couldn't hurt.