So I’ve tried to keep the number of Azzarello characters on this list to a minimum. I’m a big fan of his run on Wonder Woman with Cliff Chiang. I think it’s one of the better Wonder Woman arcs ever written, as this big, long epic that spanned most of New 52, and for whatever reason, it really spoke to me. But I understand that not everyone is down with this arc, possibly for good reasons, and, more importantly, Wonder Woman as a character is simply so much bigger and more complex than one good creative run.
Still, two characters from the Azzarello run made it onto my Top 10, and I feel both really deserve a spot here – Ares and Hera. They are both characters that started out as enemies of Wonder Woman but eventually became important allies during this story, and I picked both of them for this very reason. A major theme throughout the Azzarello run is Wonder Woman’s uncanny ability to turn enemies into allies, and I really think that speaks to her character. Diana’s compassion and capability for love is on full display during the extended Azzarello storyline, and I think this was best expressed in how she related to Hera.
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While the stuff with Ares was good, Hera’s story took things even further. Starting out this story as a vicious and spiteful enemy that was going out of her way to bring harm to an infant, Hera eventually became a close ally and friend to Wonder Woman and her supporting crew. That change was really cool to see as it gradually developed throughout Azarello’s story. It helps that his take on Hera was amazing and one of the best depictions of the Greek god I have seen in any media. Her flippant attitude and behaviour mixed in with a growing sense of compassion that Diana could perceive and respect made her one of my absolute favourites among Wonder Woman’s many allies. Fifth place happily goes to Hera, one of Wonder Woman’s most dangerous enemies that Diana turned into a friend.
Superman and Wonder Woman had the greatest relationship of all time and anyone who says otherwise is a yellow bellied communist
Okay, maybe I don’t have the fondest view of these two as a couple in the world, but regardless of how I feel about their romance, I will not deny they are extremely important allies to one another. Taking aside all their relationship stuff, no matter how you feel about it one way or another, they 100% deserve to be recognized as an important team in the world of DC in general, not just Wonder Woman’s life.
Together these heroes represent two of the most powerful people on the planet and there’s something really cool about that. They have a neat dynamic too – with a very different backstory but similar powers, the two can relate in a lot of important ways to one another, but also have some very relevant differences in how they view and conceive the world. While Superman might be the optimist farmboy whatever-whatever, Diana is a noble warrior with a far more… blunt view of the world. And while, depending on the writer, this has been expressed in many different ways, it just makes sense. They’re two of the biggest heroes in DC, both in terms of raw strength and popularity. There isn’t much else to say that the two don’t kind of say for themselves because of it. Wonder Woman and Superman are a powerful team and one of my favourite duos when it comes to Diana’s character.
And right beside it we finish the third member of the DC Trinity with Batman. The three have cemented themselves as the major players in the world of DC comics for some time now, so their placement here and their fixture in that role both seem like pretty natural choices. DC is generally best defined with big, iconic characters, and Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman all best represent that tendency. It makes a lot of sense to me that the three of them would play a major role in each others’ lives.
The only reason Batman beats out Superman, and he does so just barely in my eyes, is because I like how Batman and Wonder Woman working together tends to elicit a bit more creativity out of the writers than Superman does. While the Man of Steel easily can go toe-to-toe with Diana, and as such they’re pretty much on the same level in any given fight. Things are a lot more uneven when it comes to Batman, and as such, it’s fun to see how that gets worked into the stories. It often lends itself to showing just how resourceful Batman can be, or how well Wonder Woman can work with him.
I also do have to admit I really like how these two characters, personally. They both have a certain hard-line focus on the mission that these neither really feel like they quite share share with Superman. In most interpretations of these characters, Wonder Woman and Batman have a certain common ground and understanding with each other and the world in a certain way that the Man of Steel doesn’t. Out of the three, these two have shown a willingness to cross lines and do things for the greater good that we haven’t really ever seen Superman go for. Batman actively plots against his own team and broke his own no-gun rule to deal with Darkeid, while Wonder Woman snapped Maxwell Lord’s neck once, to save the Dark Knight’s life. I think these two kind of get each other! Additionally, Batman is one of those few heroes that will speak his mind and stand up to Diana freely. There’s a lot of value in having an ally like that – somebody who is willing to push buttons and look at the world in a certain way Diana doesn’t – he’s somebody who will make her consider things she might otherwise overlook or not think about.
Batman wound up being one of my favourite Wonder Woman allies, but two more really stood out above him. Let’s get to it with –
Number 2
Artemis
Do you know what fiction in general needs more of? Rivals! Rivals are fun! They shake things up from a typical friendship dynamic. They keep our hero on their feet and push the protagonist to do their best. They are a source of endless conflict and opposition by their very nature. And that’s why Artemis takes the number two spot as one of Wonder Woman’s best allies.
Here’s a character that actually offers quite a few things to the story of Wonder Woman. As a fellow Amazonian, she serves as an important tether to that world while also being a fighter able to go in with the best DC’s world has to offer. Artemis gets the benefit of being one of the few major DC characters that grew up and around Wonder Woman, and there’s value in having characters that go back so far with the protagonist and their story. As a both an ally and rival to Wonder Woman, Artemis can be a useful companion in battle or an voice for the people of Themyscira. Much like Batman, it’s very important to have a character willing to stand up to Diana and get her to question her decisions, which Artemis is almost always prone to do in any Wonder Woman story. It’s in her nature to question and disagree because, well, she views Diana as a bit of a competitor. And that’s a good thing for both characters.
Artemis is also kind of awesome in her own right. Right now she’s doing a series of badass things in Red Hood and the Outlaws and feels right at home with that gang. Between a strong persona and being a vital character in Wonder Woman’s story, she simply is one of Diana’s better allies. Which brings us to…
So yeah, probably not a huge surprise on this one, but no matter how much I thought about it, this was the natural choice for the number one spot. When you get right down to it, Steve Trevor is an essential part of Wonder Woman. It was Steve that crashed into Themyscira and brought her out to the world beyond the small island nation. It was him that showed her that she can and should work to make the whole world better, not just her own people. If you want to understand and know about Wonder Woman, you kind of need to know about Steve Trevor.
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So he’s not just a major character, or an important character. He’s essential. About as fundamental as it get when it comes to the established cannon – as important as the colours or the Amazonians or the Greek mythology. Wonder Woman as she exists is in many ways defined by Steve Trevor. Her first love, one of her closest allies, and still a good friend who she can work impeccably well with. Steve Trevor takes the number one position on this top 10, and make no mistake, he took the number one without much contest against anyone else.
So there you have it. Thanks for watching this video. Let me know who your favorite Wonder Woman characters are, and if you like Comic Island and want to help us make more videos, check out our Patreon page to see how you can support us!
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