Amazing Amazonians – Top 10 Wonder Woman Allies

So this is a fun and straightforward list. I’ve been looking over the collective history of Wonder Woman and have picked those I think work best at the side of this important character in the world of DC. Let’s kick things off with –

Number 10

Supergirl

Supergirl takes this spot thanks to having spent time in Themyscira – receiving training there and having even earned the title of an honorary member of the Amazon tribe. The exact specifications on this vary depending on continuity and I’m not sure this is in cannon, anymore, but I really like the idea when it does crop up and I think is worth mentioning here.

It reflects more on Supergirl’s character and history than Wonder Woman’s, but this does give them a unique bond, and I think it makes a lot of sense. Wonder Woman would have had a solid perspective to share with Supergirl as an outsider entering the modern world, unlike Superman who grew up in American society. So she serves as a nice role model for Kara and this would be a cool way for Supergirl to know how to fight. It fits nicely together and I do think this is a solid combination of two pretty great characters, overall. I like connections like this between the various superhero factions of Marvel and DC, since it gives the worlds a bit more of a lived-in feeling but also is just as a fan of superhero adventures and shared universes, I find having history like this between characters is a lot of fun. I only wish it was explored more in modern comics or the TV show. Though I suspect that might be a matter of time when it comes to the CW…

Number 9

Ares

Next up is the sometime ally, sometime enemy of Wonder Woman – Ares, God of War. This character secured a spot for two reasons. One, yes, though he frequently serves as an enemy of Wonder Woman – Ares is primarily focused on war, and will pretty much side with and help anyone he believes will further acts of war on Earth. The best example of this was the Ares we saw in Injustice. Sure, he’s a villain, but a Superman that controls the Earth led to a more peaceful planet, and the God of War wanted none of that. This is the fun of Ares, he can serve as a temporary ally or deadly enemy depending on the story in question. When they are working together, the two can be a dangerous team, and I like it because Wonder Woman is all too aware she can’t really trust the god, either. Ares is all too willing to use her power to fulfill his own goals, or set her up perfectly to defeat a common enemy.

That’s all well and good, but not really enough to merit a spot as one of Wonder Woman’s best allies. The real reason Ares is on this Top 10 is thanks to his role in the New 52, specifically under Brian Azzarrello’s Wonder Woman. Here we see a Wonder Woman who was actually trained by Ares himself, and they would go on to have a very interesting and complicated relationship throughout Azzarrello’s series. Without giving a way too much in terms of spoilers, I’ll just say these two really developed into something we hadn’t seen before and I think worked on a strong level for both Ares’ and Wonder Woman’s characters. The New 52 versions had a dynamic akin to that of Daredevil and Stick – sometimes at odds with one another but still with a strong mentor-mentee vibe, and yeah, it was cool and really went into some fascinating territory for both characters as the story arc developed. It really stuck with me, and even now, years later, I still think of it as one of the best relationships Wonder Woman had with any of the Greek Gods.

Number 8

Cassandra Sandsmark

So this gets character gets the next spot quite easily. As the third person to take on the name Wonder Girl, Cassandra was an easily choice as one of the two women who carried on Diana’s legacy in the Titans and Teen Titans series. Cassandra, whose origins are kind of complicated but I’m just going to call her Wonder Woman’s niece, because that’s true now, serves as a pretty solid ally and protege of Diana.

She doesn’t quite dominate this Top 10 like the Robins did for Batman on his list of best allies though, because when it comes right down to it, I actually know a lot more about Wonder Girl’s relationship with her fellow Titans than I do with Diana. Since that’s where most of this character’s history lies and they never really had a team-up series like Batman and Robin, we’ve seen a lot more of Cassandra interacting with her fellow team members than we have with Diana, in general.

Still, what we have gotten is pretty good. Much like the other Titans members, when the mentor shows up, you always know things are getting real for Cassie. Her and Wonder Woman have had their ups and downs, and have fallen out with each other on pretty harsh terms in the past. Eventually, they did reconcile and Wonder Woman even gave Cassie her blessing, saying that Sandsmark had become her own woman and hero in her own right.

All of this happened before New 52 and isn’t really cannon anymore, or at least not at this particular moment in writing this script, but the two still have a great potential for a relationship. In the modern world of Wonder Woman, Diana actually had a really well developed and nicely handled history with Cassie’s father, Lennox. This not only makes Cassie a niece to Wonder Woman, as I alluded to earlier, but it also means that when these two encounter one another, Diana is likely to have a certain obligation to look out for Wonder Girl that I think should prove quite interesting going forward. So that’s neat, but until they actually do something about this, let’s move on to..

Number 7

Donna Troy

Wonder Woman’s sister and/or magic clone and/or successor and/or fellow Amazonian and/or amalgamation of all possible realities Donna Troy takes the number seven spot, right beside Cassandra. The two are in a very similar position, where, while it’s cool that Wonder Woman has this extended family and connections with younger superheroes just like Batman and Superman, it does feel like Donna and Cassandra were more involved with their fellow team members just as Diana was more involved with the Justice League.

And yet, there was enough for both characters and Donna slightly more than Cassie that both felt like they deserved a spot on this Top 10 and in this specific order. Donna beats out her slightly younger counterpart simply because I found a bit more of a connection between the two throughout Donna’s convoluted, crazy as balls, history. As the sometimes sister, sometimes clone of Wonder Woman, Donna often found herself the target of curses or spells meant for Diana but mistakenly bestowed on her instead, and it gives the two a pretty unique and tragic feel to their relationship. It stands out in Wonder Woman history, though good luck trying to understand half of Donna’s story, you’d have an easier time solving a Millennium Prize Problems.

Number 6

Hippolyta

Wonder Woman’s mother has often played an important role in Diana’s story and adventures throughout the character’s history. Her being on this Top 10 felt like an inevitability, and her value as an ally and mother cannot be understated, but it also seems pretty self-evident to me. Hippolyta has served as a strong guide, mentor, and guardian for Wonder Woman. She is an essential part of Diana’s history and often serves as a valuable source of help and guidance in any given Wonder Woman story.

Sometimes they fight, sometimes they make mistakes and hurt one another. They’re family, though, and they will always see each other that way. Often put in an interesting position as Hippolyta role as a ruler often conflicts with her desires as a mother, there’s a lot of depth and development that has happened between these two over the years. It’s hard to understate just how important Hippolyta is for Wonder Woman and her story. Wonder Woman is usually off doing her own thing while her mother rules Themyscira, and sometimes Hippolyta and the Amazons will disagree or outright oppose something Diana is doing, but when they work together, it is a relationship of faith and family, and one that cannot be overlooked or replaced.