Wonder Woman questions

[Johnny Novgorod]

I went to a Wonder Woman screening (no, not that one [http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/26/entertainment/wonder-woman-women-only/]) and left out with the following questions, if any Wonder Woman aficionado cares to answer them.

Wonder Woman ages normally in Themyscira, while every other Amazon appears to be the same age 20 or 30 years later. Do Amazons grow up to a certain age then stay like that forever? Are they immortal (as far as aging is concerned)? Is the island supposed to be stuck in time or something? How do they reproduce if there aren't any men in the island (Diana acknowledges to Steve "men are necessary for reproduction")? Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I went to a Wonder Woman screening (no, not that one [http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/26/entertainment/wonder-woman-women-only/]) and left out with the following questions, if any Wonder Woman aficionado cares to answer them.

Wonder Woman ages normally in Themyscira, while every other Amazon appears to be the same age 20 or 30 years later. Do Amazons grow up to a certain age then stay like that forever? Are they immortal (as far as aging is concerned)? Is the island supposed to be stuck in time or something? How do they reproduce if there aren't any men in the island (Diana acknowledges to Steve "men are necessary for reproduction")? Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

Yeah, basically immortal, as far as aging is concerned. Reproduction is either shipwrecked sailors or some of them having penises. (The latter's never been close to canon, but unless Themupyscira is somehow both an undiscovered island and near a major and dangerous shipping lane, it makes more sense than shipwreck survivors. Even if the only reason they need kids is for deaths due to accidents or battle. A warrior culture has an above average number of deaths from both)

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

I went to a Wonder Woman screening (no, not that one [http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/26/entertainment/wonder-woman-women-only/]) and left out with the following questions, if any Wonder Woman aficionado cares to answer them.

Wonder Woman ages normally in Themyscira, while every other Amazon appears to be the same age 20 or 30 years later. Do Amazons grow up to a certain age then stay like that forever? Are they immortal (as far as aging is concerned)? Is the island supposed to be stuck in time or something? How do they reproduce if there aren't any men in the island (Diana acknowledges to Steve "men are necessary for reproduction")? Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

One of the controversial changes to Themyscira in the New 52 is the manner by which the Amazons reproduce. If I remember correctly, the Amazons went out to sea, raped men, killed them, gave birth to the children, then killed and, eventually, sold the boys to Hephaestus for weapons. Pretty sure Rebirth is gonna change, or might have already changed, that.

[Warning: Lots of information taken from Wikipedia]
But to answer those questions, Diana and the rest of the Amazons are definitely don't age after a certain point, or at least don't age as fast as humans do. The reason for their immortality is the land(?). As long as they remain on Themyscira, they remained eternally young. As for reproducing, at one time I'm pretty sure they didn't. If immortals reproduce, population suddenly becomes a problem.

One final note, the origins of the Amazons and their home of Themyscira tend to have something to do with overcoming oppression from men (Specifically Hercules) And their goddess is either Aphrodite or Athena.

 

[Zhukov]

Ohh, ohh, a comics question I think I can actually answer!

Do Amazons grow up to a certain age then stay like that forever?

Not quite. They maintain the age they were when they first settled on the island.

Diana is Special.

Are they immortal (as far as aging is concerned)?

Yes.

Is the island supposed to be stuck in time or something?

Functionally, yes.

It's blessed with protection and concealment by assorted Greek goddesses. (And sometimes gods too, depending on version.)

How do they reproduce if there aren't any men in the island?

Generally, they don't. They're ageless so they don't need to replenish their numbers. Writers tend to disregard deaths by violence and accident.

A recent version had them "raiding" passing ships. They would seduce and/or rape the crewmen, then kill them. Yeah. I've given to understand this pissed some people off.

Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

Yes. Like most of these answers though, it depends on whose version we're going with. I don't know how much of it holds true for the movie, which I haven't seen yet.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Isn't she supposed to be a few thousand years old? Or did one of the recent reboots change that?

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

Recently, a series came out about the Amazons before they secluded themselves in Themiscyria (?), called the Odyssey of the Amazons. They traveled around the world, and so their ranks grew and were filled with people from various regions. They had Egyptians, Japanese, Aztec, Persianm, etc. They even traveled to Scandinavia and screwed around with the Vikings, the Valkyries, and their Pantheon. This was all before Diana was born, so supposedly something that has hasn't happened yet completely removed Themiscria from the world.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that it seems that the Amazons replenish their ranks by basically letting any woman who wants to join join. For example, Cassandra Sandsmark, the latest Wonder Girl, and Kara Zor-El, Supergirl. Despite being a complete outsiders, they were considered Amazons when they chose to reside and train in Themiscyria for a time. They even briefly sided with Themiscyria during a war with the US.

 

[American Fox]

honestly, Wonderwoman's origin story has never been very...concrete. It's only been in the last decade where she's been as important as bats or supes. So there's about a dozen different versions

sometimes Diana isn't an amazon, but a clay statue brought to life by her mom

sometimes shes just a normal amazon

sometimes shes the daughter of zeus

or ares

sometimes the island is magical and they're all immortal, sometimes they rape sailors to replenish their numbers

sometimes shes powerless without her magic bracelets and weapons

sometimes those are power limiters

her entire existence is basically a giant *throws hands up gesture*, as, being the token female character drug up to make sure a team has a girl on it, her popularity and appearances have superseded the work put into her origins

maybe now that she has a movie they'll stick with something

That's every comic book character. And no, a movie will never make any of them 'concrete'.

Look at the recent Thomas Wayne. He tried to fight the mugger. Common sense even tells you not to do that, and that's an extremely offensive change to a doctor, philanthropist, and man of peace.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

honestly, Wonderwoman's origin story has never been very...concrete. It's only been in the last decade where she's been as important as bats or supes. So there's about a dozen different versions

sometimes Diana isn't an amazon, but a clay statue brought to life by her mom

sometimes shes just a normal amazon

sometimes shes the daughter of zeus

or ares

sometimes the island is magical and they're all immortal, sometimes they rape sailors to replenish their numbers

sometimes shes powerless without her magic bracelets and weapons

sometimes those are power limiters

her entire existence is basically a giant *throws hands up gesture*, as, being the token female character drug up to make sure a team has a girl on it, her popularity and appearances have superseded the work put into her origins

maybe now that she has a movie they'll stick with something

My preferred version of her origin is this:

She's the daughter of Zeus or anyother God (but preferably Zeus)

The island she lives in is magical and they are all immortal but only die to physical violence like getting their head cut off or falling from a great height.

Her powers are natural to her, and not because of the weapons and gear, hence the fact that she is a demigod like Hercules and Perseus.

 

[Natemans]

honestly, Wonderwoman's origin story has never been very...concrete. It's only been in the last decade where she's been as important as bats or supes. So there's about a dozen different versions

sometimes Diana isn't an amazon, but a clay statue brought to life by her mom

sometimes shes just a normal amazon

sometimes shes the daughter of zeus

or ares

sometimes the island is magical and they're all immortal, sometimes they rape sailors to replenish their numbers

sometimes shes powerless without her magic bracelets and weapons

sometimes those are power limiters

her entire existence is basically a giant *throws hands up gesture*, as, being the token female character drug up to make sure a team has a girl on it, her popularity and appearances have superseded the work put into her origins

maybe now that she has a movie they'll stick with something

My preferred version of her origin is this:

She's the daughter of Zeus or anyother God (but preferably Zeus)

The island she lives in is magical and they are all immortal but only die to physical violence like getting their head cut off or falling from a great height.

Her powers are natural to her, and not because of the weapons and gear, hence the fact that she is a demigod like Hercules and Perseus.

Honestly I hate the origin that she is the daughter of Zeus. I kinda prefer the one where she was a clay creature and then created after Hippolyta's prayers are answered. Its ridiculous, but I found her original origin more unique and interesting. The origin of Zeus being her dad is really goddamn generic and uninteresting.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

honestly, Wonderwoman's origin story has never been very...concrete. It's only been in the last decade where she's been as important as bats or supes. So there's about a dozen different versions

sometimes Diana isn't an amazon, but a clay statue brought to life by her mom

sometimes shes just a normal amazon

sometimes shes the daughter of zeus

or ares

sometimes the island is magical and they're all immortal, sometimes they rape sailors to replenish their numbers

sometimes shes powerless without her magic bracelets and weapons

sometimes those are power limiters

her entire existence is basically a giant *throws hands up gesture*, as, being the token female character drug up to make sure a team has a girl on it, her popularity and appearances have superseded the work put into her origins

maybe now that she has a movie they'll stick with something

My preferred version of her origin is this:

She's the daughter of Zeus or anyother God (but preferably Zeus)

The island she lives in is magical and they are all immortal but only die to physical violence like getting their head cut off or falling from a great height.

Her powers are natural to her, and not because of the weapons and gear, hence the fact that she is a demigod like Hercules and Perseus.

Honestly I hate the origin that she is the daughter of Zeus. I kinda prefer the one where she was a clay creature and then created after Hippolyta's prayers are answered. Its ridiculous, but I found her original origin more unique and interesting. The origin of Zeus being her dad is really goddamn generic and uninteresting.

Nah, the whole clay thing just does not make any sense. And her being the daughter of Zeus has to idea of involving the Greek Gods into the story more so.

 

[JimB]

Wonder Woman ages normally in Themyscira, while every other Amazon appears to be the same age 20 or 30 years later. Do Amazons grow up to a certain age then stay like that forever?

It really depends on the continuity, and I'm not sure they've explained how the rules work in the current era, post-Nu52, whose horrible fucking bullshit has already been explained. Prior to that, the Amazons were not born at all. Rather, they were the reincarnated souls of women who died at the hands of male violence, sprung forth at their current age from the immaculate womb of Gaia by the female gods of Olympus to create a superior breed of human. Wonder Woman was the last of these souls, held back in order to fulfill a prophecy, imbued into a clay effigy of a baby when her mother Hippolyta was stricken by a (probably god-induced) urge to have a baby.

Are they immortal (as far as aging is concerned)?

In the continuity I just described, yes.

Is the island supposed to be stuck in time or something?

Not in the continuity I just described. It's just part of being an Amazon.

How do they reproduce if there aren't any men in the island (Diana acknowledges to Steve "men are necessary for reproduction")?

In the continuity I described, they don't.

Is there just a limited number of Amazons in existence?

In the continuity I &c, more Amazons can be created by the gods of Olympus as more women die to male violence.

Nah, the whole clay thing just does not make any sense.

It makes plenty of sense. The man most credited (falsely and unfairly) with creating Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, lived in a polyamorous relationship with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and their lover, Olive Byrne. Both women had children with him and raised them together as a single family. This is relevant because in continuity, Diana was formed from clay by Hippolyta at the urging of the oracle Menalippe, and Diana's birth was quickened by the god Artemis. It's a reference to the home life of Wonder Woman's creators; a child born of three parents, with a little magic thrown in to allow all three to be female.

And her being the daughter of Zeus has to idea of involving the Greek Gods into the story more so.

This is factually untrue. It involves the Olympians less, since it removes the influence of the six female Greek gods who released the Amazons' souls from Gaia's womb, and replaces them with the presence of one god, who peed in a woman's vagoo. Every part of the story is less mythical for it.