Amazons (DC)

Latest revision as of 06:25, 12 October 2021

The Amazons of Themyscira in Wonder Woman v1 #770.

The Amazons are a group that feature in DC Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

The Amazons were a civilisation consisting entirely of women that resided on the island of Themyscira.

Many centuries ago, they lived in the times of Ancient Greece that once ruled the foremost nation in the world where women ruled in the land of Amazonia with them worshipping the goddess Aphrodite. (All-Star Comics v1 #8)

One day, it was said Hercules came to resent the Amazons after taunts were made that he could never conquer them. This saw him gather the strongest and fiercest warriors in order to land on the shores of their nation. Whilst there, he challenged the Amazon Queen Hippolyte who defeated him but through trickery Hercules managed to claim her Magic Girdle. This caused the Amazons to lose the patronage of Aphrodite who was angered at them losing to a man. As a result, the Amazons were enslaved by Hercules and his men until Hippolyta appealed to Aphrodite when conditions became unbearable for them. With the goddess's help, Hippolyta managed to regain her Magic Girdle and overcame their enslavers after which they took their fleet of ships. As a condition from Aphrodite, the Amazon Queen set forth with their fleet to establish a new world of their own leading to them settling on Paradise Island. (All-Star Comics v1 #8)

A young Amazon named Dalma who looked to travel to Man's World came to instigate the Rebellion on Paradise Island where she used the confusion to escape the isle. The rebels were sentenced to Reform Island as punishment with Wonder Woman later tracking down and capturing Dalma who was judged under Aphrodite's law. (Comic Cavalcade v1 #12)

In the aftermath, Queen Hippolyta decided to withdraw from the world and go into isolation with this being a position opposed by a group of Amazons led by Atalanta. She took her followers and left Paradise Island where they settled in the lands of South America. (Wonder Woman v1 #319)

Eventually, the magic that sustained the Amazon's existence came to be exhausted as a result of their 10,000 years mission to help mankind find maturity. As a result, they had to depart the mortal dimension in order to rest and renew their power with them deciding to collectively depart that plane of existence. Thus, Wonder Woman was called back to Paradise Island where she was informed of this decision with Diana offered a choice to either depart with them or remain on Earth. Diana though decided to remain with Steve Trevor and conducted the Rite of Renunciation thus relinquishing all her mystical skills which was needed in order for her to remain on Earth. (Wonder Woman v1 #179)

Post-Crisis

Princess Diana of the Amazons in Wonder Woman v2 #1.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

Thousands of years ago when Greece was young, a cult of immortality formed that consisted of Vampires that started to feed on the young and impressionable that was draw to them. However, over time, the cult became greedy and started to rampantly feeding on people forcing them to expand as they exhausted their local food supply. This brought them into confrontation with the Amazons led by Hippolyta who waged war against them. After a great and terrible battle, the Vampires were defeated where they were banished by Hippolyta who marked the cult with 'X' as they were labelled the Tenth Circle in reference to the various circles of Hell. (JLA v1 #95)

At some point, an Amazon priestess of the Necropolis went mad during her thousand year service as caretaker of Themyscira's dead leading her to resent her own comrades. As a result, she began consulting ancient rituals that led her to use magic to animate the dead in her care turning them into her servants. Such a practice she made in secret and had the dead built her the city of the dead underground that was linked to the underworld. As Amazons were immortal, she was forced to take the bodies of the dead from the rest of the world that were brought to Necropolis. She was eventually discovered by a young Princess Diana who was drawn to the underground city by dreams concerning her dead comrade Ariadne. Diana learnt of the priestess's plans to use her undead army to conquer the living but it was her undead comrade Ariadne who resisted the priestess' commands and wounded her. The wounded priestess was then killed by her undead army as they resented the servitude that had been forced on them and with her dead the Necropolis collapsed as it was magically sustained by her. Following the revelation of the priestess's plot, the practice of appointing an Amazon as guardian of their dead ended and instead their dead were cremated. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #6)

In 1932, a young Julia Kapatelis as a child was onboard a ship at sea that succumbed to a brutal storm with the girl being washed into the sea only to be saved by the sea god Thetis who brought her to Themyscira. She was treated by the Amazons who imbued her with feelings of peace and equality as one among hundreds of girls that had been saved by them to be returned to Patriarch's World. The silver haired Pythia was selected to be Julia's Guardian of Inspiration until she was returned to the beach where the sea deities brought her back to Man's World to her family in the hopes that she would promote peace in humanity. Kapatelis was the last of the children that were saved as part of this honored duty. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)

The fate of Diana led to Queen Hippolyta declaring war against Patriarch's World with the Amazons striking at Washington, D.C. (Amazons Attack! v1 #1)

Post-Flashpoint

Diana and the Amazons in Wonder Woman v5 #75.

Following the Flashpoint, a new timeline of events were created leading to an alternate history affecting the Amazons.

They were created by the goddesses to inspire and protect mankind from the influence of Ares. However, they spent a lifetime at war with the world and fought against Hercules as well as his butchering armies but at the cost of many lives. In the aftermath, Hippolyta led her people into seclusion to a hidden island known as Themyscira. (Divergence v1 #1) The first Queen of the Amazons was Antiope with it long rumored that the goddess Hera gave her the crystalline relic known as the Eye of Antiope that gave the people of Paradise Island their longevity. (Wonder Woman v4 #47)

Jim Corrigan after growing tired with himself being bonded to the Spectre decided to go into Tartarus and trap the Spirit of Vengeance in Tartarus. The presence of the Spectre in the underworld caused the doorway to Tartarus to break open thus freeing many of its denizens. In addition, the anger of the Spirit of Vengeance influenced others in the world with this including the watchwomen of Tartarus who killed one another as a result. (Justice League v4 #46)

Overview

In appearance, the Amazons were a race of beautiful female warriors from Ancient Greece. (All-Star Comics v1 #8) They were sometimes known as the Sisters of Blood and Shield. (The Odyssey of the Amazons v1 #1)

All Amazons were each much stronger than a mortal man or woman. (Wonder Woman v2 #104) They regularly trained blindfolded in order to heighten their other senses in case they were ever blinded. (Trinity v2 #17)

Amazons were able to conduct a sacred and secret ceremony that saw them appeal to Gaia where they spoke the words: ""Gaea, I pray to you. Grant me your strength. You are the Earth who suckled me, who nurtured and bred me. Through you all life is renewed. The circle which never ends. I pray you, mother Gaea, take me into your bosom. Please, let me be worthy." Such an appeal to the goddess empowered them to relieve their bodies of physical injury and toxins by becoming one with the Earth's soil and then reforming their bodies whole again. This rite was not to be called lightly and could not be repeated by the caster. (Wonder Woman v2 #120) A ritual called the Rite of Renunciation could be conducted allowing an Amazon to relinquish their mystical skills and be akin to a mortal. (Wonder Woman v1 #179)

The Code of the Amazons was:

"We are a nation of women, dedicated to our sisters, to our gods, and to the peace that is humankind's right. Granted life by Gaea, the goddesses, and the souls of women past, we have been gifted with the mission to unite the people of our world with love and compassion. We are the Amazons, and we have come to save mankind." (Wonder Woman Secret Files and Origins v1 #2)

The removal of their bracelets was a terrible wrong as it allowed dominance to overpower loving submission. (Comic Cavalcade v1 #12)

Amazonian courting rituals involved one member presenting herself before her intended mate and offering them a coconut. Within it was a nectarine seed that was strung onto a necklace and a bracelet made of thorns that was partially wrapped in blue, red and gold ribbons. The nectarine seed symbolizes a bounty that is hoped for but not yet achieved whilst the bracelet's colors each hold a different meaning. Blue represents hope, red represents danger and gold represents a request to the goddess Athena to provide her blessing for the potential union. The pursuing Amazon must take out the necklace and say the words, "That thou art full of promise" and bless it with a kiss whereupon the necklace is placed around their lover's neck. After that, they were to take out the bracelet and say the words, "That thou shall know the heart of another" and place it on their lover's wrist. Should the recipient accept the gifts of courtship, she must agree to wear the necklace as well as the bracelet always and never remove it unless it was mutually agreed upon to form a lasting relationship together. The Amazon and their lover must then perform a series of trials that were physical, mental and emotional tests of their relationship to demonstrate that they can withstand the dangers of life together. This only continues until the lovers agree to finalize their relationship. (Wonder Woman v3 #18-#36)

The Dive of the Nereids was one such ritual practiced on Themyscira that were preluded by chants of sacred prayers to the sea deities whereby one of their number performs the act and completes it by diving into the sea water. These Rites of the Nereids was considered a tribute to the sea gods and given in thanks to them for protecting the island. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1) The sea god Thetis was noted to save children that were lost at sea with the girls being brought to Themyscira to be treated and also mentally influenced to promote peace as well as equality. An Amazon was selected to be the child's Guardian of Inspiration marked with a kiss of inspiration on the head whereupon the girl was placed on the beach for the sea deities to return them to their home in Patriarch's World where it was hoped that they could promote peace in mankind with this being an honored duty. This custom was known as the Send Forth with the mortal never remembering the experience. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)

Amongst the rituals practiced by the Amazons was the Hiketeia where the supplicant gave their personal honor to submit to the supplicated. During this time, the supplicated had total authority over the supplicant but cannot abuse them. Thus, anything within reason must be complied with whereupon it was to answer truthfully or be called upon for a lifetime of service by the supplicant which they must obey. A requirement of the rite was comfort being given to the supplicant and a place of honor be set aside on the banquet table with food as well as drink being offered first with any questions being asked carefully. The host must never abuse these facts whilst the supplicant had surrendered their honor,. Thus, the supplicant in turn receives all the food and worldly comforts possible as well as were able to break the Hiketeia at any time. However, only the supplicant was able to break the ritual and should the supplicated do so then the Erinyes arrive to kill them for the violation. Any breach of the sanctity of the rite will lead to the Furies personally feasting on the offenders flesh. (Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia)

Among the most important events in the calendar was the Feast of the Five that represented their most holy day. This day of reverence involves the Amazons paying homage to the five Olympian deities that were responsible for their creation. This saw constant prayer and worship with the event starting with a hunt in honor of the goddess Artemis. This was followed by a harvest to honor the goddess Demeter with a field being done for the remaining goddesses. (Wonder Woman v2 #35-38) One rare rite was the funeral ritual as the Amazon were immortal and death was not seen during their time on Paradise Island. A random Amazon would be selected to serve as priestess of the Temple of the Necropolis where she wore a golden mask and stood guard of her dead fellow sisters for a thousand years. Dead Amazons were garbed in their warrior gear during the ceremony as her sisters honored their deceased comrade where a gold coin was placed on their tongue for collection by Charon the Ferryman. This tradition ended when the last priestess of the Necropolis had gone insane from the centuries of loneliness and had animated the dead bodies in her care to create an undead army at her command. As a result, the funeral ritual was changed and instead cremation was adopted by the people of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #6)

For medicine, a specialised group of Amazons were part of the Sisters of Asclepius who responded to injuries and other injuries faced by a person on the island. (JLA v1 #98) Certain Amazons were known to be worshippers and followers of the witch-goddess Hecate. (Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour v1 #1) One organization within the ranks of the Amazons was the Blue Guard who wore blue clothing and trained for their entire lives in order to protect the royal house of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #6) The watchwomen of Tartarus were an ancient and dedicated order that protected the prison to the underworld. (Justice League v4 #46)

The patron deity of the Amazons was the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. (All-Star Comics v1 #8)

Their armies were known to make use of a variety of war beasts from Greek legends. (Amazons Attack! v1 #1)

Swords created from the Themysciran forges always sought to return to their rightful owners and grew stronger the closer they got to their bearer. (Wonder Woman v5 #72)

Members

• Alcippe :
• Hippolyta :
• Atalanta : (Wonder Woman v1 #319)
• Astarte :
• Myrina : an Amazonian assassin who was the slayer of Echidna and tamer of the Griffin who gave birth to Grail the daughter of Darkseid on the same night as Diana's birth. (Divergence v1 #1)
• Aella : a dark haired Amazon with long hair who served as a General of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)
• Philippus : a dark-skinned Amazon who served as a General of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)
• Hessia : a black Amazon who served as a General of Themyscira and was a healer. (Superman/Wonder Woman v1 #1)
• Diana :
• Nubia :
• Mala :
• Consivia : blonde Amazon who served as the chief architect that served with Queen Hippolyta in building the homes of their people after they arrived on Themyscira. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)
• Egeria : a red haired Amazon who served as the first Captain of the Guards who died stopping a breach from Dooms Doorway with a statue being made to honor her sacrifice. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)
• Epione : a red short-haired Amazon who served as the chief physician and stationed at the Island of Healing on Themyscira. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)
• Euboea : a dark haired Amazon who was a champion diver and served as instructor in the art of the Rites of the Nereids to a Diana who also mentored Vanessa Kapatelis when she did the dive during a visit to Themyscira. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)
• Venilia : an Amazon that performed the Dive of the Nereids when Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis visited Themyscira with Wonder Woman. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #1)
• Ariadne : a dark blue haired Amazon who was a member of the Blue Guard that died in an accident on Themyscira marking her as the first of their number to had died in centuries where she was buried at the Necropolis only for her to be resurrected as an undead warrior by the temples priestess. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #6)
• Exoristis :
• Antiope : Diana's grandmother and first queen of the Amazons who was poisoned by the Spartan King Kleomenes as he desired the Eye of Antiope that gave the people of Themyscira their longevity. (Wonder Woman v4 #47)
• Drusilla :
• Menalippe :
• Donna Troy :
• Artemis :
• Philippus :
• Alkyone :
• Myrto :
• Charis :
• Philomela :
• Penthiselea :
• Penelope :
• Callisto :
• Derinoe :
• Dalma : a blonde haired Amazon who came to be envious of the life of Wonder Woman causing her to instigate a rebellion among her kin and using the confusion to escape from Paradise Island to travel to Man's World. She came to operate as a boxer until Princess Diana defeated her in the ring where she returned her errant sister to Paradise Island to be sentenced to prison by Aphrodite. (Comic Cavalcade v1 #12)
• Grace Choi :
• Yara Flor :

Notes

• The Amazons were created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter where they made their first appearance in All Star Comics v1 #8 (January, 1942).

Alternate Versions

• In Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman v1 #1 (2008), an alternate reality showed a world populated by the Amazons of Elysium Island consisting entirely of men in the female dominated world of Earth-11 in the Multiverse.
• In Earth 2 v1 (2012), the Amazons were present in the alternate setting of Earth-2 where the majority had been annihilated in the Apokolips War leaving Wonder Woman the last of their number. She was killed at the end of the conflict but her daughter Fury survived as a servant to her father Steppenwolf until she left Darkseid's service. Fury was among the inhabitants that escaped onto a new world after Earth was lost to Apokolips. On this second Earth, she helped reform the warrior society of the Amazons in secret where she operated as Queen and formed an alliance with the surviving Atlanteans under Queen Marella. In Earth-2: Society v1 (2016), it was revealed that the slain Amazons of Amazonia on Earth had their souls saved by Fury who contained them in the Pandora Vessel in the hope of restoring their bodies. However, after her ark-ship crashed on their new world she had no choice but to release a number of the Amazon souls to the crew to save them from radiation poisoning. Thus, the crew became a hybrid of human bodies with Amazon souls living in symbiosis with one another.
• In Dark Nights: Metal v1 (2017), an alternate version of Ares was shown in the world as Earth-12 was shown in the Dark Multiverse. On this world, a corrupted Batman slayed Ares and claimed his helmet causing him to become a war god called the Merciless where he massacred other deities. Among those that challenged him were the Amazons who he killed and he then forced the ferryman Charon to give him all the coins they had for passage to the afterlife. He then melted the coins to make a giant penny thus preventing the Amazons from going to Elysium to get peace. Thus, their undead spirits were bound to the Merciless and he could summon them into battle against his enemies.
• In Gotham City Garage v1 (2017), an alternate world setting was shown where the world was devastated leading to Lex Luthor establishing a sanctuary known as the Garden where he ruled the remaining city of humanity. The Amazons were said to had existed. They celebrated the Festival Panathenaea for the achievements of Diana which was extended for weeks with them believing they had a great destiny for their world until a cataclysm struck Themyscira killing the Amazons or scattering them leaving Wonder Woman alone. In the aftermath, Wonder Woman put tattoos on her body that within Amazon culture was from a time when they were put as a punishment and reminder of loss and failure.
• In Future State: Wonder Woman v1 #1 (2021), an alternate future version of the Amazons was shown to exist in Future State. It was shown that a tribe of Amazons had existed in South America where one of their number named Yara Flor became the new Wonder Woman in the mid-21st century.

In other media

Television

• In the DC Animated Universe, the Amazons made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Justice League, the Amazons remained undisturbed on Themsycira where under their queen Hippolyta they guarded the entrance to the underworld which served as a prison for Hades. Diana left the Amazons and joined the newly formed Justice League in repelling an alien invasion. The Amazonians were decimated by Felix Faust when he attempted to free Hades until he was defeated by Wonder Woman with the Justice League. It was revealed in one case that they saved a young orphaned girl who was lost at sea and raised her where she took the name Aresia.
  • In Justice League Unlimited, the Amazons appeared in the episode "The Balance" where they tried to stop Felix Faust Faust going through the doorway into the underworld on Themyscira. However, Faust's soul was within the Annihilator armor and be effortlessly made his way past them. In the aftermath, they tried to shut the doorway when hordes of demons attempted to make their way into the mortal world.
• In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Amazons made a brief appearance in the animated series in the episode "Triumvirate of Terror!". Wonder Woman had returned to Themyscira where she witnessed a friendly tournament among the Amazons who were defeated by a masked individual that was actually the Joker in disguise. He defeated them and had used Joker gas at them leaving them laughing constantly as he took over the island.

Films

• In Wonder Woman, the Amazons featured as part of the plot in the 2009 animated movie. Long ago, Hippolyta led them when Ares waged war on Earth and brought his armies to battle the Amazons. The god of war was defeated and the battle weary Amazons were gifted a paradise island on Themyscira by the gods. On Themyscira, they would be immortal and allowed to live in peace whilst they guarded the now mortal Ares in his prison where he remained in mystical shackles that removed his powers.
• In Superman/Batman, the Amazons made an appearance in the animated film. Kara Zor-El and Harbinger stay with the Amazons on Themyscira which comes under attack from a horde of Doomsday clones. The Amazonians assemble their defenders where they hold the line against the brutal attack and succeed in repelling the attack.
• In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the Amazons made an appearance in the animated movie that followed a similar storyline as the comic. They were a civilization that remained hidden on the world until Diana met Aquaman. This led to an alliance between the Amazons and Atlanteans where a marriage was intended between their leaders. However, Diana kills a jealous Mera leading to war between the two people where Atlantis invades Themyscira where the Amazons sink their homeland before fleeing. They later conquer the United Kingdom and name it New Themyscira where they continued their war against Atlantis with this war threatening to destroy the planet. Ultimately, a final battle is waged in the United Kingdom between the Amazon and Atlantean armies when a dying Aquaman detonates Captain Atom to destroy the world.
• In the DC Extended Universe, the Amazons made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Wonder Woman, the Amazons first appeared in the 2017 live-action film. They were female warriors who were created long ago by the Olympian Gods after the formation of mankind in order temper the violent hatred in humans caused by the war god Ares. They managed to bring peace for a time but were enslaved until their Queen Hippolyta freed them with the Olympian Gods intervening as they fought Ares. Afterwards, the hidden island of Themyscira where they lived in peace as they remained immortal. At some point, Queen Hippolyta mated with the god Zeus with her giving birth to a daughter named Diana whose parentage was hidden from her as she was the only person capable of killing a god. They trained as warriors but lived in secret until the modern age when American pilot Steve Trevor discovered the island during World War I. German forces attacked the island in pursuit of Trevor where they battled the Amazons who suffered losses but managed to kill the attackers.
  • In Justice League, the Amazons appeared in the 2017 live-action film. It was shown that thousands of years that they fought against the New God Steppenwolf in order to defend the world against him. After his defeat, they took one of his three Mother Boxes and kept it within a temple on Themyscira. At some point, it was said that a war was fought between the Amazons and the Atlanteans. By the modern age, the Mother Box summoned Steppenwolf back to Earth where he appeared through a Boom Tube in the temple leading to a battle between him and his Parademons against the Amazons. Despite their efforts, many of them were slain and the Mother Box was claimed by Steppenwolf. The Amazons decided to send out a warning that could be seen by Wonder Woman as the warrior women were unable to depart Themyscira.
• In Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, the Amazons appeared in the setting of the 2019 animated film. It was shown that they resided on Themyscira where at the command of the gods they were to avoid contact with Man's World with this edict continuing in the reign of Queen Hippolyta. This was until Steve Trevor crashed onto the island and was saved by Princess Diana who departed her people to accompany him to Man's World to serve as a hero.
• In Wonder Woman 1984, the Amazons appeared in the setting of the live-action film sequel. It was shown in flashbacks that long ago the Amazon's when they were in Man's World were besieged by their enemies. This was until one of their number named Asteria came to wear a set of winged-armour made from her sisters suits and volunteered to remain behind to allow them all to escape to Themyscira. Her sacrifice was remembered by her sisters on their island and it was believed that she was killed by her attackers. Unknown to anyone, she came to survive and lived even in the modern age where few were aware of her true identity.

Video games

• In DC Universe Online, the Amazons appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game. They were martialled by Wonder Woman to combat the threat posed by Circe's Beastiamorphs. Players taking the hero alignment were assigned a number of missions to help support the Amazons whilst those of a villain alignment battle them. Among the Amazon ranks shown included Hoplites and Paranchos.
• In Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Amazons appeared in the setting of the fighting video game. Set on a parallel Earth, they were allies of the One Earth government wit the Amazons were turning to the tyrannical Superman's cause in bringing about a totalitarian reign on their world. However, after hearing of the growing Insurgency and dissatisfaction of the civilian population, Superman decides to destroy various cities to punish them. This led to him going to his reality's Wonder Woman who was also his lover where she assembled an army of Amazons to begin decimating cities. However, the mainstream Wonder Woman battles and defeats her counterpart in a duel where she calls upon her Amazon sisters to see the wrongful actions of their leader whereupon she leads them in battling the evil Aquaman's Atlantean forces.
• In DC Legends, the Amazons appeared in the story setting of the iOS video game with Wonder Woman being one of their number. Nekron had used his powers and the Manhunters to control Paradise Island where he reanimated several of the dead Amazons as part of his forces.

Appearances

• All Star Comics v1 #8: (1942)
• Wonder Woman v1:
• Wonder Woman v2 #35-#38:
• Wonder Woman v3 #18-#36:
• Wonder Woman Secret Files and Origins v1:
• Amazons Attack v1:
• Superman/Wonder Woman v1:
• The Odyssey of the Amazons v1:
• Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour v1:
• Justice League v4:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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