WARNING: Contains potential spoilers for Absolute Wonder Woman #3!Wonder Woman fully embraced one of his wildest, most badass transformations after losing one of his most powerful weapons - his warrior arm. But the loss of this member is just the beginning of their overhaul. Diana proves she's unstoppable by showing off multiple prosthetic arms, each one fiercer and more innovative than the last.
...is an epic display of representation for the amputee community within the DC fandom...
Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire and Becca Carey Absolute Wonder Woman #3 picks up right where the last issue left off, with Diana facing the Tetraslayer – a monstrous creature with a threat level that ends the world. During the initial confrontation, his arm was ripped off. However, this isn't the brutal spectacle fans might have expected.
Instead, it is revealed that the arm she used to fight was magical, created by her mother after Diana actually lost the limb in a previous incident. DC Reveals the Heroic and Absolutely Epic Story of Wonder Woman Losing Her Arm as Well as Her Robotic Arm she doesn't hesitate to tie herself up after Tetraslayer claims her magical member.
How did Absolute Wonder Woman originally lose her arm?
Diana sacrifices her dominant arm to return Steve Trevor to the mortal world
In addition to the battle with Tetracide, Absolute Wonder Woman #3 continues the flashback narrative of how Steve Trevor appeared in Diana and Circe's little slice of hell - literally - in the underworld. The focus shifts to Diana's struggle to figure out how to bring him back into the world of men. As the story unfolds, Diana finds a way to send Steve back, but the necessary spell comes at a huge cost: a sacrifice of the highest caliber. Knowing that she is destined to become a great warrior and protector of the world, Diana decides that a worthy sacrifice would be "the dominant arm of a great warrior..."
This decision leaves Diana's arm severed at the shoulder. In the current narrative, it is revealed that the arm Diana has been using throughout the issues is a magical prosthetic, made with both her and her mother's magic. So when Tetraslayer rips off his arm, it's that magical arm, not his real one, that was lost long ago. Diana admits she can get her magic arm back, but it will require complicated magic. However, when it is revealed, there is no quick fix, Wonder Woman uses an alternate plan - a robotic-looking, magic-infused arm from your bottomless purse.
After losing her magic arm, Wonder Woman uses a robotic prosthetic
Diana's robotic arm perfectly complements her warrior outfit
Very nonchalantly, Diana attaches the robotic arm to her armor, revealing that her equipment was specially designed with clasps to attach the arm to her shoulder and keep it in place. The main detail here is that the arm responds to Diana's commands not through technology, but through magic. The arm design is relatively simple, constructed from screws and metal to form the basic shape of a limb, with the fingers being the most complex part - designed for maximum range of motion.
The metallic gray finish of the arm perfectly complements several elements of Diana's warrior outfit, including pants, boots, and lower body wrap. Absolute Wonder Woman has already delivered one of the character's toughest and wildest revamps, and the addition of this magical robotic arm only strengthens that statement. It introduces a unique aesthetic never before explored in mainstream continuity for the character, given that the Absolute Universe and Earth-Prime coexist in DC's new duoverse and are considered 'main continuity' stories.
Absolute Wonder Woman Brings a very welcome representation
Thompson's Wonder Woman is a beyond refreshing take on the character
The story of Wonder Woman's sacrifice of her arm and prosthetics itself is undeniably incredible, but this creative decision by Thompson goes beyond that -is an epic display of representation for the amputee community within DC fandom. Having one of DC's main heroes and most iconic characters without an arm is, quite simply, phenomenal. This choice brings representation and diversity to an already popular narrative, elevating it into something entirely unique and introducing a refreshing, unexplored aspect of the character. Simply put, Absolute Wonder Woman It's getting better and better.
Absolute Wonder Woman #3 is now available from DC Comics!