Warning: Spoilers for Wonder Woman #13Wonder Woman Romance with Steve Trevor has long confused readers due to how little it makes sense on the surface. While pairs like Superman and Lois Lane fit perfectly together from the start, Diana and Steve don’t seem to share as deep an understanding of one another. That seems to have changed, though, as a shift to Wonder Woman’s status quo refines her relationship in a groundbreaking way.
Wonder Woman #13 by Tom King, Tony Sh. Daniel, Leonardo Paciarotti and Clayton Coles is part of a Absolute power Event tie-in story that follows a depowered Wonder Woman in a team-up with Robin as they try to free captured superheroes. They are joined by Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s love interest, and he and Diana can hardly keep their hands off each other. When they charge into the prison, they infiltrate, Steve comments on how he is suddenly worried about DianaAnd it is a feeling that is new to him.
Diana responds by saying, “Now you know how I’ve felt about you since the day you crashed.” Wonder Woman’s usual dynamic with Steve Trevor is subverted now that they both lack powers and are therefore on equal footing, allowing their relationship to finally make sense.
Wonder Woman’s powers have always made her invincible
Steve Trevor didn’t need to worry about her before
Steve Trevor first met Wonder Woman in the 1941s All Star Comics #8 By William Marston and Harry G. Peters, when his plane crashed in Themyscira. From the beginning, Wonder Woman has been portrayed as a strong-willed Amazon woman, while Steve takes on a more submissive role in their dynamic. Wonder Woman is one of the best fighters in the DC Universe, so she takes it upon herself to protect the weak and dying Steve from danger. Thanks to Wonder Woman’s invulnerability, superhuman strength, and super-speed, she doesn’t need the protection of a human, and Steve is well aware of this fact.
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Diana’s latest ongoing series delves deeper into Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor’s romance and what part Steve actually plays in it. in Wonder Woman #9 by King and Daniel Sampere, Diana tells a vision of Steve that his role in her life “never was” to save her. He goes on to suggest that his role is not to save her, but rather to stand by and watch her save herself. Steve doesn’t need to worry about Wonder Woman because He trusts that she is strong enough to handle fights herself. However, now that Diana’s powers are gone, the foundation of their relationship has been stripped away.
Wonder Woman’s lack of power makes her (and Steve) vulnerable
Diana and Steve’s relationship is finally on the straight and narrow
After the events of Absolute power By Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Wonder Woman is powerless. As such, once she and Steve embark on their prison break operation, Steve realizes that there is no guarantee that Diana will be safe As it was when she was immortal. Wonder Woman losing her powers to an Amazo leaves her physically vulnerable, and she faces the consequences of this when she deflects bullets and ends up breaking her arms. Normally this feat would hardly faze the Amazon, but here she struggles with her injury as Steve rushes to her side. With this subversion, the dynamic of Wonder Woman and Steve was changed forever.
Now that Wonder Woman isn’t invincible anymore, Steve cares about her in a way he never did before. Through this, he has grown to understand the fear Diana has for his own safety. Wonder Woman is usually an unstoppable force, whereas Steve is an ordinary person who requires her protection while admiring her from the sidelines. Now, they both could lose each other at any moment. This dynamic puts Wonder Woman and Steve’s relationship on the same footing In terms of their vulnerability. Although Wonder Woman is still the brave hero she’s always been, her newfound powerlessness allows her and Steve to be equals.
Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor understand each other better than ever
The most iconic romance of the Amazonian princess has never been stronger
Steve may be Wonder Woman’s current love, but he’s far from her only love. Diana of Themyscira has been in many romantic entanglements throughout her decades long history. She dated a Norse god and was even in a relationship with Superman. Likewise, Steve used to be married to Etta Candy before a timeline reboot wiped the marriage from continuity. In the end, none of their other relationships have endured quite like the one they share, and The latest development has turned their already solid connection into a bond as unbreakable Like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth.
Their romance is stronger than ever.
Despite its longevity, Wonder Woman’s romance with Steve Trevor hasn’t become a staple of her character like other comic romances like Superman’s or The Flash. However, this experience has undoubtedly deepened their understanding of each other and may be what it takes for their relationship to reach similar heights. As Wonder Woman learns what it feels like to be vulnerable, Steve is learning what it feels like to fear for his lover’s safety. Their romance is stronger than ever as a result, and readers can finally latch onto Wonder Womans love story now that it is a story of two equals.
Wonder Woman #13 is available now from DC Comics.