She’s had some amazing battles so far, but the Absolute Universe’s Wonder Woman is finally facing the one person she doesn’t have a shot at beating. In her short time, Absolute Wonder Woman has become a real fan-favorite. This witchy take on the iconic hero has dazzled fans everywhere and impressed people with her fighting prowess (not to mention her incredibly impressive weapons). And in the last year or so, we’ve seen her defeat powerful threats single-handed, like the Tetracide and other monsters from the pits of the underworld. But that’s nothing compared to what’s coming next.
Since Absolute Wonder Woman first debuted, she’s been targeted by National Security Adviser Veronica Cale, who sees Diana and everything she represents as a threat. After seeing what Wonder Woman did to the Tetracide, as well as the rebellion she sparked in the mystical prison Area 41, Cale has decided to go gloves off. She accessed a secret prison holding some of the most powerful metahumans in United States’ custody with the intent of sending them all after Diana. And one of those metahumans is about to challenge Absolute Wonder Woman in ways she never expected.
Absolute Zatanna Puts a Stop to Wonder Woman’s Magic
In Absolute Wonder Woman #16 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, and Becca Carey, things have largely settled, but Diana can’t shake the feeling that something big is coming. Meanwhile, Steve Trevor is being grilled at a Senate hearing over his connection to Wonder Woman, and he makes it clear that he stands with Diana, even if that means going against the government. At the same time, Veronica Cale oversees her metahuman prisoners being infused with a parasite as Cale plans to use them to destroy Wonder Woman’s good name at a gala at the Natural History Museum.
It’s a big event at the Natural History Museum, focusing on pieces tied to Wonder Woman’s culture and home. It’s a lovely affair, and everyone seems to be having a great time. But again, Diana has a bad feeling that something isn’t right. And her feeling proves correct when she passes out in the middle of the gala. After recovering, Diana notices something incredibly unsettling: Though her magic is still inside her, something is preventing her from accessing it. Diana has a dire realization and implores her friends to leave, but it’s too late.
The museum is attacked by a woman in a cloud of blue vapor, the same woman that Diana had a vision of just a few issues ago. It’s the Absolute Zatanna, leading Veronica Cale’s Absolute Suicide Squad. Though Zatanna has several villains helping her, like Giganta and the Cheetah, Zatanna already has a major advantage over Diana. Zatanna has magically bound Diana to her, preventing Wonder Woman from accessing her magic whenever in Zatanna’s presence and giving Zatanna full control of Diana’s power. The Squad swarms Wonder Woman, who has no clue how to fight back.
Absolute Wonder Woman is Facing a True Equal Now
When we saw Absolute Zatanna appear at the end of the last big arc, we all knew she was going to be a problem for Wonder Woman. In the main DC Universe, Zatanna is one of the best magic users around, if not the best, period. We don’t know too much about this version of Zatanna, nor how similar or different she is to her mainline counterpart. But we can determine that she’s not only powerful, but cunning. Before even meeting Diana, Zatanna placed a binding spell on her, giving Zatanna full control of Wonder Woman’s magic.
Now, Wonder Woman has faced magical threats up to this point. But unlike the Tetracide or Queen Clea, Zatanna’s working in tandem with Cale. To be fair, Suicide Squad members are generally pressed into doing things they might not do otherwise. But Cale is pushing Zatanna to use her magic in whatever way possible to get Wonder Woman under control. And before their fight has even begun, Wonder Woman has found herself without her greatest asset. Her previous villains weren’t exactly cake walks, but Diana is facing possibly the biggest uphill battle of her life.
I don’t know how Wonder Woman will get out of this. Zatanna’s clearly not a threat Wonder Woman can beat with magic. Thankfully, Diana is a skilled fighter, but is she strong enough to take on someone whose magic power is augmented with Wonder Woman’s? And what about the rest of the Suicide Squad? This is an extremely difficult situation and things are almost certainly going to get worse before they get better. Hopefully, Wonder Woman’s got another trick up her sleeve, because magic, unfortunately, isn’t going to help here.
What do you think about Absolute Zatanna and Absolute Wonder Woman’s first meeting? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!