Meet Matriarch, the new DC big bad foretold to kill Wonder Woman and (almost) all the Amazons

Wonder Woman is one of the strongest heroes of the DCU, so finding villains who can match her is a hard thing to do. But now, DC is making a big effort to change that, with the reveal of a major new villain that they are saying has been years in the making.

Wonder Woman #25 main coverImage credit: Daniel Sampere (DC Comics)

Matriarch is a new villain announced in August who will debut in September’s Wonder Woman #25. Created by series creators Tom King and Daniel Sampere, both have said that their past three years of work on this title have been building to this. And from her design by Sampere to what we know about her as a character, Matriarch is shaping up to be a big part of Wonder Woman’s rogues gallery – and possibly her biggest.

“Finally announced: Matriarch will debut in Wonder Woman #25,” King writes on his social media platforms. “Everything has been leading to this. The Wonder War is here.”

According to DC’s marketing for Wonder Woman #25, Matriarch is a “harbinger of death” who will “change Diana’s fate forever.” Sounds like they have big plans for her, especially as one of the covers shows her standing over a wounded Wonder Woman with a knife in her chest – something portended as the death of Wonder Woman earlier this year. But if Matriarch is the kind of thing DC says she is, this would mean its intended for this new character to instantly become one of (if not the) new primary big bad for Wonder Woman… which would be a big change. 

“Let me introduce you the real deal of our Wonder Woman series. The Matriarch,” writes Sampere on Instagram. “I can’t wait for you to see what Tom King, me and the rest of the team are cooking!”

But maybe change is what Wonder Woman needs.

Wonder Woman has a villain problem

Wonder Woman has been accumulating villains for decades, from Ares back in the early days to Maxwell Lord in later years, but with arguably Circe or Cheetah becoming her de facto primary adversaries. But even the most ardent of Wonder Woman fans (which I would include myself) can admit that none of them have found themselves in the same rarefied air as Batman’s Joker or Superman’s Lex Luthor.. and a great villain can bring out the best in a hero.

While this run has had some appearances by Cheetah and Giganta, it’s clear King and Sampere have been on a mission to fill out Wonder Woman’s rogues’ gallery by a large margin. Over the course of King and Sampere’s three-year run on Wonder Woman, they’ve created several major new villains for the DC heroine, including the Sovereign, Mouse Man, and now Matriarch. 

Will Matriarch stick? That’s one none of us can say, but the intention is there. It’s all about the story, the reception, and the stories that follow. But Tom King, Daniel Sampere, and DC seem to be starting with the right building blocks.

Matriarch and the mother of invention

From just the aesthetics of the Matriarch, the new character seems like a big deal. Much in the same way Marvel’s Knull was instantly a ‘big bad’ over in the Venom books, Matriarch is clothed in a starkly-black version of Wonder Woman’s memorable outfit – carrying the ‘W’ crest on her chest. The suit has differences, though, with stocky shoulder armor and a gorget to protect their neck – literally – from a fatal wound.

With that, Matriarch also has a bit of an affinity for crosses – albeit one with a bird on the top. One on each shoulder, one carried over in the hilt of her sword, and two as dangling earrings make a set. This, plus the spiked hairband that gives a punk-y allusion to the biblical Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns, and you have a motif.

The all-white hair is also a stark contrast to Wonder Woman’s well-known dark locks, and the red hue of the eyeshadow seals the stark differences between the classic hero and what we have here with Matriarch.

How can the Matriarch stand up to Wonder Woman?

The fortitude of Matriarch is summed up wordlessly in Sampere’s variant cover to Wonder Woman #25. In it we can see she has an all-black version of Wonder Woman’s outfit. She also has a sword. And she also has a functioning Green Lantern ring and a Legion flight ring.

Let me repeat some of that.

Matriarch has a working Green Lantern ring. While I’m sure there’s a story to be told in how she would have been able to obtain that (I doubt she’s a member of the Green Lantern Corps), the issue is what she can do with it. Imagine a dark version of Wonder Woman, with a working Green Lantern ring and all the constructs that could be built out of that.

Second is she has a working Legion flight ring. This, given to members of the 31st century Legion of Superheroes team, doesn’t mean she’s necessarily a Legionnaire – but means a Legionnaire is out there missing it, and Matriarch is able to possess it. It comes with anti-gravity abilities standard, and some have shown to give the wearer some telepathic abilities, a massive speed upgrade, and more. 

And a sword. While Diana has used a sword from time to time, it’s more of an extra feature with her lasso being standard. For Matriarch, it looks like this sword is her standard.

Wonder Woman vs. Matriarch in the Wonder War

This is all building to an event teased for almost a year now in King and Sampere’s Wonder Woman series; ‘The Wonder War’, which was witnessed in some future stories starring Diana’s daughter Trinity. In it, it shows Wonder Woman and virtually all of the Amazons except Trinity dead, presumably by the Matriarch’s blade. 

But now, we see how it happens – and the person who allegedly wields the fatal blade, Matriarch.

Wonder Woman #25 goes on sale on September 17. 

While you wait, here are our recommended best Wonder Woman comics you can read right now. 

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