# Wonder Woman's Powers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110 "2004-08-03T06:44:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/41 "2004-08-05T15:57:55Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Regarding WW’s ability to deflect bullets with bracelets: > > In order to do this, wouldn’t some sort of precog or seeing in “bullet time” be a requisite? WW possesses a measure of Superspeed, probably in Superman’s class as far as reaction time goes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/42 "2004-08-05T16:11:19Z")
When Wonder Woman deflects bullets with her bracelets, isn’t she usually ready for them? Like, the baddie makes a big show of brandishing his gun to shoot her, then it switches to Wonder Woman getting into a stance before deflecting the bullets. If so, it’s easy to imagine that she wouldn’t be on bullet-time all the time, so she could be surprised from behind. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/43 "2004-08-05T16:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, come on. She dresses like a floozie, has super-hero oral suction, and ties men up for a living. To pick up on sexual innuendo is not the fault of the reader. Dunno what you mean about the “super-hero oral suction”, but male superheroes dress in skintight spandex (apparently), and tie baddies up, too (Superman uses bent girders. Spiderman has his web; Green lantern can make anything out of the ring he always has), yet they’re not invariably seen as sexual creatures, with most of the jokes being about sex. Heck, WW’s costume is way more conservative than a lot of the ones I see anymore. Keep treating girls like that, and they won’t want to come in the boys’ treehouse. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/44 "2004-08-05T17:09:41Z")
> [@The Controvert](#): > > When Wonder Woman deflects bullets with her bracelets, isn’t she usually ready for them? Like, the baddie makes a big show of brandishing his gun to shoot her, then it switches to Wonder Woman getting into a stance before deflecting the bullets. > > If so, it’s easy to imagine that she wouldn’t be on bullet-time all the time, so she could be surprised from behind. Very good point, Controvert! ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/45 "2004-08-05T20:44:48Z")
Still thinking about the TV show, not the comic book – it seemed to me that Wonder Woman became more powerful when the show switched to the present (1970s) era. She did seem more invulnerable and only got KOed by gas once in the “Murderous Missile” episode. I cannot think of a single other time she was overpowered/captured in her superheroine persona in these episodes; if she did get KOed or captured, it was always as Diana Prince! She got into a lot of trouble by the hands of the Nazis during the World War II episodes, however (the first fifteen or so episodes of the show!). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/46 "2004-08-05T21:31:59Z")
Well, remember, she was newly-arrived in Man’s world during the first season, except for when she, you know, met Socrates and Napolean and such (oops), so she may perhaps be forgiven for allowing the Nazis to get the drop on her a few times. By the time the cynical 70s rolled around she was more experienced in man’s duplicitous ways. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/47 "2004-08-05T21:55:40Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Still thinking about the TV show, not the comic book – it seemed to me that Wonder Woman became more powerful when the show switched to the present (1970s) era. She did seem more invulnerable and only got KOed by gas once in the “Murderous Missile” episode. I cannot think of a single other time she was overpowered/captured in her superheroine persona in these episodes; if she did get KOed or captured, it was always as Diana Prince! She got into a lot of trouble by the hands of the Nazis during the World War II episodes, however (the first fifteen or so episodes of the show!). There was an episode called “The Man Who Could Move the World” early in the 1977-1978 season (I think) where she encounters a Japanese guy who has telekinetic abilities. He actually telekinetically controls Wonder Woman, ordering her to step into a mine field. Wonder Woman is understandably reluctant to do so, implying that such an explosion would kill or seriously maim her. She resists with all her might, eventually overcoming his considerable psychokinetic prowess. So I guess an explosion would definitely do her in. She still had to deflect bullets with her bracelets. I guess her vulnerabilities stayed the same when she entered the “modern” era. I am still trying to think of different physical feats she did in the various episodes. I may post more about this later! ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/48 "2004-08-05T22:44:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Dunno what you mean about the “super-hero oral suction”, I presume that’s a reference to the bit in **ftg** ’s post: > [@](#): > > She sucks the apple away from Pluto’s feet with an amazing suction breath. (Insert you-know-what jokes here.) > [@](#): > > but male superheroes dress in skintight spandex (apparently), and tie baddies up, too (Superman uses bent girders. Spiderman has his web; Green lantern can make anything out of the ring he always has), yet they’re not invariably seen as sexual creatures, with most of the jokes being about sex. Yes, but none of those are mixed up with the “loving submission” undertones found in classic WW comics. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/49 "2004-08-06T01:20:13Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > I presume that’s a reference to the bit in **ftg** ’s post: > > Yes, but none of those are mixed up with the “loving submission” undertones found in classic WW comics. Speaking of loving submission, in DK2 (not that anyone would actually ever read that piece of crap)[spoiler]When Superman is feeling all worn down, and ready to pack it in, and Diana is trying to fire him back up, she demands "Where is the man who stole my Amazon heart? Where is the hero who threw me to the ground and claimed me as his rightful prize? :eek: Where is the god whose passion shattered a mountaintop? Where is that man? Where is that Superman? To which Big Blue replies… “Right here.” Large amounts of glacial ice are then destroyed, followed by some really cool aerobatics. I’m still trying to figure out how they managed to, er, perform. Like I said, neither of them removed their tights. Even assuming neither one of them was wearing thier Fruit of the Looms, there’s still Supes’s tights, those silly brief things he wears over them, and Wonder Woman’s bicycle shorts, none of which seemed the worse for wear afterward.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110/50 "2004-08-08T07:23:57Z")
On the subject of Wonder Woman’s “rage”, not wearing her bracelets only seems to be the cause. In actuality, Diana sometimes removes her bracelets (usually once a month) because her wrists become very swollen, which, along with the “rage”, is a symptom of something else entirely. Anyhoo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonder-womans-powers/258110.md?page=2)