What Is Absolute Wonder Woman? Height, Powers, Villains and Reading Order Explained
Wonder Woman fans waited decades for a run that treats Diana like the mythic force she always deserved to be. Too many reboots played it safe, recycling the same island, the same lasso and the same story beats. Readers were ready for danger, scale and genuine surprise. Absolute Wonder Woman delivers all three, and it does it with a grin, a giant sword and a skeletal Pegasus. This is all the information you require.
What Is Absolute Wonder Woman?
Absolute Wonder Woman is an ongoing DC Comics series that launched on October 23, 2024, as part of the publisher’s Absolute Universe line. Writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman rebuilt Diana from the ground up. This version of Wonder Woman never grew up on Themyscira. The gods exiled her to Hell as an infant, and the witch Circe raised her there.
The result is the last Amazon: a witch-warrior who fights cosmic horror instead of preaching peace from paradise. Diana would be “faster than a hellhound” and able to “swing a blade like Ares,” as promised in DC’s official preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #1. from page one.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Series | Absolute Wonder Woman (2024 to present) |
| Publisher | DC Comics (Absolute Universe imprint) |
| Debut issue | Absolute Wonder Woman #1 (October 23, 2024) |
| Status | Ongoing, 24 issues plus the 2026 Annual as of September 2026 |
| Writer | Kelly Thompson |
| Lead artist | Hayden Sherman |
| Colorist | Jordie Bellaire |
| Letterer | Becca Carey |
| Editor | Chris Conroy |
| Setting | The Absolute Universe, also called the Alpha World |
| Base of operations | Gateway City |
| Signature weapons | The Athena Blade and the Nemesis Lasso |
| Core cast | Diana, Circe, Steve Trevor, Barbara Minerva, Etta Candy |
| Major awards | 2025 Eisner Awards for Best New Series and Best Coloring |
| First collection | Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon |
An Award-Winning Instant Classic
This book did not sneak up on anyone. The first issue sold out and earned a black-and-white Noir Edition, a move DC reserves for genuine hits. Critics agreed with the market. The first twelve issues hold a 9.1 out of 10 critic average on Comic Book Roundup across 146 reviews.
At the 2025 Eisner Awards, Absolute Wonder Woman won Best New Series, and Jordie Bellaire won Best Coloring. Thompson, Sherman and letterer Becca Carey all picked up nominations of their own. The first collected volume then became a 2026 Hugo Award finalist for Best Graphic Story or Comic. That trophy shelf explains why the phrase “absolute wonder woman” now dominates comic search trends worldwide.
The Origin Story: Diana, Princess of Hell
The gods punished the Amazons, and baby Diana paid the price. Zeus ordered Apollo to carry the last Amazon infant into the Underworld, where the imprisoned witch Circe became her guardian. One cruel condition came with the job: Circe could never speak the word “Amazon” again.
What followed is the emotional heart of the series. Quiet double-page spreads show a cave becoming a home and a prisoner becoming a mother. Circe taught Diana sorcery, forged her weapons and loved her fiercely, even while the gods sent monsters like the Basilisk to test the girl.
Diana eventually clawed her way to the surface world. She arrived in Gateway City just as dragon-like Harbingers descended on it, and her answer became an instant fan mantra: this world is protected.
How Tall Is Absolute Wonder Woman?
DC has never printed an official height inside the comic itself. The best sourced figure comes from DC’s own DC Worlds Collide game roster, which lists Absolute Wonder Woman at 7 feet 1 inch (216 cm).
That number fits the creative brief. Kelly Thompson has said she wanted Diana to be the tallest and biggest person in every room she enters. The art honors that idea with joyful stubbornness:
- Absolute Wonder Woman: about 7 feet 1 inch, per the DC Worlds Collide roster
- Absolute Batman: 6 feet 9 inches and 421 pounds, per his own series
- Classic Wonder Woman: between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches, depending on the era
- Gal Gadot (live action): 5 feet 10 inches
Panels still place her eye to eye with Absolute Batman, so treat 7’1″ as the official-adjacent answer and enjoy the rare case of a superheroine who towers over everyone.
Absolute Wonder Woman Powers and Abilities
Diana grew up sparring with demons, so her power set mixes Amazon muscle with genuine witchcraft. Here is what the published issues have shown:
- Superhuman strength and durability: she duels city-sized monsters like the Tetracide and walks away smiling.
- Combat mastery: sword, axe, lasso and bare hands, all honed from childhood in Hell.
- Dark sorcery: spells, sigils and wards taught by Circe, one of DC’s most feared magic users.
- Transformation magic: in issue #5 she weaponized her lasso’s power to become a towering Medusa and petrify the Tetracide.
- Defensive gear: her Bracelets of Submission still turn bullets aside, because no Wonder Woman is truly bulletproof.
Fans also ask the classic questions. Wonder Woman is an Amazon, not a goddess; in this universe the gods are her jailers, not her patrons. Her longevity looks Amazonian, though nothing has proven immortality yet. And DC keeps the “stronger than Superman” debate open on purpose, so argue freely.
The Athena Blade, the Nemesis Lasso and the Absolute Wonder Woman Sword Arsenal
The absolute wonder woman sword has a name worthy of the build-up: the mythical Athena Blade. Diana stores the enormous weapon in a pouch of green magic and pulls it out when subtlety fails, which is often.
Her lasso collection got an upgrade too. Circe forged three enchanted lassos, and the standout is the red Nemesis Lasso, woven from the remains of the last basilisk, the blood of Prometheus and a blessing from Demeter. It binds and burns its captive in proportion to the sins they have committed, which makes it a judge as much as a weapon.
The rest of the arsenal stays familiar but sharper. Her tiara flies, her bracelets deflect, her axe showed up for a brutal casino brawl in issue #13, and the Talisman of Hecate proved life-saving during her trip to Gotham. Even her ride is metal: an obsidian, skeletal Pegasus.
Absolute Wonder Woman Villains: From the Tetracide to Zeus
The absolute wonder woman villains roster reads like a panic attack, and fans love it:
- The Tetracide: a tentacled, self-healing eldritch horror that Diana calls death personified. Its Harbinger armies opened the series.
- Veronica Cale: director of the Area 41 superhuman prison and advisor to the President. She decided Diana was a threat to the status quo and built an entire apparatus to destroy her.
- Zeus: the man behind the curtain. He ordered the Amazons erased and infant Diana exiled, and his lightning still answers Amazon escape attempts.
- Absolute Zatanna: a sorceress powerful enough to steal Diana’s magic, deployed as the leader of Cale’s Suicide Squad alongside Giganta, Doctor Poison, the Cheetah and Ara, the Fish-Men Queen.
- Queen Clea: ruler of the Labyrinth, who tangled with Diana in issue #12.
- Darkseid: the cosmic engineer of the whole Absolute Universe, working several levels above everyone else.
Sharp-eyed readers will note that Diana’s closest human friend is Barbara Minerva, the woman classic fans know as the Cheetah. Thompson is clearly saving that heartbreak for later.
Absolute Wonder Woman and Batman: The First Absolute Team-Up
Absolute wonder woman and batman finally shared a page in Absolute Wonder Woman #15, released December 24, 2025. The story, “The Mark of Hecate,” drops Diana into Gotham after four murders are tagged with her personal sigil. She needs the world’s greatest detective, and he needs someone who speaks fluent magic.
The team-up spirals fast. A construct built from Diana’s own hair and blood hijacks her mind, and only a talisman she gifted Batman snaps her out of it. The issue closes with the two heroes bonding over falling snow while Bruce mentions a Superman and other heroes out there.
The story continues in Absolute Batman #16, making this two-parter DC’s first crossover between Absolute titles. It reads like a snow-dusted holiday special with compulsive re-read value.
The Art of Absolute Wonder Woman: Design and Variant Covers
Hayden Sherman’s redesign threads an impossible needle. In DC’s Absolute Interview with the creative team, Sherman explained the goal: keep the pieces that make her recognizably Wonder Woman and push everything else somewhere new.
The finished look gives Diana one sigil-tattooed arm, asymmetrical battle armor, a black, red and gold palette and wedge boots built for stomping gods. Jordie Bellaire’s colors swing from hellfire orange to icy mythic blues, and her Eisner win was honestly overdue.
Collectors feast on the absolute wonder woman variant covers every month. Issue #1 shipped with variants by Jim Lee, Jeff Dékal, Dan Panosian and a foil edition built around the new Wonder Woman logo. Later highlights include Derrick Chew’s card stock covers, Yasmine Putri’s painterly variants and the fan-favorite Absolute Wonder Woman #16 Cover C by Guillem March. A pristine absolute wonder woman covers collection is now a legitimate hobby on its own.
Absolute Wonder Woman Reading Order: Every Issue, Arc and Collection
New readers ask one question constantly: where do I start? Start at issue #1 and read forward, because every arc feeds the next. Here is the full absolute wonder woman roadmap as of September 2026:
| Issues | Story Arc | Release Window | What Happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 to #5 | The Last Amazon | October 2024 onward | Diana debuts in Gateway City and battles the Harbingers and the Tetracide |
| #6 to #7 | The Lady or the Tiger | 2025 | Hades demands answers, the Nemesis Lasso’s origin is revealed, Steve Trevor returns |
| #8 to #12 | As My Mothers Made Me | 2025 | Area 41 closes in, Barbara Minerva enters, Queen Clea’s Labyrinth awaits |
| Absolute Wonder Woman 13 to #14 | The Price | October to November 2025 | Matías Bergara guest-draws Diana’s hunt for Amazon truth while Zatanna moves against her |
| Absolute Wonder Woman 15 | The Mark of Hecate | December 24, 2025 | The historic first meeting with Absolute Batman in Gotham |
| Absolute Wonder Woman 16 to #20 | Season of the Witch | January to mid-2026 | Zatanna and the Suicide Squad strike at the Gateway City museum |
| 2026 Annual #1 | Athena standalone | February 11, 2026 | Diana trades her powers for one chance to free Medusa |
| #21 to #26 | Heretic | June 2026 to late 2026 | The current arc, with issue #24 out September 23 and #25 due October 28 |
Prefer collected editions? The trade program moves fast:
- Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Issues #1 through #7 are collected in The Last Amazon, which was published in hardcover and paperback on August 12, 2025.
- Vol. 2: As My Mothers Made Me collects #8 to #14 and released February 17, 2026.
- Vol. 3: Season of the Witch, which comes out on October 27, 2026, gathers #15 through #20 along with the 2026 Annual.
- Vol. 4: Heretic, covering #21 to #26, is scheduled for April 13, 2027.
Absolute Wonder Woman vs. the Classic Wonder Woman
Both Dianas share a heartbeat: compassion, courage and zero patience for tyrants. Thompson has said there is a very specific way Diana must feel to be recognizable, and this book protects that core while changing everything around it.
| Element | Absolute Wonder Woman | Classic Wonder Woman |
|---|---|---|
| Upbringing | Raised in Hell by the witch Circe | Raised on Themyscira by Hippolyta and the Amazons |
| Height | About 7 feet 1 inch | 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches |
| Primary weapon | The Athena Blade and three enchanted lassos | The Lasso of Truth |
| Magic | A trained sorceress herself | Blessed by gods, rarely a spellcaster |
| Mission | Protector hunted by her own government | Ambassador of peace from paradise |
| Support | Circe, Steve Trevor, Barbara Minerva, Etta Candy | Hippolyta, the Amazons, Steve, Etta |
The classic icon still thrives elsewhere. Gal Gadot headlined Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984, Lynda Carter defined the role for television, and the mainline Diana keeps publishing alongside this one. One more housekeeping answer for new fans: Wonder Woman is a DC character, never a Marvel one.
Where to Read Absolute Wonder Woman
Single issues cost $4.99 and arrive monthly at local comic shops, with the 2026 Annual at $5.99. Digital readers can stream the whole run, including Absolute Wonder Woman #15 and the Batman team-up, on the DC Universe Infinite subscription service.
Bookstore readers should grab the Vol. 1 hardcover or paperback and preorder Vol. 3 before its October 27 release. However you buy it, buying it is how this absolute wonder woman train keeps running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Absolute Wonder Woman part of the main DC Universe?
No. Absolute Wonder Woman takes place in the Absolute Universe, a separate continuity born from the Absolute Power event and the DC All In Special. Darkseid engineered this harsher Alpha World, so nothing here rewrites the mainline Diana’s history. Think of it as a parallel bookshelf, not a replacement.
How tall is Absolute Wonder Woman?
The DC Worlds Collide game roster lists her at 7 feet 1 inch, or 216 centimeters. The comics never printed an official number, but the listing matches the art, where she stands shoulder to shoulder with the 6-foot-9 Absolute Batman and towers over ordinary humans.
Have Absolute Wonder Woman and Batman met?
Yes. Absolute Wonder Woman #15 from December 2025 delivered the first Absolute crossover, with Diana recruiting Batman over a string of occult murders in Gotham. Absolute Batman #16, the story’s conclusion, makes it very evident that an Absolute Trinity is imminent.
Who creates Absolute Wonder Woman?
Kelly Thompson writes the series and Hayden Sherman serves as lead artist, with Jordie Bellaire on colors, Becca Carey on lettering and Chris Conroy editing. Guest artists include Mattia de Iulis, Dustin Nguyen, Matías Bergara and Dillon Snook. DC revealed in July 2026 that Zoe Thorogood was originally attached to write before stepping away.
Can Absolute Wonder Woman fly like the classic Wonder Woman?
Not that readers have seen. While the Absolute version of Diana travels on her winged skeletal Pegasus and has not demonstrated any sustained solo flight through issue #24, the Classic Diana flies on her own strength.Given how fast this book evolves, never say never.
Where should I begin reading Absolute Wonder Woman?
Start with Vol. 1 or Absolute Wonder Woman #1.: The Last Amazon collection. The series reads cleanly in order with no outside homework required. Digital readers can binge everything on DC Universe Infinite, and Vol. 3 arrives October 27, 2026.
Why Absolute Wonder Woman Deserves Your Pull-List Spot Today
Two years in, Absolute Wonder Woman has done the impossible. It honors eighty years of Diana’s legacy while swinging harder than any superhero book on the stands, and the receipts are public: two Eisners, a Hugo nomination, sellouts and a fandom that grows every single month.
Your next move is easy. Read issue #1 tonight, preorder Vol. 3 prior to October 27, and for issue #25, circle October 28. Then come back and tell us your favorite Athena Blade moment in the comments, because this conversation is half the fun. Protect your pull list the way Diana protects Gateway City: fiercely and out loud.
