Batman: Urban Legends #6 reveals that Wonder Woman has a previously undisclosed history with a wild warrior who just emerged in Gotham.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Batman: Urban Legends #6, on sale now.
Despite being the premier female superhero in all of comic books, Wonder Woman hasn’t had nearly as many imitators over the years as Superman and Batman. One notable exception is Zealot, a member of the WildC.A.T.s in the Wildstorm Universe. Having many similarities with the Amazon Princess, Zealot’s recent prominence in the DC Universe sees her forming a rivalry with her inspiration.
The story “Blood for Blood” from Batman: Urban Legends #6, by Matthew Rosenberg, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Pete Pantazis, and Josh Reid, sees Wonder Woman ironically defending Maxwell Lord against Zealot. And over the course of this story, Wonder Woman’s apparent history with Lady Zannah of the Khera comes to the fore.
Wonder Woman vs. Zealot
The story has Zealot trying to assassinate Maxwell Lord, under orders from her boss and employer Lord Emp, a.k.a. Jacob Marlowe. Marlowe runs the Halo Corporation, which is usually poised to deal with threats such as the Daemonites, and according to Marlowe, Lord has been continuously getting in the way of his mission. To deal with this, he sends Zealot to kill his rival, and she ironically disguises herself as Wonder Woman to do so.
Lord escapes before the in-disguise Zannah can succeed in her mission. She finds him at another location and attempts to finish the job, only to be thwarted by the real Wonder Woman. Diana angers her by calling her the name Zealot, and remarks at how far she’s fallen to now be operating as a mere assassin for Marlowe. Zealot questions Diana’s own morality, namely how she and others in the Justice League could allow the Earth to still be in its current state. Wonder Woman easily defeats the weaker opponent, but the question is raised in terms of what history they have together.
The Amazons vs. The Coda
Wonder Woman and Zealot are established as having some sort of past with each other, much as Marlowe does with Lord. Neither are explained in much detail, but they likely will be explored in future issues. This could be most beneficial to the Wonder Woman mythos, as it will expand its reach and the influence of the Amazons’ legacy.
Zealot is traditionally a member of the Coda, an all-female group of Kherubim warriors. When the Kherubim and the Daemonites crash landed on Earth, they inspired various tales of religion and mythology throughout the centuries. The Kherubim influenced tales of angels (cherubim) and gods, while the possessing Daemonites were essentially alien demons. The Coda, likewise, inspired the stories of Greek mythology, namely that of the Amazons.
In the DC Universe, the Amazons are real, so making them coexist alongside the Coda may be a tricky feat. It’s possible that they had contact with the Amazons in the past but were divided on the Coda’s violent ways. It’s also worth noting that the Coda, namely Zealot’s relationship to them, is very similar to the Post-Crisis Bana Mighdall. This was an offshoot of the Amazons formed by Hippolyta’s sister who renounced the Greek pantheon. Her much more violent group of Amazons thus lacked the others’ immortality, and had to increase their number by using local men as sex slaves.
The Bana would also allow their warrior services to be sold to the highest bidder, becoming unscrupulous assassins for the right price. This is exactly what the Coda became in the old Wildstorm Universe, with Zealot opposing this turn of events. Zealot herself would somewhat influence Artemis, the Bana Amazon that briefly replaced Wonder Woman. Thus, the connection between Lady Zannah and Princess Diana would seem to be a sort of homecoming for both properties, although it’s unlikely to result in any sort of sisterly love.
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