This is Wonder Woman’s True Nemesis, And It’s Not Even Close

by

Superheroes have been popular for decades, and their lasting appeal comes from captivating characters and innovative concepts. While characters like Superman were groundbreaking and instantly recognizable, the serialized nature of comic books also plays a key role. To keep readers engaged and buying each new issue, heroes consistently face returning villains and challenges. This isn’t unique to the superhero genre, but it’s heavily utilized in comics due to their monthly publication schedule.

Most people recognize heroes like Batman and Spider-Man, thanks to their constant appearances in movies, TV shows, and other media. Wonder Woman’s villains aren’t quite as well-known. While characters like Doctor Poison and Silver Swan exist, her most memorable enemies are actually some of her best. Even if a comic book fan isn’t familiar with Angle Man or Queen Clea (though Clea had a notable appearance in *Absolute Wonder Woman*), they’ll likely know Cheetah and Ares, and often see one of them as Wonder Woman’s greatest foe. However, while Cheetah and Ares are strong villains, neither truly deserves the title of Wonder Woman’s *main* nemesis—that honor belongs to Circe, a witch who is the perfect foil to the heroine.

Circe Has A History That Goes Back Millennia

Circe actually existed long before modern comics – her story goes back centuries, even millennia. She’s a figure from Greek mythology, the daughter of Helios and Perse, and is associated with the goddess Hecate. Though not one of the most famous myths, many people know her from Homer’s *The Odyssey*. In the story, she transforms Odysseus’s crew into pigs, then cleverly reverses the spell. She allows them to stay on her island for a year before eventually aiding the king and his men on their voyage.

In DC Comics, the character Circe first appeared as an enemy of Wonder Woman in 1949’s *Wonder Woman* #37, created by Robert Kanigher and Harry G. Peter. Like the Circe of Greek mythology, she’s a powerful witch who enjoys transforming men into animals. However, the comic book version also includes a backstory where the Amazons exiled her to a distant, otherworldly island for her misdeeds on Earth.

The story concluded with Wonder Woman overcoming Circe, choosing to help her recover instead of simply imprisoning her – a surprisingly compassionate outcome for a villain created by Kanigher. After this, Circe reappeared in various DC comics, causing trouble for heroes like Rip Hunter, the Sea Devils, and even Superman and Supergirl during the Silver Age. However, she consistently returned as a recurring foe specifically for Wonder Woman.

Her early adventures as a Golden Age hero were largely forgotten, which was unfortunate. However, the villainous witch was a memorable character, even with her limited appearances before the *Crisis on Infinite Earths* event, where she made a brief cameo. This universe-resetting event actually benefited the witch, as she was later reimagined by George Perez as a central figure in Wonder Woman’s mythology.

The George Perez Run Of Wonder Woman Made Circe A Key Player

Circe wasn’t a major character in Greek mythology or DC Comics before George Perez reimagined her. He recognized her potential as a source of horror, particularly when creating his beastimorphs. Perez skillfully built suspense around her appearance over an entire issue, as Wonder Woman traveled to Greece with the Kapatellis family. He also delved into Circe’s history with the Amazons, revealing her connection to their troubled past.

In George Perez’s depiction, Circe began as a manipulative princess exiled from her homeland. She then became a follower of the goddess Hecate, eventually inheriting her magical abilities after Hecate’s death. This power transformed Circe into a dangerous villain, responsible for events like plotting the death of Antiope and, consequently, playing a role in the creation of the Bana-Mighdall Amazons. Driven by pure spite – a defining characteristic – Circe consistently sought to create chaos and animosity, especially between men and women. For thousands of years, she acted as a corrupting influence, tempting others toward evil, until her first encounter with Wonder Woman.

It was unusual, but Diana was the only one who truly unsettled the witch. It wasn’t simply that Diana embodied peace and love – which the witch already disliked – but also because Diana posed a threat to her power. The witch’s power was tied to an old prophecy stating that when one witch died and another, named Hecate, was born, Hecate would reclaim her soul, meaning two witches would have to fight for the goddess’s power.

Circe thought Diana was the witch foretold in the prophecy because Diana, like Hecate, was named after a moon goddess. It frustrated Circe that someone with such different goals – Diana actively worked against Circe’s plans to create chaos – might gain her powers. What made it even worse was that neither witch could kill the other, resulting in a magically enforced and repeatedly occurring deadlock that plagued them throughout their encounters, starting with their very first meeting.

Wonder Woman and her rival consistently clashed throughout the Post-Crisis years, acting as each other’s closest equivalent to archenemies. While characters like Cheetah and Ares might seem like natural foes, neither truly filled that role during this period. Ares was defeated early on and became less of a threat, and although Cheetah repeatedly challenged Wonder Woman physically, their rivalry didn’t become deeply personal until much later, during Greg Rucka’s second run on the character in the Rebirth era.

Circe has been behind numerous attacks and conflicts, including the vanishing of the Amazons, a war among the gods, and clashes between the Amazons and the United States. She also transformed Vanessa Kaptellis into the Silver Swan, all as part of a deliberate campaign to torment Wonder Woman.

Cheetah And Ares Are Great, But Not Really Wonder Woman’s Archenemies

Wonder Woman is often depicted with two main enemies: Ares and Cheetah. This is largely because they’ve been featured so prominently in various adaptations, particularly the live-action *Wonder Woman* and *Wonder Woman 1984* films.

While they aren’t true archenemies, this character represents a different viewpoint than Wonder Woman’s focus on peace. The conclusion of the ‘Gods and Mortals’ storyline demonstrates that even a god of war can be persuaded to work for the greater good, or face complete destruction along with everyone else.

Ares repeatedly changed his identity and powers, even briefly ruling the Underworld and gaining power from sources beyond just war. He surprisingly became an ally to Wonder Woman during a period in the New 52 comics. Ares demonstrates that Wonder Woman’s pursuit of peace isn’t hopeless—if she can inspire a god of war to improve, she can help anyone. Because of this, it’s important that she defeats him early in her time in the human world.

Cheetah is a classic villain often seen as outdated because of her long history. First appearing during the Golden Age of comics, she’s been reimagined several times. The initial Cheetah, Priscilla Rich, was motivated by envy. After a less memorable version named Deborah Domaine, came Barbara-Ann Minerva, a ruthless and unethical archaeologist. While she initially seemed to dislike Wonder Woman for simple reasons, the story was revamped by Greg Rucka. This new version revealed Barbara-Ann was actually a friend of Diana’s who felt abandoned during an expedition, which ultimately led to her transformation into Cheetah.

The current version of Cheetah isn’t poorly written, but she feels less threatening than villains like Silver Swan or even characters like Two-Face. The fact that she’s portrayed as someone who could be redeemed weakens her as an archenemy. Unlike truly evil villains like Lex Luthor or the Joker – whose rare human moments only highlight their wickedness – Cheetah comes across as someone who needs saving, which ultimately diminishes her impact.

Circe Stands Alone As Wonder Woman’s Nemesis

If Ares embodies the core purpose of Wonder Woman’s work, and Cheetah highlights the difficulty of helping someone who rejects rescue, then Circe represents the tempting power of wrongdoing – the appeal of evil, conflict, and any harmful act a person might consider.

Circe seems to particularly resent Wonder Woman’s kindness – it’s almost like a classic villain versus hero dynamic. This makes sense when you consider Circe’s motivations: she’s always either trying to gain more power, being intentionally cruel, or deliberately provoking Wonder Woman into doing something she’d normally avoid. She even attempted to goad Wonder Woman into killing her when Wonder Woman was already deeply vulnerable after her mother, Hippolyta, died.

Given the strong connection between Circe and Diana, it feels natural to see them as fated rivals, both inheriting power from moon goddesses. This connection is even stronger when you consider Circe’s deep involvement with the history of the Amazons. Therefore, Circe makes a compelling ultimate enemy for Wonder Woman, particularly because she often fuels conflict between men and women. Circe isn’t simply evil, though—she has a degree of humanity, largely stemming from her relationship with her daughter, Lyta.

It’s striking to see such motherly love within someone as cruel as Circe, especially when you consider Wonder Woman’s beginnings – created from clay by a loving mother. This makes Circe a far more compelling villain for Wonder Woman, and a character who deserves greater focus.

Given her importance and the possibility of her returning in future DC Universe projects after *Creature Commandos*, it looks like the villain is being re-evaluated, and hopefully, we’ll see more development that solidifies her as a major antagonist.

Read More

2025-10-12 06:49