Amazons and Atlanteans

For the Supporting Cast of Wonder Woman and Aquaman our examination will move heavily towards those outward forces that have influenced our heroes.

Wonder Woman is first and foremost a product of her character’s origins.

After all, it is the Greek Goddesses who create the Amazons, a race of women warriors so brutalized by men that they seek to live alone in peace and harmony away from the warring men.

The basic Greek pantheon includes the following Gods and Goddesses who show up from time to time to help and/or hinder Diana:

• Zeus – Father of the Gods, the Sky, and the Ruler of Olympus, Husband of Hera and the sire of many lesser Gods and heroes. His Symbols include the lightning bolt and the eagle.
• Hera – Mother of the Gods, Marriage, and Jealousy. Hera is constantly on guard for her husband’s dalliances and acts upon them with great vengeance. Her symbol is the peacock.
• Poseidon – The God of the Oceans. Poseidon rules over the seas, the creatures of the seas and earthquakes. He is also the patron god of sailors and those who travel by ocean. His symbol is the trident.
• Demeter – The Goddess of the Harvest. Demeter is the ruler over agriculture and teaches mankind how to grow crops and tend fields. Her symbol is a bundle of hay.
• Hades – The God of the Dead. Hades is the lord of the Underworld and sees over Tartarus and the realms that beacon the dead to come to it. He is also the ruler of all that grows within the Earth, like wealth in the form of gems and ore. His symbol is the skull.
• Hestia – The Goddess of the Hearth and Home. Hestia is the most humble of the Goddesses, however she is the most worshipped as in Ancient Greece, there is always an altar to Hestia present. Her symbol is a simple fire burning.
• Ares – The God of War. Ares is the most obvious opponent to Diana’s mission of peace and is fond of stoking the fires of war. His symbol is a burning sword.
• Hephaestus – The God of the Forge. Misshapen, the forge god, is charged with making the weapons and armor of the Gods. His symbol is a hammer and an anvil.
• Aphrodite – The Goddess of Love. Aphrodite makes others fall in love and love is a powerful weapon indeed. Her symbol is the heart, the seashell and the swan.
• Athena – The Goddess of Wisdom, the Arts, Knowledge, and Defensive Warfare. Athena is one of the strongest advocates of the Amazons. Her symbol is the owl.
• Apollo – The God of the Sun, Light, Music, and Prophecy. Apollo is one of a pair of twin Gods, both excel at archery. Apollo’s symbol is the musical instrument, the Lyre.
• Artemis – The Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt, and Animals. Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, her symbol is a bow and arrow offset by a moon.
• Hermes – The God of Travelers, Trickery, and the Messengers. Hermes is perhaps the swiftest of the Gods, often asked to deliver messages to others around the world, he is also the God charges with escorting dead souls to Hades. His symbol is the Caduceus.
• Dionysus – The God of Wine, Sexual Abandon, and Resurrection. Dionysus is a God who rules those who party and the eventual after party pain that comes from over indulging.

Diana was the first baby born to the Amazon race and born to her mother Hippolyta in an act of love and divine intervention. Hippolyta being the Queen of the Amazons also instills another aspect to Diana’s upbringing. Diana is daughter and princess which is why Hippolyta forbids her daughter from participating in the contest to enter Man’s World as their emissary of peace.

In Diana’s world, there are many other Amazons that play a part in her story, here is a short list of the ones that tend to appear repeatedly:

• Antiope – Hippolyta’s deceased sister.
• Philippus – Hippolyta’s Captain of the Guard/Amazonian Army
• Nu’Bia – A practical clone of Diana, however with African skin tone.
• Mala – A red headed warrior amazon.

The contest is brought on by the crash landing of Colonel Steve Trevor, who first sees Diana when he is partially conscious and calls her “An Angel” and that becomes his word for her for the duration as the two enter into an extended courtship.

Diana is able to keep her Secret Identity by trading on two standards from both Superman and Batman. The first trick, glasses to feign bad eyesight and to disguise her natural beauty, that trick is straight from the Clark Kent playbook. Batman’s trick is a little more intensive, but no less important, create a plausible diversion. In this case the outgoing, beautiful Wonder Woman is disguised in a more dowdy military uniform that while serves its purpose, it also removes most of the obvious feminine curves from Diana, leaving only half her calves exposed, and thus her alter ego, Diana Prince becomes another member of the Supporting Cast, if you will.

Diana’s best friend on land would have to be Etta Candy, fellow military personnel and her confidante in how to handle men. Etta is mostly comic relief for the vast part of her character history, often appearing as a shorter, chubbier woman who is keen on whopping “Woo Woo!” when she gets excited.

Of course, we have already discussed Donna Troy, Wonder Girl in detail with her exploits in the Teen Titans which is the perfect segue off to Atlantis to discuss Aquaman’s supporting cast.

Again the Titans come up in the form of Aqualad and Aquagirl who serve as Aquaman’s sidekicks.
Mera, Aquaman’s wife also plays an important role in the Sea King’s world, and the death of their son, Arthur, Jr. rocked the couple for years of stories, so I will add Arthur, Jr. to Aquaman’s supporting cast.

Aquaman is the son of lighthouse keeper Thomas (Tom) Curry and a mermaid of some sort, who happened to be in the royal blood of Atlantis.

When Aquaman finally regains the throne, he is advised by Vulko, one of the wisest and most patriotic Atlanteans, who had previously acted as King, so despite their friendship there always seems to be a little tension between the two of them.

Additionally, Aquaman gains an enemy in his half-brother Orm, the Ocean Master.

Next Up: Hero Support! More Supporting Cast from the Justice League of America!