Wonder Woman Is Eyeing a New TV Series, And It Should Pull From These Underrated Comics

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In the long history of DC Comics, Wonder Woman is one of the world’s greatest champions. But when it comes to on-screen adaptations, the Amazing Amazon doesn’t have the same expansive catalogue of content as Batman or Superman.

Luckily, a new Wonder Woman project is on the way in the form of Paradise Lost, the upcoming saga of the Amazon set in the new DCU long before the birth of their beloved princess. And there are quite a few Wonder Woman stories that would be perfect inspirations both for the series and for Amazon culture on the big screen at large.

10

Demon Knights

By Paul Cornell, Rob Venditti, & Diogenes Neves

At first glance, a sword and sorcery saga set during the medieval era of the DC Comics universe may not seem like it has much to offer any potential adaptations of Wonder Woman’s heritage. But one of the most popular characters from Demon Knights – the rogue Amazon known as Exoristos – could be right at home in an on-screen adaptation of Themysciran history.

As one of the titular Knights, Exo is definitely a fan-favorite, and a rogue Amazon seeking redemption could be an interesting facet of the show set during an era of unrest in Amazonian society. A compelling and charismatic protagonist in her own right, Exoristos would be right at home in the series, and could be just who audiences need to find themselves emotionally attached to the denizens of Paradise Island.

9

Wonder Woman: The Circle

By Gail Simone, Ron Randall, & Terry Dodson

One of Wonder Woman’s most compelling arcs, “The Circle” introduces fans to a heretofore unknown plot by a contingent of rogue Amazons who, disgusted by the concept of mothering a child for fear of the weakness and destruction it could bring, attempt to kill Diana on the night she was born. Clearly, they didn’t exactly succeed, but that doesn’t mean that adapting elements of this arc for Paradise Lost would be anything less than successful.

It’s true that Paradise Lost is reportedly set prior to the birth of Wonder Woman herself, but that doesn’t mean that the very concept of an Amazonian child couldn’t be a source of major contention among the citizens of Themyscira. And the concept of rogue Amazonian schemes along with a dash of political intrigue would fit right at home alongside what fans already know about the series.

8

Absolute Wonder Woman

By Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire

While the actual Amazons of the Absolute Universe have yet to appear, there is still a wealth of aspects of the Absolute Wonder Woman ongoing from which the creators of Paradise Lost could draw inspiration. The overall witchy aesthetic with which this new Wonder Woman has been portrayed could undoubtedly be transposed onto her culture as a whole. After all, the Amazons of the DCEU had such a strong aesthetic and visual identity that any new live action adaptation must differentiate itself somehow.

Furthermore, the series’ so far brief exploration of the complex relationships between the Olympians and their worshippers – a dynamic previously highlighted in yet another entry on this list – as well as the strong, organically feminist portrayals of Diana, and by extension, Amazon culture as a whole, should generally be an inspiration for that entire corner of the DCU.

7

Trial of the Amazons

By Stephanie Williams, Vita Ayala, Joëlle Jones, & more

When Diana’s mother Hippolyta is murdered right before a contest amongst the different Amazon nations can take place, it’s up to Diana and her allies to find the real killer before an all-out war is ignited. Clearly, it’s incredibly unlikely that Paradise Lost has any intention of murdering Hippolyta years before Diana is even born, but the basic premise could be a wonderful inspiration for the creatives involved.

A murder mystery that pits the three tribes of the Amazons at each other’s throats is ripe for exploration for a show that will supposedly detail a Themysciran civil war. And the murder of a previous queen could give way to Hippolyta’s rise to power as the legendary Amazonian hero and queen that diehard fans of Wonder Woman and the DC Universe know and love.

6

Wonder Woman: The Challenge of Artemis

By William Messner-Loebs, Mike Deodato, Jr., & Patricia Mulvihill

The crux of the “Challenge of Artemis” arc in issues #94-100 of Wonder Woman may revolve around Artemis replacing Diana as Wonder Woman after the latter is stripped of her title, but the genuine influence that Paradise Lost should take from this arc, as well as the preceiding issues #90-93, is the history and tension between the Amazons of Themyscira and those of the Bana-Migdhall tribe.

Detailing the long rivalry between the two sects of Amazons, this story digs into the longstanding differences that separate these civilizations while also paving the way for what would be years of story potential – a pattern that could continue should the Amazon’s television adaptation use this arc as inspiration. Even without Diana’s involvement, it is the history presented that is the true treasure trove in this iconic Wonder Woman saga.

5

War of the Gods

By George Pérez, Russell Braun, Cynthia Martin, & more

Thanks to the malicious machinations of the immortal witch, Circe, the deities of the DC Universe find themselves embroiled in the story’s titular war with Wonder Woman and the Amazons right in the center. While this beloved crossover event should simply be adapted in its entirety as a DCU event film, Circe’s manipulations play a pivotal role throughout the entire series.

Seeing as how Diana’s archfoe already exists within the DCU thanks to Creature Commandos (2024), borrowing elements from this immortal conflict would definitely be a strong way to tie the sorceress into the Amazons’ overall cinematic history. Though she was seemingly dispatched by the titular Commandos, Circe is genuinely a major threat to the DC Universe and adapting at least some of her scheming talents displayed in War of the Gods would be an excellent way to highlight the danger she truly poses.

4

Wonder Woman #1 (1986)

By George Pérez, Greg Potter, & Bruce D. Patterson

Though this first issue of Diana’s self-titled series acts as her standing origin story for decades after Crisis on Infinite Earths, it’s just as much of an origin issue for the Amazons of this new continuity, and there are plenty of aspects worthy of adaptation by the creators behind Paradise Lost. The concept of the Cavern of Souls, referred to as the womb of Gaea from which the lost souls of women slain by men can be reborn into the Amazons, has become a staple of Wonder Woman lore on the page, but it’s yet to make its way to live action.

Further, the plots of Ares against his fellow Olympians that are introduced in this issue could serve as an inspiration for a running subplot for the upcoming series: one that could hopefully flesh out the hierarchy of the DCU’s Olympus in a way that fans didn’t get to see in the previous DCEU.

3

Wonder Woman #45 (1990)

By George Pérez, Mindy Newell, Jill Thompson, & more

One of the strongest issues in Pérez’s iconic run on the Wonder Woman title, this issue details not just the history between the Olympians and mankind by way of Prometheus and Pandora, but the birth and legacy of the Earth goddess, Gaea, the primary deity of worship in Amazonian culture. Aside from the brief bits that fans got of Ares, the very concept of the Olympians themselves was hardly explored in the DCEU.

Such a major aspect of the DC Universe, the Amazons, and even Wonder Woman herself definitely deserves more of the limelight, and framing the primary conflict of Paradise Lost around the whims of the Olympians – whims which, as seen in this issue, are incredibly fickle – would be yet another aspect that the Amazons of the DCU could finally nail on screen.

2

Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost

By Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, & Pamela Rambo

The storyline from which the upcoming series apparently takes its name, “Paradise Island Lost” follows the tensions between the Amazons of Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall, prominently highlighted in “The Challenge of Artemis,” to their natural conclusion: pure civil war. Manipulated by an ancient witch of myth, these two Amazon tribes engage in a bloody conflict, and based on what little fans know of the upcoming Paradise Lostseries, it would be shocking if it didn’t at least partially adapt elements of this similarly named story.

Not only is this one of the landmark events of Phil Jimenez’s beloved time on the Wonder Woman series, but it also had ramifications for Amazonian culture for years to come. The exploration of the very concepts of Amazonian royalty and inter-tribe tensions make this not only one of Diana’s strongest stories, but one of the greatest showings for the Amazons as a whole.

1

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons

By Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, & Nicola Scott

When it comes to adapting the Amazons properly for Paradise Lost, no single series should be more influential than the critically acclaimed fan favorite Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons. Detailing not just the birth of the Amazons but the rise of Hippolyta as one of their number as well, this series is one of DC Comics’ most beloved successes in recent memory and immediately joined the running for best Wonder Woman stories of all time – and Diana isn’t even in it.

Never before has Amazon history and culture been so lovingly crafted and portrayed, and the notion of any other text serving as the primary adaptation for an Amazon-centric live action series is utterly preposterous. From the intense exploration of femininity contrasted within a warrior culture to the dynamic portrayal of the Olympian Gods’ intense and complicated relationship to the Amazons, which has since been followed up in the pages of Absolute Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons absolutely needs to be on the reading list for anyone involved in Paradise Lost and any other potential adaptations of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman.

“}]] The history of the Amazons is worth adapting.  Read More