As the secret daughter of Zeus, Wonder Woman had to fight first to discover her true origin, and then to escape the legacy of her wrathful father. But through the of the Wonder Family, she was able to face her fears and grow, leaving the island of Themyscira and forging her own legend. While she has since become a hero, a god and the direct opposite of her father, her rebellious journey has spawned a personal nightmare that took physical form as the daughter she never knew.
While Diana has no kids of her own in DC's main continuity, she has encountered several of her offspring from potential futures or alternate dimensions. Her son, Hunter Prince, traveled back through time to save Earth by attacking his mother in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Meanwhile, in the Dark Multiverse, the evil Amazon Kull was created, springing from the fears of her supposed 'parents,' Batman and Wonder Woman.
The Justice League faced down another crisis in Dark Nights: Death Metal Trinity Crisis #1 by Scott Snyder, Francis Manapul, Ian Herring, and Tom Napolitano. This time, though, they face three Crises and are forced to face down the Batman Who Laughs, who has a plan for every Justice Leaguer to face their fears made flesh. Every hero faces a Dark Multiverse nightmare - Batman faces his mother, Harley Quinn faces the embodiment of Arkham Asylum, and Wonder Woman faces her own daughter, Kull. The Dark Multiverse was created from the heroes' fears, suggesting that Wonder Woman's greatest fear is her own daughter refusing her legacy and turning to a path of darkness - a terrifying reversal of how Diana overcame her connection to Zeus.
Kull Is the Ultimate Challenge to Wonder Woman's Legacy
Even though Wonder Woman's origin has changed many times over, her modern mythos states she was born to the thunder God Zeus and Queen Hippolyta, who lied and told the Amazons that Diana had been shaped out of clay and brought to life. When Diana found out the truth, she rebelled against Zeus' tyranny, eventually rising to godhood without abandoning her mortal morality. Diana has struggled with her parentage and Dark Knight: Death Metal Trinity Crisis offered an interesting take on her fears. By giving her an evil daughter, the Dark Multiverse brought to light the fear that Wonder Woman's own child may rebel in the same way she rebelled against Zeus. But instead of becoming a hero, her daughter becomes a villain - one whose parentage makes her the ultimate warrior, marrying Batman's ultra-focused training style with Amazon martial discipline.
Kull Needs to Return as a Wonder Woman Nemesis
By fighting Kull, Diana is forced to confront that fear directly, and perhaps she didn't even know it was a fear until she saw it come to life. Zeus was both neglectful and controlling, and these themes reoccur whenever Wonder Woman encounters one of her potential children. It seems that as one of the world's greatest heroes and a sometime-goddess, Diana is well aware that her child could be one of the planet's greatest warriors, but also someone who may embrace darkness in the name of finding their own path. It's telling that Kull claims both Batman and Wonder Woman as parents - while the Batman Who Laughs was obviously working to a theme by presenting the League with evil 'Batmen,' Bruce is already living Diana's nightmare with his assassin son Damian.
Being a parent is a tough job that requires dedication, understanding, and immense amounts of love. There's no doubt that Wonder Woman would love her child, but her own experiences with her father have seemingly implanted a deep fear of who her daughter could become. Kull is Wonder Woman's worst fear of failing as a parent just like Zeus did, and a fascinating figure who deserves to return to the DC Universe.
