Wonder Woman: Black and Gold just introduced a new Amazon with a centuries-long grudge, and she may be Diana’s toughest fight yet.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “The Prophet” from Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #6, on sale now from DC Comics.
Wonder Woman has gone up against many formidable foes from across all of reality; from the Godsphere more recently, to the multiverse, and even the ends of reality itself in the pages of Dark Nights: Death Metal. In the end, she always comes out triumphant. However, Diana’s newest opponent looks to be her toughest one yet. Not only does she have the strength to rival the Princess of the Amazons, she is an Amazon herself, and has one serious grudge against the iconic DC hero.
“The Prophet,” by Liam Sharp and Wes Abbott from Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #6, introduces the wild Amazon Berchta. In this new tale, which seems to have been inspired by a dream Sharp had, an artist, who also resembles Sharp, introduces readers to the wildest of the Amazons and her tragic backstory.
While everyone else believes him to be going mad, the artist explains how his dreams have shown him the history of Berchta on Paradise Island. She committed one of the worst crimes imaginable for an Amazon: killing one of her Amazonian sisters in anger. The woman she killed had hunted and killed a creature in the mountains where Berchta lived. Though this may seem an odd thing for an Amazon to kill another over, considering their reputation as fearsome hunters and warriors, the wildest Amazon had spent her whole life in the mountains. To her, the creatures of the forest were her family and the animal killed in this instance was one she had raised herself when its mother was also hunted down and killed. Though her actions were wrong, they’re justified in her eyes, heroic even.
Understanding this makes Berchta a somewhat sympathetic character. Nevertheless, she is banished from Themyscira. After this, she channels her anger into even more deadly and destructive acts, all in an attempt to return to her former island home. Her hatred becomes focused on Wonder Woman in particular. Berchta’s own mother led an opposing tribe of Amazons who were defeated by Hippolyta centuries ago. Therefore, she sees Diana as having stolen her rightful place as princess of the Amazons.
Considering Hippolyta is in Man’s World at the moment and Nubia is the current queen, the wildest Amazon could see this moment as a perfect opportunity to make her claim for the throne. She could even get revenge on Hippolyta without having to find her way back to Themyscira. However, it seems Berchta’s ambitions are greater than that.
The artist details how this new foe is crossing different realities and building an army of her own. It looks like her next target is the universe of this tale’s narrator, where heroes like Wonder Woman don’t exist in real life. Conventional weapons can’t stop Berchta either, it seems, which makes her much tougher than most Amazons.
The artist’s prayers are answered when Wonder Woman appears to him as the savior of the all-but-doomed world. Though the story ends here, she pledges to protect this reality, which would put her on a collision course with the one person that hates her most.
Many of Diana’s foes hold personal grudges against her but Berchta is different. It’s been brewing for centuries, and before she even became Wonder Woman. Having each grown up on Themyscira, they both have the same training. This gives her an advantage that villains like Cheetah don’t, as she can predict many of Diana’s moves. Not only that but she has an army strong enough to lay siege to entire worlds. Berchta could end up as a threat all the Amazons must face, not just Diana. However, it seems inevitable that the two will face each other head-on and resolve their differences in what may turn out to be one of Wonder Woman’s toughest fights.
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