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- "I pray a day will never come when she has to fight. But you know, a scorpion must sting, a wolf must hunt..."
- ―Antiope to Hippolyta[src]
Antiope was the general of the Amazons, the sister of Hippolyta and the aunt of Diana. She was extolled by Hippolyta as the greatest warrior in the history of the Amazons. Antiope personally mentored her beloved niece, Diana in combat training for centuries leading up her death. She perished during the German invasion of Themyscira, sacrificing herself to save Diana's life during the attack.
Biography[]
Creation[]
Shortly after Zeus presumably created humanity, his malevolent son, Ares, attempted to corrupt them, fueling humanity with rage, hate, and bloodlust. As a result, Zeus created the Amazons as a way to help guide humanity and spread love.[1]
First invasion of Earth[]
- "We should have died, but we formed our own unity: Amazons, Atlanteans, all the tribes of Men fought side by side."
- ―Diana Prince to Bruce Wayne[src]
Millennia ago, Antiope and her fellow Amazons allied themselves with the Old Gods, Mankind, the Atlanteans and the Green Lantern Corps to fight Darkseid who had come to conquer and remake the Earth into a planet similar to Apokolips. The war was eventually won by the alliance and Darkseid's army retreated, leaving the three Mother Boxes behind. The boxes were left under the control of Mankind, the Amazons and the Atlanteans.[2]
Escaping slavery and moving to Themyscira[]
After the attempted invasion, Ares induced war among humanity again, which lead to them warring with and enslaving the Amazons, unbeknownst to the other Old Gods. Antiope and her sister Hippolyta, however, fought back against their captor(s) and succeeded in freeing their people. Ares would soon turn on the other Gods themselves for aiding the Amazons.
Ares thus rebelled against his father as well as the other Old Gods for not sharing his bloodlust and anti-human sentiment, starting the devastating War of the Gods against all of them. Ares killed his divine family off one by one until only Zeus himself remained. Zeus then went on to face Ares in combat and was able to defeat and banish Ares from Olympus. In order to account for the possibility of losing his life in the war, Zeus conceived a demigod child with Antiope's sister, a child capable of one day defeating and killing Ares (therefore known as the "Godkiller"), a daughter named Diana.
Zeus, weakened, used the last of his divine powers to create the paradise island of Themyscira as a haven for the newly freed Amazons, using divine magic to conceal it from the rest of the world to ensure that the Godkiller Diana would grow up safely from Ares' reach.[1]
Training Diana[]
Millennia after the War of the Gods, Antiope served under Queen Hippolyta and oversaw the military force of the Amazons as their General, alongside Lieutenant Menalippe in preparation for the eventual return of Ares. She urged Hippolyta to let Diana train her as an Amazon warrior and discover her true power. Despite her sister's disapproval, she trained Diana in secret from girlhood to her youth and constantly urged her to stop holding back. Eventually, Hippolyta discovered their training and expressed her worries about Diana's fate. Despite her frustration, Hippolyta told Antiope to train Diana harder than any Amazon before her.[1] Antiope was present for an athletic competition which she watched alongside Hippolyta. In the aftermath, she told Diana, who had competed, that there was no shame in losing to vastly superior opponents and that her chance would come someday, and discouraged the cheating that got her disqualified, wisely explaining that heroism never comes out of deceit.[3]
Antiope continued to train Diana into her adulthood, mastering her warrior skills. Despite her proficiency, Antiope still managed to overpower her during a duel and chastised Diana for letting her guard down. As Antiope fought her vigorously, Diana clashed her Bracelets of Submission and created a massive shockwave, knocking Antiope back.[1]
Death[]
Later, as German forces invaded Themyscira in pursuit of the American spy, Steve Trevor, Antiope led the Amazons on horseback against the German attackers. After a strong start, she was disarmed of her sword and shield when a bomb threw her from her horse, but managed to annihilate many Germans on foot with arrows and assistance from Menalippe. However, during the end of the fight, Antiope saw a German soldier firing at Diana and jumped in front of the bullet to protect her. Antiope's killer would promptly be shot down by Steve. Lying on the beach, Antiope urged Diana to leave the island and defeat Ares, before passing away.[1]
Personality[]
Antiope was an extremely capable and skilled leader, as well as an equally courageous warrior, evident in how she saved her fellow Amazons from human slavery as the War of the Gods broke out, in how she fought alongside with her Amazons sisters during the invasion of Themyscira, and in how she sacrificed her life to save Diana. She was very wise, believing there is no shame in being humiliated for biting off more than one can chew. Antiope was also quite a bit more reasonable than her sister Hippolyta, since she fully supported her niece Diana's ambition to become a great warrior, training her more intensely than any of her other protegees. Antiope also believed that deceit never begets heroism and as such seemed displeased with Hippolyta deceiving Diana about the latter's demigod heritage and "Godkiller" destiny, since as she lay dying, Antiope unsuccessfully attempted to tell Diana the truth. Also, Antiope bore no grudge against her beloved niece for accidentally injuring her with the Bracelets of Submission shock-wave, as she didn't hesitate to jump in front of a bullet shot at Diana, saving her niece's life. Antiope did not die in vain, however, as her sacrifice inspired Diana to finally leave the island and save "Man's World" from Ares.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Amazonian physiology: By design from the Old Gods, Antiope is an evolved like-human possessing strength, stamina, agility, and other capabilities superior to a human being. However, as the greatest Amazon warrior, her physical prowess surpasses all others to the point of being a match even for a non-awakened demigoddess.
- Superhuman strength: Antiope is superhumanly strong, allowing her to swiftly and easily defeat many invading German soldiers and kill many Parademons during Steppenwolf's invasion. While she cannot rival a full-power Wonder Woman, Antiope is still strong enough to pressure her in battle when she had not unlocked her full potential, as shown in their duel, where Antiope can force her to exert much more effort in blocking her attacks than she did with the other elite Amazons and deliver blows powerful enough to stagger and disorient the demigoddess, even knocking her away with a kick.
- Superhuman durability: Antiope's body is much more resistant to physical damage than the body of a human being, suffering little harm when Diana first clash her bracelets creating a shock-wave that could incapacitate most and survive high falls.
- Superhuman agility: Antiope naturally has greater agility, dexterity, balance and body coordination than a normal human being. She jumps off horseback at the moment notice to use her bow and arrows against the Germans, as well as dodge and weave around their attacks, and was even able to match and even outmaneuver Diana when she had not unlocked her full powers with agile combat moves.
- Superhuman stamina: Like all Amazons, Antiope's musculature produces considerably fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of humans. With this, she does not need to slow down or catch her breath during the battle against the invading Germans during the First World War.
- Longevity: Antiope, due to being an Amazon, blessed by the gods, had lived for millennia without visibly aging (with her predating the War of the Gods and the creation of Themyscira by Zeus), which makes Antiope an ageless immortal.
Abilities[]
- "Isn't that why I have the greatest warrior in our history leading an entire army."
- ―Hippolyta to Antiope[src]
- Master combatant: Antiope was extremely skilled, fierce, and formidable in both armed and hand-to-hand combat, a master of a vast array of uniquely Amazon martial arts, with centuries of combat experience (as she predates Themyscira's creation), with her having fought to free her Amazon sisters from human slavery, and even surpassing her sister Hippolyta in combat skill. Indeed, before Wonder Woman reaching her full potential, Antiope was the greatest warrior of Themyscira, with Antiope wearing an Elite Amazon tiara to signify this. Indeed, even despite having fiercely trained Diana for many years to the point where almost all Amazons were no match for her in a spar, Antiope was still superior to her in skill, having bested her in their practice and only losing when she tapped into her divine powers. Antiope was also an excellent teacher, as under her tutelage, many Amazons, including Wonder Woman herself, became great warriors. Hence, she made short work of many German soldiers during the invasion of Themyscira. She was also able to kill many Parademons during Steppenwolf's invasion.
- Sword mastery: Antiope was incredibly skilled with swords, capable of easily defeating many Parademons during the First Invasion of Earth. During her training of Diana, Antiope had the upper hand in the majority of their duel and despite Diana briefly disarming her, upon reclaiming her sword, she swiftly pressured the now disarmed Diana and would have dealt a lethal blow had she not accidentally unleashed her divine powers.
- Master archer: Antiope was extremely skillful with bows, swiftly defeating enemies simultaneously with it.
- Master teacher: Antiope is an exceptional teacher in the combat arts of the Amazons, with her thus molding many Amazonian warriors into becoming highly skilled fighters. Under her tutelage, Diana eventually grew to be second only to her until she eventually surpassed her after gaining more experience and awaking her true powers.
- Expert leader: Antiope is a natural leader, regarded with great respect. Her leadership skills allowed her to co-lead the Amazons alongside Hippolyta during their rebellion against humanity, successfully freeing them from slavery. She later became the General of the Amazons and inspired absolute loyalty inside her subordinates, causing them to follow her orders unquestionably.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
- Antiope's bow, arrows and daggers: Amazonian forged weaponry that Antiope wields in battle, and in training Diana over the years.
- Short sword: Antiope used a sword in combat.
Other Equipment[]
- Amazonian battle armor: Antiope wears a dark brown armor on her upper body. Unlike her sister, she doesn't wear a skirt - instead, she wears a short loincloth on her front with split pads on her sides and the back, knee-high dark brown armored combat boots with stockings covering most of her thighs. Antiope wears a strap across her chest to carry her bows and a shoulder pad on her right shoulder. Antiope also wears her brown bracelets.
- Elite Amazon tiara: Amazon warrior of them all. Following Antiope's death in battle, the Tiara would be given to her niece Diana.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[]
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Behind the Scenes[]
- The tie-in novelization Wonder Woman: The Junior Novel does not depict Antiope as being hit by the bullet during the arrival of the Germans on the Themysciran beachhead. She is thus further depicted as present in the events afterward, with her holding the Lasso of Hestia when interrogating Steve Trevor.
- On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Robin Wright would play Antiope in Wonder Woman.
- Mickey Facchinello and Joanna Bennett were stunt doubles for Robin Wright in the role of Antiope.
References[]
External Links[]
- Antiope on DC Database
- Antiope on Wikipedia