Wonder Woman has been going strong since writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere took over the book. The battle against new foe the Sovereign has been a rather gripping one, especially with the way it melded with Absolute Power over the summer, and the mystery of who Trinity’s father is kept fans guessing since the character’s first appearance. However, King and Sampere were just getting started, as they got ready to drop the biggest bombshell on the book yet, one that would also play into Trinity’s origin – the death of Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman #14.
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Wonder Woman #14 immediately became controversial largely because of that shocking death, but it also did an amazing job of truly selling the emotional weight of the loss Wonder Woman’s longtime paramour. Trevor’s relationship with Wonder Woman has been a key part of the book so far, and it often felt like King was building it into something akin to Superman and Lois or the relationship he tried to build between Batman and Catwoman. Then, November’s Wonder Woman #15‘s back-up “Elysium” showed Trevor not enjoying his afterlife because of his longing for Wonder Woman. This brings up an interesting idea for the future of Wonder Woman stories, one that also hearkens back to King’s Batman – DC should not only resurrect Steve Trevor but also pull the trigger on putting him and Wonder Woman together on a permanent basis.
Steve Trevor Is The Perfect Companion For Wonder Woman
One thing that King has been able to accomplish in this latest run is show how important Trevor can be to Wonder Woman’s mission. Diana is obviously the star – she’s the powerful one, the leader – but Trevor can do things she can’t do. Trevor’s place in the United States military gives him the ability to get information from sources that Wonder Woman can’t and gives her someone within a government that can be quite adversarial. Conversely, he can also get her help from that same government when things aren’t quite as bad as they are for her right now in Wonder Woman. Trevor is of the mortal world that Diana isn’t, and that gives him utility to her as a partner that she sometimes lacks. Plus, Diana was raised in a totally different culture from basically anyone outside of Themyscira. Trevor acts as her window to Man’s World and the mortal experience that she doesn’t otherwise have.
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Then, there’s the emotional aspect of their relationship. Diana and Steve haven’t had the same kind of relationship as Superman and Lois. Wome creators haven’t even utilized the relationship at all, especially since Crisis On Infinite Earths. The New 52 even tried to put Wonder Woman with Superman. However, beyond showing just how important Steve could be to Diana’s mission as Wonder Woman, King has also shown just how much the two love each other. Diana and Steve have a deep relationship, one that is very special for both of them. While Diana works very well on her own, there’s something about her and Steve together, and King and Sampere’s latest run shows that off very well.
King basically did the same thing in Batman by building up the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. Batman and Catwoman have always been flirtatious and had flings, but King showed just how well a permanent partnership would have worked between them. When their wedding was a bait and switch, fans were outraged and that outrage worked to cut King’s proposed hundred-issue run. DC didn’t want to pull the trigger on a marriage between Batman and Catwoman, and so that was the end of that. In hindsight, it’s pretty easy to see how much of a mistake that was and it’s one that shouldn’t be repeated on Wonder Woman by leaving Trevor dead.
Steve Trevor Can Be A Boon To The Future Of Wonder Woman
“Elysium” shows that there are definitely some kind of plans for Steve Trevor. Wonder Woman is exactly the kind of book where a story set in the afterlife makes perfect sense, thanks to Diana’s relationship with the gods. Wonder Woman #14 even teased this, showing Diana and Steve’s reunion on the River Styx. This story has to go on in some way. Sure, “Elysium” may end with Steve somehow coming to terms with existing in some fashion without Wonder Woman, but would that really be better for the future of both characters? The “Trinity” back-ups that were a part of Wonder Woman up until this point have done a great job of obfuscating the future on whether Steve comes back, so readers can’t be sure what will happen next.
DC made a very big mistake on King’s Batman run by getting cold feet over the marriage between Batman and Catwoman. It was so obviously the direction that book was supposed to go that when it didn’t, the ending felt hollow. Wonder Woman #14 was a very emotional comic and it did a great job of showing just what the relationship between Diana and Steve meant. It would make perfect sense for DC to not fall into the Batman trap and have Steve to come back from Elysium and finally marry Diana. It’s not even unprecedented in DC history – the two were married on Earth-Two before its end in Crisis On Infinite Earths. DC has proven again and again that marriage can work with superheroes – Superman and Wally West being the best examples. Bringing back Steve Trevor is simply the best thing DC can do because it would allow DC to right a grievous wrong – their cold feet over the Bat/Cat relationship – and present Wonder Woman in an entirely different light.
Wonder Woman #15 is available now.
