(Image Source: DC / Ariel Diaz)
The Absolute Universe to date has been defined by how it twists the classic origins of DC Comics‘ greatest heroes. A prime example of this is how the Wonder Woman of this world was raised by the sorceress Circe – traditionally one of her greatest enemies. This trend continues in Absolute Wonder Woman #3, with another classic villain revamped as a potential friend to Diana.

Written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman #3 continues detailing Diana’s first battle on Earth. Flashbacks in the earlier issues showed her childhood in the underworld. She was condemned to a life in Hell as the last daughter of the Amazons, for some unknown crime of her people.

(Image Source: DC / Hayden Sherman)

As Diana prepares to battle another demon, the news of her arrival gets the attention of one Dr. Barbara Minerva. Comic readers will recognize this as the secret identity of the Cheetah, who is another classic DC villain. At this time, however, Dr. Minerva is simply an archeologist, who dedicated her life to proving the Amazons existed. While the two do not have long to talk, Dr. Minerva does reveal one bit of Amazon lore of which Diana was ignorant. Namely, that the Amazon champion went by the title Wonder Woman.

How Absolute Wonder Woman flips the script on Cheetah

Originally, the Cheetah was simply a thief or terrorist with a cat-themed costume. This changed in 1987, when George Perez revamped Wonder Woman and her enemies. The new Cheetah, Barbara Ann Minerva, was a greedy archeologist whose quest for immortality and artifact hoarding saw her cursed to live as a blood-thirsty beast-woman. She came to fight Diana, hoping to steal the Golden Lasso of Hestia.

(Image Source: DC)

This origin was revamped once again in 2016 as part of the DC Rebirth initiative. This time, Barbara Minerva was a friend to Diana and an expert on the ancient Amazon culture. This time her quest for knowledge rather than her greed led to her transformation. This pushed Barbara to turn on Wonder Woman, whom she blamed for her condition.

The Barbara Minerva presented in Absolute Wonder Woman #3 is another inversion of the classic mythology. While she seeks the knowledge of the Amazons, she is far more knowledgeable of Diana’s people than the young hero. It remains to be seen if she will remain a friend to Diana, or if she is destined to become the Cheetah and an enemy in this world as well.

Absolute Wonder Woman #3 is now available at comic shops everywhere.