Is Wonder Woman Bulletproof? A History of the Superhero's Powers Ahead of 'Wonder Woman 1984'

If you haven't seen the trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984, we must first ask, what in the world are you thinking and then request that you go watch it immediately. But if you've already seen it, you're likely just as excited as we are about our favorite demigod leaping back into action. 

But you might also be wondering the same thing we are: if Diana was revealed to be a demigod, why the bracelets anyways? She fought Ares and her body withstood insane amounts of power. Why the need to deflect bullets? Surely, a human weapon couldn't hurt her. So is Wonder Woman really bulletproof? Let's take a look at the complicated history of the question and her real weaknesses. 

Wonder Woman made her debut in 1941. Like many DC and Marvel superheroes, she's existed in many different forms and one storyline's canon doesn't necessarily exist in another comic book line. Historically, when Wonder Woman was created, she was considered by her creator William Moulton Marston to be stronger than Superman. But the difference was that she stood for something he didn't: peace. 

Whereas we consider Superman to be a symbol of protection of a world that isn't his own, Wonder Woman was a symbol of peace. She and her sisters were symbols of a movement against the "masculine" concept of aggression being the only way to solve world conflicts. That being said she was powerful, but she was powerful enough to not use her powers. 

In the early years, there isn't a clear answer if she's bulletproof or not, but it's assumed to be a fact that she is. However, in Justice League #42, we got a very different answer. As Superman and Wonder Woman are pelted with bullets, one ricochets off of the Man of Steel and hits her in the throat. At the very least, this version of the hero is very much not bulletproof.  

The answer appears to be most likely no. During the battle scene in Themyscira early on in Wonder Woman, Antiope protects Diana and sacrifices herself. But would Diana have been killed if the bullet did hit her?

Actually, it did at least graze her after all. The bullet slices her skin and leaves a trail of blood. Later on, she finds that her skin has healed, which is because Wonder Woman has enhanced healing powers. But, if she was bulletproof, her skin would have never been sliced in the first place. 

Believe it or not, Diana's bracelets are both one of her biggest strengths and one of her greatest weaknesses. Since she's not bulletproof, those bracelets are crucial for her survival and why we see her deflecting bullets with them. But that's not actually what the bracelets have been for throughout the hero's comic book history.

Early in her history, Wonder Woman is taken hostage and her bracelets, which are required by Aphrodite to be worn by all Amazons, are welded together, she feels her power drain. She finds that it's "Aphrodite's law" that "when an Amazon girl permits a man to chain her bracelets of submission together she becomes weak as other women in a man-ruled world". The welding of the bracelets is only a way for men to capture her. If it's a woman that binds her, she remains all powerful. 

Wonder Woman's bracelets have remained a powerful tool for the non-bulletproof hero in the 2017 Wonder Woman, but we will have to wait until Wonder Woman 1984 is released on June 5, 2020 to see if the dark side of the bracelets is explored.