Warning: spoilers for Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #2 ahead!Wonder Woman has long struggled with her legacy and the callousness of the gods she descends from, but – trapped within the Nightmare Realm by the godlike Insomnia – she has reached a new form of acceptance, manifesting in an awesome new power for her iconic Lasso.
Josie Campbell and Juan Ferreyra’s Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #2 sees Diana struggling with a twisted, Gorgon-like version of herself. As the two fight, the nightmare taunts Diana with more monstrous aspects of her: her love of battle, her divine heritage, and the fact that she will always outlive the mortals who fight and die by her side. Once Diana accepts the reality of her fears, however, her Lasso of Truth sprouts barbs that can be used to bind and conquer Insomnia’s nightmares – an ability she puts to good use both in putting down her mirror image and shackling the fears menacing her teammates. She attributes this ability to acknowledging the truth about her nightmares: that “what [I] fear is real,” but that said fears need not control her.
Wonder Woman Conquers Fear (Literally)
The Lasso of Truth is one of the oldest and most formidable tools in Wonder Woman’s arsenal. While its origins have varied, its powers have remained largely unchanged: in addition to being unbreakable and mutable in length, the Lasso compels complete truth from those bound by it. Magic, illusion, and mind control are not immune to this effect, making the Lasso a powerful tool for dispelling both mundane and mystical falsehoods. While Wonder Woman has been able to express empathic bonds through the Lasso, it is rare to see the Lasso actually gain new abilities, let alone change shape.
Wonder Woman’s Barbed Lasso Is a Major (& Rare) Upgrade
The barbs that sprout along the Lasso of Truth throughout this issue appear to be a metaphor for Diana’s fears, first binding her as she seems about to fall to her nightmare self. By accepting them as a legitimate part of her, these fears appear to have become part of the truth that the Lasso can compel, and so it is able to subdue the nightmares in her dreams. By accepting this truth, Diana seems to have permanently imbued the Lasso with this new power: even when awake, the Lasso now sprouts barbs at her command to subdue the nightmares rampaging through the waking world.
Batman and Superman often find themselves with new gear or powers; by contrast, it’s surprisingly rare for Diana to get an upgrade to her kit, especially for such a venerable weapon as the Lasso of Truth. This power to help others accept the truth about their fears comes at the perfect time, however, giving Wonder Woman the weapon she needs to bring the fight to Insomnia.
Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #2 is now available from DC Comics.
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