Superman Wonder Woman Futures End – 1

Synopsis

Wonder Woman believes that Superman has fallen victim to Nemesis’ manipulations, but he insists that he is still himself. In fact, he explains that it was she who fell to the fear of otherness. With the Lasso of Truth around his neck, she knows he must speak true, and realises suddenly that she is not in the Fields of Korondor, but in Tartarus. Regretfully, Clark explains that nothing Diana had experienced recently was real. Nemesis infected Diana somehow, creating the illusion that she was fighting her enemies when in fact she was just fighting demons.

Fortunately, Nemesis has not yet Wonder Woman’s absence to her advantage – not enough to win anyway. Despite all that happened between them, Clark came to Tartarus just for her, knowing that if he failed to rouse her he would not be able to leave. She realises that he made that sacrifice gladly both because she is needed to defeat Nemesis. With his help, Diana shuffles to Doom’s Door, the exit from Tartarus. Before leaving, though, she demands to know who he really is. He may fight like Clark, but he doesn’t act like Clark. He would take no risks on her account, these days.

He explains that while he is Clark Kent, he is not the Superman of her era. He was pulled forward in time from four years ago by Diana’s generals. Worriedly, Diana realises that it must have got pretty bad out there if they had to go to such great lengths for her sake. As they step through the door, Superman warns that she should prepare herself for the shock of seeing what Nemesis has done.

Laying her eyes on Themyscira, she sees Nemesis’ vast army approaching. She learns from a small contingent of Amazons that The city is in fact the last bastion. Nemesis has taken everything – including the League.

Diana considers what has gone on and decides that Nemesis should never have been able to take her so easily. This fact informs her next moves. She orders the Amazons to hold the city for as long as they can. She and Clark then travel to Mount Olympus where they beg Apollo the favour of using the scrying pool. Through it, they see that the Amazons are failing. Diana insists that they remain where they are, to complete her plan – it would be impossible without Clark’s help.

She takes him aside and asks him how Nemesis could have taken the God of War. She should be invincible – and Nemesis herself is an aspect of war; the personification of enemies. She had thought she could change war from within, but the sounds of people praying for the strength to kill their enemies have haunted her for years. She granted the requests she thought were righteous, but nothing changed in war, what changed was her relationship with Clark. The first thing Nemesis did when she started the war was to kill the Goddess of Peace. This was a strike against Diana, not merely a symbolic move. If Peace was dead, there could only be war. It would naturally be easy to turn Diana for Nemesis.

Offering Clark a kiss, she asks him to hold Nemesis off while she enters the tomb of the Goddess of Peace. He will buy her the time she needs to convince her spirit that she never should have been the goddess of war. Wonder Woman was always meant to be the Goddess of Peace.