WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for Wonder Woman #20 (2025)!For those who haven’t been following Tom King’sWonder Womanseries, you may want to consider catching up before continuing, as this article contains spoilers for previous issues. However, if you’re already aware of Diana’s death in mainstream continuity and the weapon that delivered the fatal blow, then this article will finally address some of the pressing questions fans have had since last month’s issue.
…this dagger has claimed the lives of bothWonder Womanand Ares…
As a recap, Tom King and Daniel Sampere’sWonder Woman#19 shocked fans withthe death of Diana Prince in mainstream continuity. While this death occurs approximately 18 years in the future, based on Lizzie’s (Wonder Woman’s daughter) age in the narrative, it’s still an unprecedented move in modern comics.
The story confirmed that Diana, along with the rest of the Amazons (with the exception of Lizzie), perished in the ominous“Wonder War.”However, many questions surrounding her death remained unanswered, chief among them being the origin of the dagger that killed Wonder Woman. Thankfully,Wonder Woman#20 finally begins to provide some long-awaited answers.
DC Finally Reveals the Origin of the Mysterious Dagger That Kills Wonder Woman
Comic Page Comes From Tom King’sWonder Woman#19 (2025) - Art by Daniel Sampere
Wonder Woman#19 revealed Diana will die, giving her a full-page panel thatdepicted her on the bloody shores of Themyscira with a dagger protruding from her chest.To make matters even more complicated, this same dagger also appeared in the present-day portion of the narrative. It was used by Wonder Woman to force the Sovereign to carve the word“Liar”into his chest, as retribution for Steve Trevor, his persecution of the Amazons, and the other chaos he had sown. During her confrontation with the Sovereign,Wonder Woman referred to the daggeras her“Fury.”However, the origins and significance of this weapon remained unknown until the preview forWonder Woman#20.
Although the dagger Wonder Woman uses against the Sovereign and the one found in her chest have different handles, Screen Rant believes they are the same weapon, just altered or modified over time.
Wonder Woman#20 seemingly takes place several years before present time, given that Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, is alive. In the opening pages, Hippolyta contacts her daughter by speaking through a goat and explains that she had been partaking in celebrations the night before, which left her with gaps in her memory. Upon waking the next morning, she discovered the god Ares in her bed. While this may initially sound like some scandalous fun,Hippolyta then reveals that Ares was dead, with her dagger in his back.She now asks for Diana’s help in solving his murder, as she truly does not believe she was the one who killed him, even if all evidence points to her.
The Dagger That Kills Wonder Woman Has a Connection to Her Childhood
Cover B David Nakayama Variant forWonder Woman#20 (2025)
The connection between the flashback and the present-day story becomes clear when the dagger in Ares’ back is revealed to be the same one Diana used against The Sovereign and the one that was protruding from her chest when her death was revealed. The dagger’s significance grows when Hippolyta reveals it was once kept in her dresser drawer, something Diana would play with as a child. It will be intriguing to see how the past, present, and future of this dagger come together, especially since it has changed hands multiple times over the years. One thing is certain: this dagger has claimed the lives of bothWonder Womanand Ares, adding to its growing list of significant kills.
