#which could be read as connecting this mythological distant past with the golden Age of Islam on Sicily WHICH plays further into the

[breitzbachbea]

"Aurea prima sata est aetas, quae vindice nullo, sponte sua, sine lege fidem rectumque colebat. Poena metusque aberant nec verba minantia fixo aere legebantur, nec supplex turba timebat iudicis ora sui, sed erant sine vindice tuti."

"First was the Golden Age. Then rectitude spontaneous in the heart prevailed, and faith. Avengers were not seen, for laws unframed were all unknown and needless. Punishment and fear of penalties existed not." - Ovid, Metamorphoses, trans. Arthur Golding.

"Allora, però, il colle era selvaggio e tutt'attorno si stendevano boschi, e dentro i boschi, insiemi ai cinghiali, alle lepri, alle ghiandaie, vivevano creature speciali. Alcune erano fanciulle, divinità minoriti protettrici della natura e delle fonti. Attorno a loro giravano tipi poco rassicuranti: umani dalla vita in su, dalla vita in giù caprini, i Fauni. Qualcuno anzi ha detto che erano loro, metà esseri umani metà bestie, gli autentici abitanti dell'inizio. Se si pensa alle origini, spesso viene in mente che eravamo così, un po' umani e un po' no, né carne né pesce. Dicono che la vita laggiù dentro i querceti fosse una corsa, i Fauni rumorosi inseguivano sbavando le fanciulle, che a volte ridevano, a volte proprio non ne volevano sapere, a volte si lascivano acchiappare. Se si lasciavano acchiappare, di lì a poco vagiva una creatura. A questo stile di vita, Giano guardava sorridendo."

"Back then, however, the hill was wild, and all around the forests stretched and within the forests, together with the wild boars, the bunnies, the jays, lived special creatures. Some of them were Nymphs, minor deities that protected nature and the springs. In their orbit were unsettling types: humans from the waist up, from the waist down goats, the Fauns. Someone even said that it was them, beings half human, half beast, that were the real denizens of the Beginning. If one thinks back to the origins, one often comes to think that we used to be like that, a little human and a little not, neither fish nor fowl. They said that life down there in the oak groves was a race, the loud Fauns drooling as they chased the nymphs, which sometimes laughed, sometimes really didn’t want to have anything to do with it, sometimes let themselves be caught. If they let themselves be caught, a little while later a creature would whimper. This way of life Janus watched with a smile."

-Carola Susani, Miti Romani, 2013, translation by me.

"Satyrs were represented as hybrids of mature, bearded men and either donkeys or horses. They were depicted in a mostly human form, yet their long tails, pointed ears, snubbed faces, and in some cases equine legs clearly indicate their not-quite-human natures. The satyrs were defined not only by their animalistic attributes and their connection to Dionysos but also by their gender and sexuality. Satyrs were almost always male, and their masculinity became their greatest defining characteristic. Satyrs were regularly portrayed as ithyphallic in archaic and classical vase painting. Their enlarged phalloi contrast with the smaller, more modest penises of ideal Greek nudes. While the idealized statues of youths from the periods emphasize the virtue of self-control over body, mind, emotions and desire, the satyrs consistently overindulge, notably in the realms of sex and drinking. The vases give the impression not only that the satyrs are unable to control their oversized desires but also that they feel absolutely no need to, since they operate outside the bounds of civilized society. As Eric Csapo has pointed out, while the satyrs are always aggressive in their pursuit of desire, they are simultaneously slaves to this sexual desire and cannot move beyond this defining characteristic. In a series of pots from sixth-century BCE Athens, satyrs act as sexual aggressors whose attentions are frequently, but not always, welcomed by nymphs and maenads, the female followers of Dionysos.”

“It appears, therefore, that the depictions of satyrs performed an almost cathartic role for their audiences. Satyrs engaged in acts that were considered to be outside the boundaries of acceptable behavior within Greek society, and they expressed desires that most men were not able to act upon. Their behavior reflected their place in the natural order. They were neither god nor man, and they occupied a space between the human and divine worlds. Satyrs operated outside of the bounds of society, yet in becoming objects of ridicule, they and their threat were neutralized. This seems to be the driving force behnd the characterization of the satyrs as humorous rather than serious figures. Satyrs cannot be threatening if everyone is laughing at them.”

"Despite the iconographical similarities between both the Derveni and Herculaneum satyrs and the Barberini Faun, neither of the former embodies the same sexuality nor desirability as the Faun. Like the Faun, these two images are of odd hybrid creatures, neither human nor animal, who are less dangerous when in the liminal state of sleep, similiarly to other Hellenistic sleeping figures, but the role of the Faun as sexual object sets him apart from these other satyrs. While the artists of the Barberini Faun drew upon established iconography and explored similiar themes as contemporary Hellenistic artists, notably that of powerful satyr made vulnerable by sleep, his composition communicated a different message, speaking to Hellenistic ideas of masculine sexuality."

"If Stewart's analysis is correct, we have satyrs as sexual objects in the fourth century, approximately 150 to 200 years earlier than the Barberini Faun. However, the Barberini Faun, with his well-developed musculature, could never be categorized as the ideal eromenos. His muscled physique makes it clear that he is far more mature than the adolescent boy held up as the ideal of masculine beauty in the Archaic and Classical periods."

-Herring, A., Sexy Beast: The Barberini Faun as an Object of Desire, in: Journal of the History of Sexuality 25/1 (2016), 32-61.

Just finished a commission of @breitzbachbea golden boys. 👌🍋 one of top faves of the year so far

[blooddrinkingbartender]

Of Mer and Men | Elder Scrolls Verse

I finally caved and made an Elder Scrolls verse for my lads on here. You’ll find all their profiles beneath the cut (if there is one.) I took a bit of creative liberty with the vampires in this as well, I hope that’s all right. 

Bilmae ‘Bill’ Golden-Smith 

Name: Bilmae ‘Bill’ Golden-Smith  

Age: Appears 31, but is over 800 in reality  

Birthday: 7th of Evening Star

Gender: Cis Male (he/him/his pronouns) 

Powers and Abilities: Resistance to disease, resistance to poison, harder to detect while sneaking, and illusion spells are more powerful than average, resistance to frost. Shadow abilities; creating tentacles made out of shadows, usually to grab/restrain an opponent, or do things like snap limbs. He can also leap an abnormally long distance and summon an orb of shadow that explodes into spikes. Battle Cry (Nord Ability) and a higher resistance to frost because of his Nord Heritage as well as his vampirism. 

Weaknesses: Fire, sunlight.

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual.

Race: Nord/Vampire

Faction: None (at the moment)

Current Residence: No fixed place of residence, wanders Tamriel. 

Mother: Gweene Golden-Smith (Deceased)

Father: Bilmae Golden-Smith. (Deceased) 

Height: 6’3" 

Weight: 200lbs 

Body Type: Mesomorph/Muscular 

Hair: Red, as is his beard. 

Eyes: Grey.

Skin: White 

Languages: Tamrielic, some of the Dragon Language, and Ayleidoon.

Distinguishing features: He has major burn scars on the right side of his abdomen, chest, part of his right arm, and just above his butt. A hunter managed to set him on fire. Luckily, before it could kill him, he managed to put himself out. That Hunter paid with her life.

If he doesn’t drink blood for a long time, he starts to age and look more monstrous/corpse-like. Drinking blood reverses this effect.

He has three scars on his chest that are either from arrows or crossbow bolts. They’re all under his left pec muscle. 

He has a birthmark on the back of his left hand that’s shaped like a crescent. He often jokes that it’s because one of his ancestors was a werewolf. 

Hobbies and Interests: Dancing, astronomy (might as well enjoy the stars if you’re nocturnal), origami, drawing, mythology (he has met some figures of myth, or so he claims), and smithing. He’s also pretty good at playing the lyre, the ocarina, and the accordion.

Occupation: No set occupation.

Skills: Smithing, Sneak, One-Handed Weapons, Illusion Magic, Light Armour, and Alteration 

Personality: He’s friendly, he’s confident, and he can be rather eccentric at times. He’s far from shy and he enjoys the company of others. He lives to entertain, laugh, spread laughter and merriment, and give and get validation.

However, he can come across as conceited, arrogant, a show-off, a bit of a large ham at times, and/or a little bit too full-on for some people. That said, he honestly doesn’t mean harm (not anymore at least) and if you’re his friend, he will kill for you and do what he can to keep you happy.

He’s usually quite hard to anger. He can laugh off most insults or even attempts to hurt him physically. However, if you do make him mad, it’s your funeral, or at least your mind’s. He does try to keep himself in check however. He has no plans to go back to the sadistic bastard that he used to be.

Basic Backstory: Starting out his life in Skyrim, Lord Bilmae Golden-Smith IV was the only survivor of the eleven children his parents gave birth to. His father was a lord and his mother was a blacksmith’s daughter who was married into the family.

Bilmae lived a fairly easy and unremarkable life with his loving mother, not-so-loving father, and a few servants. His father made sure he worked hard however, not wanting to hand him everything on a silver plate. That said, he was fairly well off, and spent his childhood and adult years getting ready to take on his father’s estate. On finding out his bloodline’s wealth and notoriety was founded on thievery, murder, extortion, and other crimes, he was not so willing to do so, but he was unsure of how to find a way out of it. 

However, at the age of 31 years old, he contracted Sanguinare Vampiris. He was infected on purpose, by a vampire who had lost his family to Bilmae’s legacy. Bilmae managed to hide the condition from his family, and when his parents died, dismissed his servants, left the estate to his distant cousins, and faked his death before going to wander.

He continues to travel around now, learning new things and trying new stuff to keep himself busy. He still drinks blood to sustain himself but he doesn’t kill unless it was someone he felt ‘deserved it’. He also kept up with all the changes in the world. He even adapted his speech as needed, keeping up with slang and staying savvy with the times.

Antonio Lombardi

Name: Antonio Lombardi (formerly Enriquo Giordano, as far as you’re concerned) 

Age: 38

Birthday: 8th of Last Seed 

Gender: Trans Male (he/him/his pronouns) 

Powers and Abilities: .Dragonskin ability to absorb magic. Natural higher resistance to magic. 

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual 

Race: Breton

Faction: College of Winterhold (sort of)

Current Residence: Has a home in High Rock, but travels.

Mother: Gertrude Giordano

Father: Benito Giordano

Siblings: Emily Giordano(Older sister) and Sophia Giordano (Younger sister)

Height: 6’2" 

Weight: 170lbs 

Body Type: Ectomorph

Hair: Black, shoulder-length, and slightly curly 

Eyes: Green.

Skin: Light brown 

Languages: Tamrielic, and some of the dragon language.

Distinguishing features: A benign mole underneath his left eye, and a slash scar across his cheek.

Due to scoliosis, his chest and back are slightly tilted to the side. This isn’t easy to see unless his shirt is off. It does cause him pain and also makes it harder for him to walk longer distances. 

He uses a cane to get around. He actually owns three canes; one has a sword hidden inside of it, another is extendable, and the last is a normal cane. He weaponised them after a bandit attacked him, causing the scar on his face.

He has habits of nodding his head, rhythmically tapping his foot or hand against the floor or the table, blinking at the same time as whoever he is speaking to, and gesturing with his hands while he talks.

He also has synaesthesia, seeing certain colours and shapes whenever he hears certain noises ‘connected’ to them. He also experiences smells on rarer occasions. 

Hobbies and Interests: His magic skills. He has dabbled in sleight of hand, misdirection, and mentalism (including hypnosis, which he uses his magic for), and he is very good at those too. 

He has also dabbled in Escapology, and is able to get out of most rope bindings, straightjackets, and pick locks. He also likes to read, cook, practise his tricks, and tend to plants.

Occupation: An administrator in a library and a stage magician. Currently working in Winterhold. 

Skills: Illusion magic, Speech, One-handed, Lock-picking, Sneak, Destruction Magic, and Conjuration. 

Personality: While he’s on stage, Antonio speaks with confidence, authority, and even some glee. 

Off-stage, he’s quiet, jaded, and very cynical. He prefers to just be left alone for the most part. He doesn’t have much faith in humanity. He also pretends to be a massive sceptic.

That said, he isn’t a complete asshole. He secretly has a lot of compassion and empathy for other people. He performs at orphanages and hospitals for free and donates a portion of his earnings to charity. 

If you can break past the guarded shell, you have someone a bit on the nicer side.

Basic Backstory: Antonio was born in Summerset to Benito and Gertrude.

He often found himself entertaining or at least occupying his own mind with various tasks. He also grew up in a strictly religious household, which he found himself hating as he grew older and it eventually put him off any kind of faith or servitude to the gods. He found himself interested in magic tricks and illusions after one of his neighbours showed him a few.

He started to teach himself when he was in teens and became very good at it, especially as he grew older. He also dabbled more in his Breton magicka, figuring out what else he could do with it. He also realised he was gay, much to his dismay. Even now, he keeps that firmly under wraps.

Eventually, at the age of 17, he had a falling out with his parents over his lack of religious belief. He went on a tirade on how their beliefs (or the fact that they hid behind them) were, in his words ‘a big steaming pile of shit’.

After being told his synaesthesia was a sign that he was being influenced by the daedra and he punched his father for it, he was essentially kicked out. Uncaring about that, he changed his name and went to High Rock to make a name for himself, remembering his mother’s stories of when she lived there. 

He started very small at first. He was able to find a place to stay. He worked as much as he could and performed his magic on the side. He was eventually invited to taverns and inns to perform and that got him attention and more money. He also witnessed a vampire feeding on a person, and this terrified him, but he remained determined to continue going and not let it get to him too much.

When he turned twenty, symptoms of his scoliosis started to become prominent, coming with pain and finding it harder to walk or run for longer distances. Luckily, this didn’t affect his magic shows too badly.

At the age of thirty, he started to wander to other places and live long term and do work. Where he officially became known as Lord Enigma when performing. He’s currently in Winterhold, helping in the Arcanium. 

Leofric Lawford

Name: Leofric Lawford 

Age: 35

Birthday: 10th of Rain’s Fall 

Gender: Cis Male (he/him/his pronouns) 

Powers and Abilities: Immune to Vampirism and most other diseases, Beast Form. Voice of the Emperor, and Imperial Luck. 

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual.

Race: Imperial/Werewolf 

Faction: Companions, also does bounty work and has affiliations with Dawnguard. 

Current Residence: Whiterun. 

Mother: Unknown. 

Father: Unknown.

Height: 6’5" 

Weight: 240lbs 

Body Type: Mesomorph/Muscular 

Hair: Light brown and slightly wavy

Eyes: Dark brown .

Skin: White 

Languages: Tamrielic, and Ayleidoon.

Distinguishing features: He has many many scars from his days of battling. He has a slight beard. It’s not as full as Bill’s, but it’s definitely fuller than basic stubble. 

He doesn’t smile very often. If you see him do it, take a picture; you’ll never see it again in your life otherwise.

He has dyslexia. It hasn’t been identified yet, so he’s been suffering in silence about it. He also has some slight shortsightedness, but makes up for that with his other skills.

Hobbies and Interests: Reading, raising butterflies, plants and botany (he also researches how to better weaponise them (such as by using sachets of herbs to cloak himself, or make oils and decoctions for better damage output) or heal with them, history, boxing, and surprisingly, painting. 

Occupation: Companion

Skills: Alchemy, creating potions and poisons alike, heavy armour, two-handed and one-handed weaponry, which he’s trained himself in since a very young age,blocking, and hand-to-hand combat. 

Personality: He is rather stoic, and guarded, but still kind, brave and benevolent.

Although a werewolf and harsh on criminals and other monsters, he has a soft spot for humans, pacifistic supernatural creatures of other species, and animals, rescuing them and treating them with a distant sort of kindness. He is also incredibly loyal to those he makes friends with. 

He also prefers to be fair in a fight, giving his opponents a fair chance to defend themselves and fight back. That said, he believes underhanded tactics can be a tool to use only when necessary. 

Basic Backstory: Leofric was born in Cyrodiil, and left at an orphanage soon after as a baby. He was looked after by his guardians and taught the skills he needed. It was believed he would simply become a member of the imperial watch when he was older.

However, he became fascinated by stories of the companions and what they did. He left the orphanage at the age of sixteen years old and honed his skills, eventually making his way to Skyrim.

He had already shown a lot of the qualities of the companions during his travels, and he had actually been noticed by some of the travelling ones. He was accepted after some trials and has been with them since. 

He eventually became a werewolf when with them as well, and has not regretted this choice. He sees this as a blessing and a privilege. 

[asfeedin]

Best space and sci-fi books for 2020

There are plenty of great books out there about space — so many, in fact, that it can feel a little overwhelming to figure out where to start, whether searching for a perfect gift or your next engrossing read. So the editors and writers at Space.com have put together a list of their favorite books about the universe. These are the books that we love — the ones that informed us, entertained us and inspired us. We hope they’ll do the same for you!

We’ve divided the books into five categories, which each have their own dedicated pages. On this page, we feature books we’re reading now and books we’ve recently read, which we will update regularly. Click to see the best of:

We hope there’s something on our lists for every reader of every age. We’re also eager to hear about your favorite space books, so please leave your suggestions in the comments, and let us know why you love them. You can see our ongoing Space Books coverage here.

What we’re reading:

“See You in Orbit?: Our Dream of Spaceflight” (To Orbit Productions, 2019)

By Alan Ladwig

“Identified Flying Objects” (Masters Creative LLC, 2019)

By Michael Masters

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have captured the public’s attention over the decades. Rather than aliens, could those piloting UFOs be us — our future progeny that have mastered the landscape of time and space? Perhaps those reports of people coming into contact with strange beings represent our distant human descendants, returning from the future to study us in their own evolutionary past. The idea of us being them has been advanced before, but this new book takes a fresh look at this prospect, offering some thought-provoking proposals. ~Leonard David

Read Space.com’s review here. 

Buy “Identified Flying Objects: A Multidisciplinary Scientific Approach to the UFO Phenomenon” on Amazon.com.

“They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers” (Pegasus Books, 2020)

By Sarah Scoles

Do you remember reading a New York Times story in 2017 that claimed to unveil a Pentagon program dedicated to investigating UFOs? Did you hear rumors about why the FBI closed a solar observatory the next year for then-undisclosed reasons? Are you confused about why there seem to be so many documentaries about alien sightings? “They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers” by freelance journalist Sarah Scoles, tackles these questions and many more. Read an excerpt from “They Are Already Here,” and read Space.com’s interview with the author here. 

Buy “They Are Already Here” on Amazon.com.

“The Andromeda Evolution” (Harper, 2019)

By Daniel H. Wilson

There’s finally a sequel to Michael Crichton’s 1969 classic about extraterrestrial life trying to take over humanity from, of all places, Arizona. In “The Andromeda Evolution,” author Daniel H. Wilson continues Crichton’s work and brings the terrifying tale into outer space. ~Elizabeth Howell

Read Space.com’s review here. 

Buy “The Andromeda Evolution” on Amazon.com.

“For Small Creatures Such As We” (G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2019)

By Sasha Sagan

In her new book “For Small Creatures Such as We,” Sasha Sagan, daughter of “Cosmos” co-writer Ann Druyan and famed astronomer Carl Sagan, dives into the secular side of spirituality. Upon starting a family of her own, Sagan wanted to have rituals and traditions that would bond them together. But being non-religious, she reevaluated what these traditions could be and this book explores how rituals like holidays can be inspired by the “magic” of nature, space and science rather than religion. ~Chelsea Gohd

Read Space.com’s interview with the author here. 

Buy “For Small Creatures Such as We��� on Amazon.com. 

“Dr. Space Junk Vs. the Universe” (MIT Press, 2019)

By Alice Gorman

What happens to satellites when they die, and come to think of it, when do they die? Alice Gorman is an Australian archaeologist who studies objects related to spaceflight, and what we can learn by thinking about space through the lens of archaeology. Her book is an engaging story of the ways being human shapes how we go to space. From Aboriginal songs tucked on the Voyagers’ Golden Records to the importance of the size of a spacecraft, Gorman offers a new perspective on the history — and future — of space. ~ Meghan Bartels

Read a Q&A with Gorman about the new book and the archaeology of space here.

Buy “Dr. Space Junk Vs. the Universe” on Amazon.com.

“Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution” (Penguin Press, 2019)

By Lee Smolin

Although many believe that the quantum-mechanics revolution of the 1920s is settled science, Lee Smolin wants to disrupt that assumption. Smolin, a theoretical physicist based at the Perimeter Institute in Toronto, argues that quantum mechanics is incomplete. The standard quantum model only allows us to know the position or trajectory of a subatomic particle — not both at the same time. Smolin has spent his career looking to “complete” quantum physics in a way that allows us to know both pieces of information. Smolin’s very engaging new book, “Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution,” offers this unique perspective honed through four decades at the forefront of theoretical physics. ~Marcus Banks

Read a Q&A with Smolin about the new book and the state of quantum physics here.

Buy “Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution” on Amazon.com. 

“Apollo’s Legacy” (Smithsonian Books, 2019)

By Roger Launius

How do we understand a transformative event like the Apollo missions to the moon? Many present it as proof of American ingenuity and success, but there’s much more to the story. In “Apollo’s Legacy: Perspectives on the Moon Landings,” space historian Roger Launius probes the impacts Apollo had technologically, scientifically and politically, as well as analyzing what we can draw from it to understand the country’s modern space program. The slim volume is written as a scholarly text, but it’s accessible to anybody with an interest in space history and the circumstances that spawned Apollo. ~Sarah Lewin

Read a Q&A with the author here. 

Buy “Apollo’s Legacy” on Amazon.com.

“Finding Our Place in the Universe” (MIT Press, 2019)

By Hélène Courtois

In “Finding Our Place in the Universe,” French astrophysicist Helene Courtois describes the invigorating quest to discover the Milky Way’s home. In 2014 Courtois was part of a research team that discovered the galactic supercluster which contains the Milky Way, which they named Laniakea. This means “immeasurable heaven” in Hawaiian. 

In this engaging and fast paced book, Courtois describes her own journey in astrophysics and highlights the key contributions of numerous female astrophysicists. The reader is right there with her as Courtois travels to the world’s leading observatories in pursuit of Laniakea, and it’s easy to see why the challenge of discovering our galaxy’s home became so seductive. Readers who want them will learn all the scientific and technical details needed to understand the discovery of Laniakea, but it’s also possible to enjoy this book as a pure tale of adventure. ~Marcus Banks

Read a Q&A with Courtois about her book and the hunt for Laniakea here.

Buy “Finding Our Place in the Universe” on Amazon.com.

“The Girl Who Named Pluto” (Schwartz & Wade, 2019)

By Alice B. McGinty, Illustrated by Elizabeth Haidle

How did an 11-year-old English schoolgirl come to name Pluto? In “The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney,” Alice B. McGinty recounts one child’s history-making turn on a fateful morning in 1930. Although the book is aimed at kids ages 4 to 8, there’s plenty for older children to connect with as well. And the vintage-flavored illustrations by Elizabeth Haidle make the experience a visual delight. 

Venetia had connected her love of mythology with her knowledge of science to christen the new planet after the Roman god of the underworld, refusing to let her age or gender to hold her back. 

McGinley says she hopes Venetia’s tale inspires her readers — girls, in particular. “I hope girls read it and feel empowered to be part of the scientific process,” she said. “I hope boys read it and feel empowered, too, and understand how important girls are to science.” ~Jasmin Malik Chua

Read Space.com’s interview with the author here. 

Buy “The Girl Who Named Pluto” on Amazon.com.

“Delta-v” (Dutton, 2019)

By Daniel Suarez

In “Delta-v,” an unpredictable billionaire recruits an adventurous cave diver to join the first-ever effort to mine an asteroid. The crew’s target is asteroid Ryugu, which in real life Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft has been exploring since June 2018. From the use of actual trajectories in space and scientific accuracy, to the title itself, Delta-v — the engineering term for exactly how much energy is expended performing a maneuver or reaching a target — Suarez pulls true-to-life details into describing the exciting and perilous mission. The reward for successful asteroid mining is incredible, but the cost could be devastating. ~Sarah Lewin

Read a Q&A with the author here.

Buy “Delta-v” on Amazon.com.

Again, check out our full lists here:

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Tags: 2020, Books, scifi, space

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[kickoffme-blog]

10 Characters We Want to See in a Wonder Woman Sequel

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10 Characters We Want to See in a Wonder Woman Sequel

10 Characters We Want to See in a Wonder Woman Sequel

We’ve assembled a list of ten Wonder Woman characters we want to see in the sequel On June 2nd, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman got her first solo film! Until last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman had never even appeared on the big screen. That’s unfortunate, because Wonder Woman’s comic book history is intertwined with Greek mythology and over seven decades of superhero stories. While the word on Wonder Woman’s first movie has been overwhelmingly positive, that story only scratches the surface of what future Wonder Woman movies could be. Diana/Wonder Woman has her own lineup of supporting characters and deadly villains who could and should play an important role in her cinematic future. ComingSoon.net has put together a list of 10 potential Wonder Woman sequel characters we want to see on the big screen. Feel free to share your picks in the comment section below! Circe

Aside from the God of War himself, the sorceress known as Circe has been one of Wonder Woman’s primary adversaries for decades. It’s a pretty safe assumption that Wonder Woman 2 will happen at some point, and Circe is the natural choice to be the next big bad. Since Diana is thousands of years old in this incarnation, her history with Circe can stretch back far longer than it did in the comics. The important thing to remember is that Circe is literally the same character who appeared in Homer’s The Odyssey, and she does have a habit of turning men into animals and making grand plans to destroy everything that Wonder Woman values. Circe is also immensely powerful, and more than a match for the Amazon heroine. She’s definitely worthy of making a major impact on the DC Extended Universe. Donna Troy

The Wonder Woman film may have made a mistake by passing up a chance to introduce Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl. To be honest, Donna’s comic book origins were a mistake from the start, her ever-shifting backstory is headache inducing. The short version is this: she’s Diana’s younger sister. Even when she was retroactively declared to be a magical clone/double, Donna and Diana feel the bonds of sisterhood. Diana has even been Donna’s mentor and best friend among the Amazons, while treating her as an equal. Prior to the New 52 reboot, the close bond between Diana and Donna was one of the best things about both characters. That connection deserves to be explored on the big screen. Cheetah

Cheetah is unique among Wonder Woman’s villains in that she’s both a lethal foe and a close friend of Diana’s. The Golden Age Cheetah, Priscilla Rich, wasn’t quite as interesting as Barbara Ann Minerva, the Cheetah of DC’s Post-Crisis era. As re-envisioned by George Perez, Minerva was essentially Lara Croft before Lara Croft, and she was cursed with the power of the Cheetah during an archeology expedition that left her physically transformed. The most recent retcon of Wonder Woman and Cheetah has strengthened the bonds of friendship between them, at least for Cheetah’s human half. But as Cheetah, Minerva is still a lethal threat and one of Diana’s most formidable enemies. Wonder Girl

Over twenty years ago, comic book icon John Byrne had a run on the Wonder Woman series that left one lasting legacy behind: the modern day Wonder Girl, Cassandra “Cassie” Sandsmark. While most of Cassie’s character development came in the subsequent Young Justice and Teen Titans series, the inevitable Wonder Woman sequel could introduce Cassie as Diana’s apprentice… a warrior in training who just happens to be a huge geek about the legacy of her mentor. While Cassie was the daughter of Zeus in her original continuity, the changes of DC’s New 52 reboot made her into Diana’s niece; which only further strengthened their family ties. Helena Sandsmark

Of course, Cassie can’t be in a Wonder Woman movie without her mother, Helena Sandsmark as well. Helena was another addition from the Byrne era, and refreshingly, one of Dinana’s few friends who didn’t have a hidden agenda. Like Barbara Minerva, Helena is also an archaeologist who has aligned with Diana and inadvertently become an important part of her life. Helena and Cassie’s connection to Diana really depends on which backstory is chosen for the big screen. If Cassie is the daughter of Zeus, then Helena isn’t directly related to Diana. But if Cassie’s father is Lennox Sandsmark (Diana’s half-brother) from the New 52 continuity, then Cassie and Diana are related, and Helena would inevitably be more important to both of them. The First Born

The First Born is one of the more recent creations for Wonder Woman’s rogue’s gallery. As part of the New 52 reboot, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang introduced the First Born as literally the first born child of Zeus and Hera, whom Zeus attempted to destroy as an infant. You see, there was a prophecy that the First Born would assume the throne of Olympus and destroy the rest of his family. And much like the ancient stories, all attempts to stop that prophecy made it become more and more inevitable. As Wonder Woman’s half-brother, the First Born is actually far more powerful than she is, and a legitimate challenge for Diana. His ambition to destroy the Gods could also give the sequel an epic scope. Nemesis

One of the big problems with setting the first Wonder Woman movie during World War I is that it seems like it will leave Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) in the distant past. That would create a big hole in Diana’s life, and that could lead to the big screen introduction of Nemesis, a secret agent and master of disguise. Thomas Tresser was actually one of the more heroic members of the Suicide Squad before Gale Simone used his alter ego as Diana’s primary love interest and ally during her run on Wonder Woman. Nemesis is not a God and no man could ever truly be Diana’s equal. But he is one of Wonder Woman’s few supporting characters who can handle the more insane aspects of her superhero career. He’s also a hero in his own right, which would make him a strong addition to the sequel. Giganta

In the Wonder Woman comics, Giganta has appeared in some pretty stupid stories. For example, in her original origin, Giganta was an ape who was mutated into a very strong woman! More recent revamps have made Giganta into Doris Zeul, a brilliant scientist who can control her size and grow to incredible heights. Just the visual alone of Wonder Woman fighting a giant woman in a modern setting would be fun to use in a sequel. Giganta may not be enough of a threat to be a film’s solo villain, but she can definitely be a secondary adversary for Diana. Queen of Fables

Imagine if every evil queen in every fairy tale was a single, all-powerful woman. That’s the Queen of Fables, “the living embodiment of all evil in folklore.” She was originally created by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch for their JLA run as a threat to the entire Justice League. But considering Wonder Woman’s resemblance to Snow White, it’s not a surprise that the Queen has focused on destroying her. Within the comics, the Queen was so evil that the only way for Snow White to defeat her was to use a magical book to transform the Queen’s life into fiction. One of the side effects of the Queen’s return are the emergence of other dark creatures from fairy tales. It might be a stretch to see the Queen of Fables on the big screen, but she can definitely give Wonder Woman a battle to remember. Medusa

Given Wonder Woman’s ties to Greek mythology, it was inevitable that one of her greatest foes would be Medusa herself. Any future Wonder Woman sequel wouldn’t have to deal with the heavy lifting of creating Medusa’s backstory. Medusa’s ability to turn anyone who looks at her into stone is iconic, but far from the only thing she can do. In terms of ferocity, Medusa doesn’t have many peers as a warrior, and even Wonder Woman would be hard pressed to defeat her. In one particularly memorable battle, Wonder Woman actually blinded herself with the venom from Medusa’s headsnakes to avoid being turned to stone herself. That’s the kind of sacrifice a battle with Medusa would require, and she’s probably on the shortlist of villains for Diana to face in the future.

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The post 10 Characters We Want to See in a Wonder Woman Sequel appeared first on ComingSoon.net. Read more June 3, 2017 12:09 am