WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Nubia and the Amazons #3, on sale now from DC Comics.
Though Wonder Woman has had many dangerous mortal enemies, like Cheetah or Giganta, many of her other foes are of the immortal variety. With the Amazonian Princess' origins having come from Greek Mythology, many of the opponents she goes up against come from those myths too. Foes such as Ares and Circe have caused much mayhem and mischief for Diana and her allies across the years, and one of those mythical figures is loose on Themyscira.
If inheriting the throne wasn't a big enough challenge for Nubia on her own, then the breach in Doom's Doorway certainly will be. The newest Queen of the Amazons just came face to face with the foe that's been lurking on Paradise Island in Nubia and the Amazons #3 by Stephanie Willaims, Vita Ayala, Alitha Martinez, Domo Stanton, Mark Morales, and Romulo Fajardo Jr. The form this threat takes is different to how she usually looks though and shows that she's picked up a new power whilst locked away in Tartarus.
The gorgon Medusa has escaped her eternal torment and come back to the mortal world through the portal of Doom's Doorway on Themyscira. However, what she emerged as isn't what she's used to. Unfortunately for her, what remained of her body was in pieces, with her severed head residing somewhere secret on Paradise Island. If she wanted to get back to how she was, then she'd need to find her head.
She planned to do this by utilizing a unique ability never previously used by the infamous gorgon. She emerged from Doom's Doorway as a cloud of green gas and took control of the unaware Amazon guarding the dreaded portal. It seemed that this new form allowed her to possess others and hop from body to body as she pleased. When she took over the body of another unassuming Amazon in the second issue, the body of her previous host turned to stone. In this issue, that same gaseous form momentarily emerged from her current host to petrify two guards that tried to stop her.
This is a particularly powerful, and deceptive, new ability. It allowed her to lurk around and pose as whoever she liked so she can get what she wants, all whilst leaving a trail of petrified destruction in her wake. Nubia, however, considered this new power a downgrade compared to Medusa's previous abilities. It's true she doesn't have the same power she had when she had her own body, but this new way of conducting herself until she can be reunited with her severed head shouldn't be underestimated.
Medusa has always been one of Wonder Woman's toughest opponents and the cause of some of her most powerful losses. Medusa once attacked the White House and turned many there to stone. Diana wasn't able to catch up to her until she reached the Themysciran embassy, where she was too late to stop Medusa from turning Martin Garibaldi, the son of one of her aids, to stone. After this tragic loss, she went head to head in a fearsome battle with the gorgon. To win, Diana had to blind herself with the poison of one of the snakes from Medusa's hair. Though the Amazonian Warrior won, it came at the cost of her sight. Though the goddess Athena eventually restored Wonder Woman and Garibaldi, that doesn't change the pain she went through in her fight against this dangerous foe.
The Amazons already petrified by Medusa may not be so lucky but it will be hard for Nubia to stop this foe. The gorgon is currently possessing the body of someone important to the queen from her past. It's likely she'll pull out even more cruel tactics to get what she wants and if she does get it, Medusa's vengeance will certainly spell doom for all the Amazons.