Wonders will never cease! The new Wonder Woman 1984 trailer stood out for showcasing Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in her golden eagle armor. While the armor was first teased via a poster by showing lead Gal in it, the picture was hazy since Gal was without the iconic helmet and wings. Nevertheless, it became pretty obvious from then on that the golden armor was going to be a part of Wonder Woman 1984. 

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The armor remains an object of mystery solely because it hasn't been worn as frequently in the comics. But whenever Diana shed her star-spangled costume for the golden armor, readers were awed. Having said that, if you are wondering what the golden eagle armor is, here's what you need to read.

10 ORIGINS: KINGDOM COME #3

The armor seen in the trailer is similar to that seen in the comics. It first originated in Mark Waid's miniseries Elseworlds: Kingdom Come #3. The illustration was painted by Alex Ross. It follows the story of original Justice League members returning to the scene after years to thwart an apocalyptic crisis. In this story, Diana Prince wears this armor to war.

This four-issue Elseworlds story is based in 2020 where Superman and the League have retired to pave way for more nihilistic antiheroes. This is until a prophecied disaster is about to take place and Superman comes out of hiding to teach the younger generation what being a superhero is all about.

9 A WARRIOR'S ARMOR

 

In the miniseries, as the world faces a looming threat, Wonder Woman is charged to take the supervillains and the nihilistic antiheroes, head-on. So is Superman, but his plans are different. Wonder Woman is shown in a warrior-like avatar, hence she sheds her regular costume and wears the bodysuit. As Wonder Woman admires the wings of the golden eagle armor, Superman comes to the spot.

"Yet another side of you I'm not comfortable with", says Superman expressing derision at the costume.

8 THE GOLDEN EAGLE ARMOR AND THE SWORD

As the two have a heated debate on how to tackle the rioters, Superman picks up Wonder Woman's sword. Here the golden age armor is complemented by the sword that was a gift from Hephaestus to Diana. The sword immediately cuts through Superman's thumb, since the blade can carve the electrons off an atom. At which point, Wonder Woman takes the sword back and says, "I expect to be a soldier."

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More unnecessary chatter and bickering follow. But what's pretty evident is that the golden age armor is a testament to the fierce, Amazonian-warrior side of Wonder Woman. If she's worn it, she will not back down.

7 THREE YEARS LATER: WONDER WOMAN #144

Wonder Woman dons the golden eagle armor again in Wonder Woman #144. this technically marks the debut of the armor in the main continuity. In the story, Wonder Woman is shot by the Devastation, a child of the Titan Cronus. If it wasn't for the Centaurs, Wonder Woman would have lost her life. In order to save herself from further damage, she wears the golden eagle armor, once again before going into the battle.

This is the warrior vibe the armor gives Diana when she unilaterally goes into the breach to contain the citizens of Belton, South Carolina, after rioters take over a nuclear waste transport in Georgia as payback for their town's destruction. This time Wonder Woman takes the golden ax and flies to the scene. It is important to mention that this version of the armor had a convenient radiation-resistant helmet.

6 ORIGINAL AMAZONIAN ARMOR

An Amazonian Warrior brandishing a sword and shield

From Kingdom Come, the best we could learn about the armor was that it is Wonder Woman's original Amazonian armor. The armor is to be worn only in extreme situations. In situations where Wonder Woman's star-spangled armor fails to protect her, she resorts to the golden eagle armor. Kingdom Come showcases the golden eagle armor from issue #144 to #145, in the wake of dire situations. In #146, Wonder Woman is seen in her usual costume.

5 2001: GOLDEN EAGLE ARMOR AGAINST IMPERIEX

Three years later, Wonder Woman ditches the star-spangled armor again for the golden eagle armor while battling the cosmic terror, Imperiex. Wonder Woman appears in a more decked out version of the golden eagle armor as she takes on the Imperiex.

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The story takes place in the Our Worlds at War crossover event. Imperiex is shown as the prime adversary of Superman. The former wants to destroy the universe and the latter is committed to destroying him. Sadly, Wonder Woman is injured in the fight, despite her gaudy metallic armor.

4 HIPPOLYTA HAS HER OWN GOLDEN EAGLE ARMOR

Wonder Woman's mother Hippolyta has her own golden eagle armor. This makes sense, considering it is the original Amazonian armor. In a continuation of the previous story, Wonder Woman is severely injured during the Imperiex probe.  Superman then brings Wonder Woman to her mother Hippolyta who leaves her under Kyle Rayner's supervision.

Hippolyta dons her armor and dashes out to take up her daughter's cause. The next few sequences are iconic. Moments later, Diana appears on the scene and both mother and daughter fight alongside, dressed in shining, twin armor. Despite the armor, Hippolyta is badly injured in the fight and passes away in Diana's arms.

3 SILVER EAGLE AND BRONZE EAGLE ARMOR

The golden eagle armor was next introduced by Gail Simone in the Rise of an Olympian arc. In the story, Zeus unleashes his wrath on the Amazonians and creates a new race of men called Gargareans, lead by Achilles to replace them. Turns out, the war God Ares was behind the whole thing.

As a consequence, Wonder Woman dons the golden eagle armor to battle Genocide, an agent of the war god. Wonder Woman is accompanied by Cassie, aka Wonder Girl and Donna Troy, her side-kick. Both Cassie and Donna appear in their own versions of the golden eagle armor. Cassie dons the bronze eagle and Donna, the silver eagle armor respectively.

2 HIERARCHY: GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE

This directly brings us to our next point. There are at least three kinds of golden eagle armor: gold, silver, and bronze. It indicates the representation of a power-structure within the Amazonians. At the top of the ladder is Wonder Woman, so she wears the golden eagle armor, Donna Troy, her sidekick appears in the silver eagle armor and Cassie, the Wonder Girl appears in the bronze eagle armor. Each suit appears distinctively beautiful and unique.

1 GOLDEN EAGLE ARMOR IN THE MOVIE

Debating the newest continuity of the armor, the bigger question that arises is, why does Wonder Woman need the golden eagle armor in Wonder Woman 1984?

The golden eagle armor is her original Amazonian armor, the one that she wore before any other armor. The movie introduces the villain, Cheetah, formerly Dr. Barbara Minerva and Diana's friend. If we are to go by Wonder Woman Rebirth, Cheetah is a mystical and magical creature, capable of inflicting enormous damage. Therefore Wonder Woman needs that extra protection in an exigency like this. Hence she sheds her usual protection for the golden eagle armor.

Alternatively, Diana could be battling an even bigger threat. Uh oh.

NEXT: Superman: 5 Reasons Lois Lane Is His Best Love Interest (& 5 Why It’s Wonder Woman)