WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, now available on Digital HD and Blu-Ray.
Even though director Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman movie covers similar ground, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines offers another take on Diana's origin as she teams-up with Steve Trevor and Etta Candy who help her acclimate to the real world upon running away from Themyscira.
While she's been reduced to comic relief more than once since she was introduced in 1942, Etta has an active role in Bloodlines, where she's on the frontlines as much as Steve and gives Diana an invisible jet that was stolen from the U.S. military.. While she has more agency this time around as a supporting character, Etta's presence is even more groundbreaking in Bloodlines and a true landmark moment for the DC Animated Movie Universe. Following in the example of her modern comic book counterpart, Etta is portrayed as lesbian.
Hints are dropped early on when Steve crashes and is taken prisoner on Themyscira. As Steve admires the Amazon women, he says out loud he has a friend who'd love them, name-dropping Etta. At that point, though, it's still uncertain if he's joking or not, but when Etta and Steve begin teaching Diana how to fit into the outside world, and we get to know more of the woman, Etta's seem to confirm her orientation.
She keeps asking about the women on Paradise Island, and Diana promises to set her up with a few Amazon friends once the mission is over, and they stop Villainy Inc. This tease of polyamorous relationships excites Etta even more as she exclaims she can't wait to start getting closer to some Amazons.
Throughout the film, Steve acts like Etta's wingman and makes it clear that she'll love Paradise Island. This all comes full circle at the end of the film when the trio defend Themyscira from Villainy Inc. and their super-weapon, Medusa, with Queen Hippolyta finally accepting the outside world when victory's garnered. Silver Swan is turned back into a human and inducted as an Amazon, and Steve is praised for his warrior spirit. Diana is heralded as a champion and a true Wonder Woman by her people, finally forgiven for abandoning them. As for Etta's crowning moment, she gleefully hugs a couple of enthusiastic Amazons by the waist.
By the end of the film, Etta has clearly found a second home on Paradise Island, and her overall arc in the film is similar to her current comic book incarnation in the DC Rebirth era. In Wonder Woman, she and Barbara "Cheetah" Minerva had romantic feelings for each other.
In that story, Etta is also a military commander, as she is in this film. That seems to suggest that this particular depiction of Etta is here to stay, in a few mediums at least, for the foreseeable future.
Wonder Woman: Bloodlines stars Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Trevor, Adrienne Moore as Etta Candy, Nia Vardalos as Julia Kapatelis and Cree Summer as Hippolyta, as well as Marie Avgeropoulos as Silver Swan. Available now on Digital HD, the film will be released Oct. 22 on Blu-ray and 4k Ultra HD.