WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Wonder Woman Annual #2 written by James Robinson and illustrated by Marc Laming, Frazer Irving, J. Calafiore and Stephen Segovia
In Wonder Woman Annual #2, Diana Prince is taken by the Star Sapphires, transported to their home planet of Zamaron. There, the Violet Lanterns are waging a losing battle against a Dark God. Finding themselves without a leader, the Sapphires sought out Wonder Woman, one of their most powerful champions.
Yes, Diana was briefly a Star Sapphire in the pages of Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' Blackest Night event series. However, this marks the first time in almost a decade that Diana bears a violet ring of love, a weapon she takes up again in order to help her sisters in the Star Sapphire Corps defeat a being of immense power.
As she fights alongside the other Sapphires, Diana comments on something different about those she fights alongside. The ranks of the Star Sapphire Corps, which used to be exclusive to women and female members of various alien species, have now expanded to include men and male lifeforms.
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Though Star Sapphire first appeared as a Flash and Green Lantern villain in 1948, the Star Sapphire Corps wasn't introduced until 2007, in the buildup to Geoff Johns' cosmic Green Lantern epic, the "War of Light." There, it was revealed that the Star Sapphires' mission was to spread love throughout the universe. For that reason, their members were exclusively female, a reflection of their belief that only women were able to properly harbor feelings of love.
When Diana Prince first finds herself on Zamaron in Wonder Woman Annual #2, she is greeted by female Star Sapphires. They tell her of their plight against the Dark God, and Diana joins their efforts. However, when the battle intensifies, we notice a change in the Corps. As more and more Sapphires join the fight, it becomes apparent that some of these Violet Lanterns are male. However, no big deal is made of it. It's only when the Dark God is defeated and when the Sapphires thank Wonder Woman for her help that Diana makes the remark. She tells them that they are all her sisters, "Or 'brother,' I notice."
"Love is love," a Sapphire answers, reflecting the mantra of the LGBTQ+ community, "no matter who bears the heart." After years of being a Corps of female characters only, the Star Sapphires have now changed their main rule. Now, they recognize that both male and female lifeforms are capable of spreading love in the universe. It's a great step forward in inclusion for them, and a sign that they are embracing a more progressive way of thinking. It matters not what sex one person is, all that matters is what is in their hearts, and the love that they bear to those around them.
With such a significant turn, it's only a matter of time before a popular male DC character (other than John Stewart) becomes a Star Sapphire. But who?
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