Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Resets Origin Told in Previous Animated WW Flick

WONDER WOMAN: BLOODLINES is a callback to the DC Universe crossover event of several years back. It has nothing to do with that event however, so don't get excited if you were a fan. Rather, this new release from the DCAU represents the origin of Wonder Woman (ROSARIO DAWSON), with Steve Trevor (JEFFREY DONOVAN) crashing near Themyscira after attempting to shoot down an incursion of Apokoliptian parademons. This serves to tie the story in better to JUSTICE LEAGUE: WAR, to cement Diana into the mythos.

Diana sacrifices her life on Themyscira, defying her mother, Hippolyta (CREE SUMMER), and losing her life on Themyscira for good in choosing to help Trevor and defend Man's World.

We flash forward to a time when Diana has already joined the Justice League, and Steve Trevor is introducing her to someone to help her adapt: Julia Kapatelis (NIA VARDALOS), and her teenaged daughter, Vanessa. She moves in with them, and learns our culture even as Julia learns Themysciran from her. But as more time passes, Vanessa grows rebellious and dark, and somehow winds up doing a job for Dr. Poison (COURTENAY TAYLOR) and Dr. Cyber (MOZHAN MARNO). Wonder Woman appears to stop the deal, and after the hail of bullets, Vanessa finds Julia dead. She blames Diana, and volunteers to undergo a transformation into the Silver Swan (MARIE AVGEROPOULOS).

The only hope for curing Vanessa from the effects of the transfomation lie on Themyscira. But not only is Diana not welcomed there, she can no longer remember where it is -- a mystic effect for anyone who leaves the island. But a visit to an oracle, and some assistance from entrepreneur Veronica Cale (CONSTANCE ZIMMER) put them on the right track -- provided Diana can find the words to make peace with her mother. And the time to say the words, since they arrive just after Dr. Cyber and Dr. Poison unleash the ultimate threat upon the Amazons: Medusa!

This adventure also pits Wonder Woman against Cheeta and Giganta (both voiced by KIMBERLY BROOKS) and introduces the minotaur Ferdinand (MICHAEL DORN). It's a mixture of George Perez's run on the title duing the late 1980s, with a dab of the New 52, where Steve Trevor works as a Justice League liason and Etta Candy (ADRIENNE MOORE) has gone from being a chunky white woman to a thicc lesbian African-American who loves science and threesomes with Amazon women. (Okay, she's only hugging one in each arm. She's not actually bedding them in this film. It could be totally platonic, except that it's not.)

This Blu-ray release also includes a sneak peek at the next DCAU title, SUPERMAN: RED SON, the Elseworld's tale that posits a world where baby Kal-El's rocket landed half-a-day different than it did, causing him to be raised in Soviet Russia. We also get a DC Showcase short feature, this time starring Neil Gaiman's Death of the Endless.

Overall, WONDER WOMAN: BLOODLINES is an enjoyable adventure that includes a good number of Wonder Woman's rather limited gallery of rogues.