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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDC has never published an official ranking of Wonder Woman’s 15 greatest enemies, so any list of that length is an editorial selection. The clearest case for the top of such a list rests on four figures: Ares, the god of war who opposes Diana’s mission of peace; Barbara Ann Minerva, the Cheetah, who was once her friend; Giganta, a physically dangerous recurring foe; and Maxwell Lord, whose mind control turned Superman against her in one of the most consequential conflicts of Diana’s history. The Children of Ares belong in the discussion as manipulators rather than as a conventional nemesis.
This article explains the criteria behind that selection, profiles each leading figure with attention to how DC’s own accounts differ, and points to the one published collection that covers several of these battles.
What “greatest enemy” can reasonably mean
A useful list of Wonder Woman’s enemies needs explicit criteria, because the rogues gallery mixes very different kinds of opposition. Four measures carry the most weight:
- Recurrence: how often the figure returns across stories and eras.
- Personal stakes: whether the conflict costs Diana something emotionally or relationally, not only physically.
- Scale of threat: how much damage the figure can do to people, institutions or the world.
- Influence on mission: whether the figure changes what Diana is trying to do or who she is.
These criteria separate enduring rivals from temporary opponents, gods from human villains, and direct enemies from antagonists who use a hero as a weapon. The table below applies the same axes to the candidates covered in this article.
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How the leading candidates compare
| Figure | Relationship to Diana | Threat type | Continuity stability | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ares | Ideological opposite; constant foe intent on thwarting her mission of peace | Divine and magical; encourages war by manipulating mortals | Contested: DC’s profile says Diana has recently learned the being she fought was not the true Ares | Direct enemy |
| Cheetah (Barbara Ann Minerva) | Former friend turned rival; DC describes the Cheetah as alternately enemy and ally | Physical and personal; a human-animal hybrid | Multiple bearers of the mantle, including Priscilla Rich and Deborah Domaine | Direct enemy, sometimes ally |
| Giganta | Recurring physical adversary | Physical; size and shape-shifting abilities paired with scientific genius | Origin differs by era (Golden Age, post-Crisis, and a later account) | Direct enemy |
| Maxwell Lord | Indirect; his scheme forces Diana into a fight with a friend | Psychological; mind control | Not stated as a recurring identity in the sources reviewed | Controls Superman as a weapon |
| Children of Ares | Manipulators behind opponents such as Power Girl | Political; civil unrest in Washington, D.C. | Not stated | Manipulators acting through others |
The framework is editorial, drawn from the differences DC documents among these figures. It is not a ranking DC has prescribed.
Ares: the war behind the wars
DC’s official character profile describes Ares as an immortal being whose power comes from belief and conflict. He returned to encourage war by manipulating mortals, and over time became Wonder Woman’s constant foe, intent on thwarting her mission of peace and understanding. His first appearance is listed as Wonder Woman #1 (1942).
Ares is the strongest candidate for the top spot because his opposition is ideological rather than personal. DC’s 2021 editorial retrospective by Alex Jaffe, published October 5, 2021, puts it this way: “If Wonder Woman has an archenemy, it’s the concept of war itself, as embodied as often as not by the war god Ares.” That is an editorial interpretation, not a formal franchise ranking, but it captures why Ares recurs across so many stories.
Rank #2
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The continuity caveat
Readers should not treat every Ares appearance as the same stable identity. DC’s current profile says Wonder Woman has recently learned that the being she fought many times was not the real Ares, and it states that the true god’s future alignment is uncertain. Any account of Ares’s history has to specify which version is meant.
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The Cheetah is the most personal entry on this list. DC’s profile describes her as alternately enemy and ally to Wonder Woman, and it centers on Barbara Ann Minerva, an archaeologist whose pursuit of artifacts and interest in mythology led her into an arcane ritual that transformed her into a human-cheetah hybrid. Before that, Minerva had been Diana’s friend, and she blamed Diana for failing to save her.
The mantle has passed between several characters. DC says Priscilla Rich and her niece Deborah Domaine held the title and opposed Wonder Woman in earlier eras. The profile gives Wonder Woman #6 (1943) as the first appearance. DC’s 2021 retrospective calls Barbara Minerva Wonder Woman’s “mortal enemy,” but that description applies to particular versions and storylines. The relationship is better read as a pattern that shifts between enmity and alliance than as a fixed hostility.
Rank #3
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Giganta: the physical benchmark
DC’s official profile calls Giganta one of Wonder Woman’s deadliest enemies and says her size and shape-shifting abilities are rivaled only by her scientific genius. The profile also states that few members of the rogues gallery can match Diana in a physical fight. Her first appearance is listed as Wonder Woman #9 (1944).
Giganta’s origin changes with the continuity. In the Golden Age she began as an artificially mutated ape. After the Crisis, she was Dr. Doris Zeul, a scientist with a rare blood disease. A later account connects the name to size-changing powers. Any single biography that merges these versions misrepresents the character.
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Maxwell Lord and the Infinite Crisis episode
Maxwell Lord earns a place for one conflict rather than for long-running rivalry. DC’s retrospective describes the Wonder Woman #219 and Infinite Crisis episode in which Lord used his mind-control abilities to make Superman his puppet. Diana was the only one who could stand in Superman’s way, and the retrospective frames her decision to kill Lord as the way she saved Superman under the circumstances Lord had created.
Rank #4
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The distinction matters. Lord is the villain of that episode. Superman is the weapon he seized, not the underlying antagonist, and listing him as one of Diana’s enemies would reverse the story’s logic.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The Children of Ares: manipulators, not nemeses
The Children of Ares are most useful to this list as a warning about labels. DC’s retrospective says they caused civil unrest in Washington, D.C., and manipulated Power Girl into believing Wonder Woman was her mortal enemy in Wonder Woman #41. In that story Power Girl is the opponent in the fight, and the Children of Ares are the manipulators behind it. Calling every combatant a lasting Wonder Woman nemesis obscures that difference.
Where to start reading
DC’s product page for Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles describes a graphic novel that collects major and memorable battles, including those with Ares, Cheetah and Medusa. The listing gives a page count of 168, an on-sale date of February 8, 2017, and a U.S. price of $9.99. Those are the published specifications at the time of listing, not a current price or availability. Check the edition and retailer stock before buying.
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- Wonder Woman is based on her look from the Wonder Woman #1 comic
- Incredibly detailed 7” scale figure, designed with Ultra Articulation with up to 22 moving parts for full range of posing and play
- Accessories include 4 extra hands and base
- Also includes English-only reprint Wonder Woman #1 comic book
- Included collectible art card with character art on the front, and character biography on the back
The collection is a good way to see several of the battles discussed here, but it is a selection of stories rather than a complete guide to Wonder Woman’s enemies, and it does not rank them.
What the published sources do not settle
No DC-published source establishes a canonical list or order of Wonder Woman’s 15 greatest enemies. The published material does not measure popularity, and it does not establish which figures fans or editors consider most important. The profiles and retrospective quoted here document character details, consequential battles and one related collection; they do not resolve how those details should be weighted. Readers who want a definitive order will need to make their own choice using the criteria above.
Quick Recap
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