Wonder Woman is famous for her Magic Lasso. Also known as the Lariat of Truth or Golden Perfect, it is capable of compelling even the gods themselves. However, as committed as she is to the ideal of Truth, Diana does keep some secrets regarding the Lasso. Yet she revealed one of these secrets to Batman during a recent adventure.
Written by Tom King, with art by Guillem March, Wonder Woman #21 concerns a murder mystery on Mount Olympus. The god of war, Ares, was found dead, and Hippolyta, recently elevated to godhood, was the prime suspect. To save her mother, Diana brought Batman in to help her investigate the crime. However, someone attacked Batman with a thunderbolt stolen from Zeus. This left Diana to investigate the crime alone as the Dark Knight recovered.
Thankfully, while not trained as a detective, Diana was far from stupid. However, her efforts to uncover the truth behind Ares’ death exposed other secrets that the gods would keep quiet. This led Hephaestus to turn the Lasso of Truth against Wonder Woman, intending to kill her. However, Diana was able to trick the god of smiths, convincing him that Batman was behind him and ready to attack.
Later, Wonder Woman related the story to Batman and how she thought she was close to finding the true killer. Ever curious, Batman wondered how Diana was able to lie while bound within her own lasso. And ever honest, Diana told him the secret of how she resisted her own weapon.
Wonder Woman is strong enough to resist the lasso
Diana reminded Bruce that the Lasso of Truth does not automatically force a person to tell the truth. It allows the wielder of the lasso to compel those bound in it to speak the truth. This is an important distinction.
While the Lasso of Truth is sufficiently powerful to command even a god to obey it, a sufficiently strong-willed individual can potentially defy the magic and voice a falsehood. This fact was what enabled Wonder Woman to trick Hephaestus, in spite of the magical geas upon her. Batman seemed unsurprised, telling Diana that the Lasso of Truth may be “more powerful than Olympus, but not more powerful than you.”
Wonder Woman #21 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
