Hippolyta

> Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you. You have been my greatest love. Today, you are my greatest sorrow.
>
> Hippolyta to Diana, Wonder Woman (film)

**Hippolyta** is the Queen of the Amazons, a former lover of Zeus and mother to Diana. Due to the bad influence that the spirit of war of Ares was having on humanity, Hippolyta was created by the Old Gods together with her Amazon sisters to bring peace to the Man's World. During this time, Hippolyta participated in many battles, including the first invasion of Earth by the New Gods of Apokolips. However, years later the Amazons were subdued by Ares and enslaved by the Man's World. Determined, Hippolyta created a great rebellion in order to free the Amazons from the slavery, at the same time that the Gods went to war with Ares. So Zeus created Themyscira to protect his creation, the Amazons and his daughter Diana. Living in peace for years.

Many years after this, during World War I, when pilot Steve Trevor arrived in Themyscira, Hippolyta and her Amazons sisters killed the German soldiers following Steve Trevor. After being informed about the war in the world, her daughter Diana decided to escape with Steve to kill Ares and end the war. Hippolyta reluctantly allowed this, not before warning her daughter that she might never be able to return to the island.

Over a hundred years later, the New God Steppenwolf came to Themyscira via a boom tube to claim the Mother Box found on Themyscira. Hippolyta and the Amazons tried to stop Steppenwolf and his Parademons, but failed in their mission. Because of this, Hippolyta decided to light the flame in the Shrine of the Amazons to warn Diana about the coming of an invasion.

## Biography

### Creation

> So the gods created us, the Amazons, to influence men's hearts with love and restore peace to the Earth.
>
> Hippolyta to Diana, Wonder Woman (film)

Shortly after Zeus supposedly created humanity, his malevolent son, Ares, attempted to corrupt them, fueling humanity with rage, hate, and bloodlust. As a result, Zeus created the Amazons as a way to help guide humanity and spread love.

### Invasion of Earth

 File:Amazons surrounding a Mother Box (ZSJL).png
At some point, before Diana was born, Hippolyta and her fellow Amazons allied themselves with the Old Gods, Mankind, the Atlanteans and a Green Lantern ally to fight a young Darkseid and his army of Parademons and Priests, who had come to conquer and terraform the Earth into a planet similar to Apokolips. The war was eventually won by the alliance and Darkseid's army retreated, leaving the three Mother Boxes behind. The boxes were left under the control of Mankind, the Amazons and the Atlanteans.

### Escaping slavery and bearing a child

> With his dying breath, Zeus created this island to hide us from the outside world, somewhere Ares could not find us. And all has been quiet ever since.
>
> Hippolyta to Diana, Wonder Woman (film)

 File:Fight for Freedom.jpg
Sometime after Darkseid's attempted invasion, Ares induced war among humanity again, which lead to them warring with and enslaving the Amazons. Hippolyta and her sister Antiope, however, fought back against Ares and their captors, and succeeded in freeing their people.

Meanwhile, Ares also rebelled against the other Old Gods for not sharing his bloodlust and anti-human sentiment, starting the devastating War of the Gods. Through his rage, he killed his divine family off one by one, until only Zeus remained. After defeating and banishing Ares from Olympus, Zeus conceived a demigod child with Hippolyta, a child capable of one day defeating and killing Ares (therefore known as the "Godkiller"), a daughter named Diana.

Using the last of his divine powers, Zeus created the paradise island of Themyscira as a safe haven for the Hippolyta and the newly freed Amazons, concealing it from Ares, ensuring that the Godkiller Diana would grow up safely.

### Raising Diana

> I wished for you so much so, I sculpted you from clay myself and begged Zeus to give you life.
>
> Hippolyta to Diana about her fake origin, Wonder Woman (film)

 File:Young Diana and Hippolyta.jpg
As Diana grew up, Hippolyta intentionally deceived her - instead of revealing Diana's true demigod heritage, she claimed to have personally sculpted her daughter from clay, after which Zeus brought her to life. This was partially because Hippolyta didn't want her beloved daughter to face Ares, and partially because the sooner Diana learned the truth, the easier it would be for Ares to find her. As such, Hippolyta initially strictly forbade Diana to even learn Amazonian combat.

### Allowing Diana to train

> You will train her harder than any Amazon before her. Five times harder, ten times harder. Until she is better than even you. But she must never known the truth about what she is or how she came to be.
>
> Hippolyta to Antiope, Wonder Woman (film)

Eventually, Hippolyta caught Antiope training Diana in the grounds. Furious, she sent Diana back to the palace and chastised her sister for disobeying her orders. Antiope argued that Diana had to be trained as it was her fate as not only an Amazon, but as the Godkiller and that Hippolyta could not protect Diana forever. Hippolyta relented, though told Antiope that she must train Diana harder than any Amazon so that she would not only match Antiope, but surpass her.

### German invasion

> What is your mission?
>
> Hippolyta to Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman (film)

After many years and Diana eventually growing to adulthood, Hippolyta oversaw one of her daughter's training exercises. Diana fares well, but drops her guard with Antiope who overpowers her which caused Diana to accidentally triggered her latent powers and knocked out Antiope with a shock wave from her vambraces. Hippolyta showed regret at allowing Diana to train.

 File:Wonder Woman (2017) Hippolyta after German invasion.png
When Germans pursued Steve Trevor to Themyscira, Hippolyta personally took part in the battle, cutting down several soldiers with ease. However, by the end, she lost many of her people and Antiope. She came very close to killing Steve out of anger and grief, only talked down by the words of Diana. When Steve told the Amazons of the ongoing war she responded with horror, but told her people and Diana that they were forbidden to leave the island as they had no part in the wars of the outside world.

### Allowing Diana to leave

> You have been my greatest love. Today, you are my greatest sorrow.
>
> Hippolyta to Diana, Wonder Woman (film)

 File:Hippolyta in Wonder Woman film.jpeg
Hippolyta met Diana on the shore of Themyscira after she took a suit of armor, the Godkiller sword, and a shield from the armory. Knowing she couldn't convince Diana to stay, Hippolyta gave her Antiope's tiara and told her to live up to its legacy. She told Diana to be careful in the world of men, saying Diana was her greatest love and her greatest sorrow.

### Encounter with Steppenwolf

 File:Hippolyta challenges Steppenwolf (ZSJL).png

> The fire has not burned for 5,000 years. Men won't know what it means."
> "Men won't. She will.
>
> Menalippe and Hippolyta, Justice League (film)

With the Earth left defenseless against the greater threats of the universe, Steppenwolf, the herald of Darkseid, traveled back to Earth through a boom tube connected to the Mother Box kept at the Penetralium. Hippolyta and her Amazons, upon receiving report of the Box's sudden activity, were present and awaiting the arrival of the Apokiliptian warrior.

 File:Hippolyta warning (ZSJL).png

> Listen to me, Diana.
>
> Hippolyta, Justice League (film)

After a bloody battle, Hippolyta and the Amazons fail to prevent the Mother Box from being taken by Steppenwolf. Knowing of the incoming threat, the Queen of the Amazons proceeds to warn her daughter of the incoming danger by shooting an enchanted fiery arrow, traveling miles until it hits the Shrine of the Amazons. Diana heard the of the strange fire on the news and immediately understands the message, warning her of the incoming invasion.

### Knightmare

In a possible apocalyptic future where the forces of Darkseid managed to successfully invade and terraform the Earth, Hippolyta was present to grieve for the death of her beloved daughter Diana who was given a funeral pyre on the island. Hippolyta and the rest of the Amazons could be seen mourning at the event even as Darkseid and his forces loomed over the island, basking in their oncoming victory.

## Personality

> Evil does not sleep. It waits.
>
> Hippolyta, Zack Snyder's Justice League

Hippolyta is an extremely capable and skilled leader, as well as an equally courageous warrior, evident in how she saved her fellow Amazons from human slavery as the War of the Gods broke out. However, Hippolyta's experiences have also made her very embittered against humanity (adamantly believing that the race was no longer worth saving) and very overprotective of her daughter Diana (much like how Jonathan Kent would later be of Clark), to the point of outright deceitfulness and strict rules against Diana even learning Amazonian combat. Hippolyta would ultimately, however, allow adult Diana to leave Themyscira with Steve Trevor, on a quest to save "Man's World" from Ares.

## Powers and abilities

### Powers

* **Amazonian physiology**: By design from the Old Gods, Hippolyta is an evolved like-human possessing strength, stamina, agility, and other capabilities superior to a human being.
	+ **Superhuman strength**:  File:Hippolyta's Strength.jpeg  Hippolyta has a superhumanly strong, which allowed her to quickly and easily defeat many German soldiers at once and kill hordes of Parademons during the First Invasion of Earth. A remarkable feat of strength was to catching a young Diana out of the air with a single arm as her daughter jumped down from one cliff-side walkway ledge to another, with no visible strain.
	+ **Superhuman durability**: Hippolyta's body is more resistant to physical damage than the body of a human being. Due this durability, Hippolyta has a high level of resistance to blunt force trauma, as demonstrated when she was completely unharmed after being knocked off her horse by Steppenwolf. However, Hippolyta can be wounded by very sharp objects with sufficient force or bullets, leading Hippolyta to compensate with her sword and battle armor when gun-wielding Germans invaded Themyscira.
	+ **Superhuman agility**: Hippolyta naturally has greater agility, dexterity, balance and body coordination than a normal human being. She jump on horseback and cut off the German soldiers before they could react properly, as well as dodge and react very quickly to their attacks.
	+ **Superhuman stamina**: Hippolyta's musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of humans. With this, she does not need to slow down or catch her breath during the battle against the invading Germans during the First World War.
	+ **Longevity**: Hippolyta, due to being an Amazon, blessed by the gods, had lived for millennia without visibly aging (with her predating the War of the Gods and the creation of Themyscira by Zeus).

### Abilities

* **Master combatant**:  File:Hippolyta-fight.jpg  Hippolyta is extremely skilled, fierce, and formidable in both armed and hand-to-hand combat, a master of a vast array of uniquely Amazon martial arts, with centuries of combat experience (having been around since before Themyscira existed), having fought to free her Amazon sisters from human slavery, seconded only by her sister Antiope. Therefore, Hippolyta defeated many invading German soldiers and killed entire hordes of Parademons with relative ease.
	+ **Sword mastery**: Hippolyta is an extremely skilled and formidable swordsman, with centuries of experience wielding his sword in many battles, including in the First Steppenwolf Invasion. Therefore, she defeated many invading German soldiers using her sword and killed many Parademons during the Steppenwolf Invasion
* **Expert archer**: Hippolyta, is an expert archer. having shot precise arrows at Steppenwolf and later send one arrow as a message to her daughter Diana about the incoming danger.
* **Expert leader**: Hippolyta, as the Queen of the Amazons, is held with great honor and respect by her people, with them even sacrificing themselves for her, showing that she is an extremely skilled and capable leader.
* **Expert deceiver**: Hippolyta is highly skilled in deception and covert information withholding, as she lied to her daughter Diana for centuries as the latter grew up, never revealing her true heritage as the demigod "god killer", and instead claiming that she had sculpted Diana from clay, after which Zeus had brought the girl to life. Indeed, Hippolyta's deceptions were so persuasive, that Diana never thought to question them until Ares revealed to her the truth, while restrained by the Lasso of Hestia.
* **Omnilingualism**: Hippolyta, as an Amazon, has the ability to fluently speak, read, and understand all human languages (even currently dead ones, like Ancient Greek, Latin, Sumerian, or Ottoman Turkish), as well as to instinctively identify a language's name when seeing it's written form. Hence, she spoke fluent English when Steve Trevor visited the island.

## Equipment

### Weapons

* **Sword**: Amazonian sword that Hippolyta wields in battle. It is strong enough to cut multiple materials.
* **Bow and Arrows**: Amazonian forged weaponry that Hippolyta wields in battle.
	+ **Arrow of Artemis**: An arrow once belonging to Artemis of the Old Gods which Hippolyta used to light the ancient signal fire of the Amazons to warn Diana of Steppenwolf's arrival.

### Other Equipment

* **First armor**: Dressed in her royal attire, Hippolyta wears a brown leather top that covers most of her upper body to her neck, there is a cutout of an Eagle (the symbol of her lover Zeus) where her breastplate would go while wearing her battle armor. A matching brown and silver belt plate in both of her attires. Below is a brown leather loincloth along with long brown slit gown. Hippolyta also wears a very long cloak that has fur along her shoulders and back, the cloak drags behind her as she walks.
* **Second armor**: Hippolyta's second armor is similar to her first armor but it's design matches Diana's. her colors are more brown and gold. Her top goes up to her neck and has shoulder armor on both her shoulders. She bears the gold eagle on her breastplate, like Diana, but with greater detail added to it. On her head is her gold crown, and finally on her wrists are her gold Bracelets of Submission.

## Relationships

* Menalippe - sister in law
* Diana/Wonder Woman - daughter

Allies* Old Gods
	+ Zeus † - creator and former lover
	+ Artemis †
* Amazons - subjects
	+ Acantha
	+ Timandra
	+ Aella
	+ Artemis
	+ Egeria
	+ Epione
	+ Mnemosyne
	+ Niobe
	+ Phillipus
	+ Orana †
	+ Penthesilea †
	+ Trigona †
	+ Venelia †
	+ Euboea
* Atlantean Army
	+ King Atlan † - situational ally
* Yalan Gur † - situational ally
* Steve Trevor - situational ally
	+ Darkseid
	+ Steppenwolf †
	+ Apokoliptian priests †
	+ DeSaad
* Parademons
* Ares † - ally turned enemy
* Imperial German Army

## Behind the scenes

* On January 15, 2015 it was announced that Connie Nielsen would play Hippolyta in *Wonder Woman*. Prior to her casting in *Wonder Woman*, Nielsen was a contender for the role of Lara Lor-Van in *Man of Steel*.
	+ According to Connie Nielsen, it was Zack Snyder who initially recommended her to be cast in the role, when communicating with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.
* Nicole Kidman was offered the role of Hippolyta but she passed on the role because of scheduling conflicts.
* Christiaan Schodel was a stunt double for Connie Nielsen in the role of Hippolyta.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 *Wonder Woman*
Terrio, Chris, Whedon, Joss (writers) & Snyder, Zack (director) (November 17, 2017). *Justice League*.

## External links

The ***DC Extended Universe Wiki** has a collection of images and media related to* **Hippolyta***.*
* File:Favicon.png Hippolyta on DC Database
* File:WP favicon.png Hippolyta on Wikipedia

de:Hippolyta
es:Hipólita
fr:Hippolyte