Is Wonder Woman bulletproof?

I think of bulletproof people in the same way as I think of myself being, 'punch proof'. Getting punched in the face is (probably) not going to kill me, but I'm for sure going to try to prevent it happening.

We are basically dealing with several concepts here.

1) She was originally envisioned during the era in which Superman was "stronger than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet..." and, as such, fit into that general category of "not actually invulnerable to sufficiently determined and well-armed humans." (The Golden Age of comics)
2) Comic book power levels vary, including within the same book, and generally have some measure of "heroic willpower" involved.
3) Thus, the Bracers of Deflect Projectiles +10 were originally a useful item.
4) During the "Silver Age" of comics, character power grew to such a level that the bracers were utterly unnecessary against bullets. However, they still served to deflect blasts from cosmic-level threats, and were thus useful.
5) As character power levels have been in decline since then, the bracers' utility has again increased.

Ultimately, from a utility perspective, 99% of the time, the bracers are auto-deflecting projectiles which are not a threat. The benefit comes from the remaining 1%, and in this respect, offer very useful protection.

And, given that enemies tend to be uncooperative and may attack at any time, there is no way for her to know for certain when the bracers will be needed. And, given the wide variety of superpowers in the DC universe, there is no way of knowing for sure which threats can be ignored, and which threats must be deflected.

So, the utility equation comes down to "wear them at all times".

And that is the boring math-based answer.

Edit: I just realized that I did not, in fact, answer the question in the headline. Note that I am not a ballistics expert, and welcome better numbers.

The simple answer is "yes". "Bulletproof" does not mean "immune to bullets". It means, at minimum, "can block at least one round of standard ammunition under good conditions".

The longer answer is that it actually takes very little to be very bullet-proof, and that most superhero universes actually underpower their superheroes. How, you ask? Well, let us use physics, and another female superhero; Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Now, I cannot recall the exact quote, but it is stated early on that vampires are about 3-4 times faster and stronger than a normal human, and that slayers are stronger and faster. If we give slayers an easy 5 times faster and stronger than a normal human, physics-based, as opposed to narrative-based, math gives us some surprising numbers.

First, we have a slayer chase down a vampire. At 5 times stronger than a normal human, early-series Buffy will experience an acceleration of about *10 m/s. As a short, muscular woman, Buffy probably weighs in at 60 kg. That's a force of 600 Newtons.

Here's where it gets interesting: How tough does Buffy need to be? Well, if she were an average human cheerleader, she would accelerate at about 2.5 m/s (estimated), and her weight would be unchanged. At that speed, she would experience a force of 150 Newtons. So 4 times tougher, right?

We're not done yet. We've yet to see a single punch.

An average human punch travels at about 12.5 kph (20 mph). That approximates very closely to 3.5 m/s. The average human arm is 10% of body weight, the average human hand is 5% (IIRC). With an average striking mass of an arm punch of 9 kg, that would have a kinetic impact of pretty much 110 Joules.

Buffy, OTOH, our example Slayer, would punch "five times faster", and thus punch at 17.5 m/s, and a kinetic energy of pretty much 2,750 Joules...Without training. She also resists punches beyond that range, as she has fought two other slayers in the early seasons (Kendra and Faith).

So, in short, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is, or should be, bulletproof. Thus, by transitive property, Wonder Woman is bulletproof.

* Taken from this webpage, estimating down to 2 m/s: https://www.wired.com/2012/08/maximum-acceleration-in-the-100-m-dash/

I'm not sure that I necessarily buy into all of that. Wouldn't the force of a punch be spread across a larger surface (the fist) than the force of a bullet?

As a related question, would Buffy or WW be immune to arrows?

Johnny3D3D said:

I'm not sure that I necessarily buy into all of that. Wouldn't the force of a punch be spread across a larger surface (the fist) than the force of a bullet?

As a related question, would Buffy or WW be immune to arrows?

Click to expand...

That is true, and also why I was careful to note that bulletproof does not mean "immune to bullets". The word "bulletproof" comes from early gunpowder warfare; the "bullet proof" *was the dent left in the armour after it had been shot once in testing. Since a second bullet was unlikely to hit in the same spot, and since tempered steel, which was widespread at that point, bent or broke rather than shattering, this did not **generally compromise the integrity of the armour.

As a final note, the test shot would be taken at a significant distance; the ball shot by a 17th-century musket exited the barrel at supersonic speeds, but after ***about fifty yards, dropped to sub-sonic speeds. Thus, within fifty yards, your best chance was most likely luck, speed, irregular movement, and use of cover, as able.

For a modern note, it is my understanding that bulletproof vests come in ratings from I to VI (in Roman numerals); with ratings of IV and above being open to only military purchase in the US. Each rating designates that the vest will stop at least one bullet of a certain calibre and kinetic energy.

So, to conclude, given that ordinary humans have survived a single bullet; and indeed, quite a few more; ordinary humans qualify for a certain degree of bulletproof over some areas of our bodies.

* Disputed; evidence is inconsistent; may have been regional and/or varied over time.
** Obviously, this would weaken the armour a little, and is possibly the reason why the evidence seems to vary by time and region.
*** Sources seem consistent on this.

All data AFAIK, and from internet research. Better data welcomed.

Edit: Edited for spelling and grammar.

You're correct. There are different grades of modern armor. Typically, they use the same vest, but the inserts are different.

There are also promising results from modern "Dragon Skin."

I'm curious about the arrows in relation to superheroes because arrows deliver impact differently and have been shown to be able to penetrate some armors which bullets struggle to penetrate. This is of interest when talking about superheroes because it would lend some credibility to why Hawkeye and Green Arrow use seemingly-outdated weapons.

Johnny3D3D said:

You're correct. There are different grades of modern armor. Typically, they use the same vest, but the inserts are different.

There are also promising results from modern "Dragon Skin."

I'm curious about the arrows in relation to superheroes because arrows deliver impact differently and have been shown to be able to penetrate some armors which bullets struggle to penetrate. This is of interest when talking about superheroes because it would lend some credibility to why Hawkeye and Green Arrow use seemingly-outdated weapons.

Click to expand...

I think I will post about the physics of that, because it may be helpful. I should also re-iterate that I am still not a ballistics expert, and this is merely what I have gathered from around the internet.

Bullets are very fast, he says, stating the blatantly obvious, as an opening prequel to note that they are also very light. They are also very light. Kevlar stops bullets by breaking; as the bullet passes through the vest, Kevlar strands twist around it, slow it, and essentially *"web" it in place.
Against metal armour such as full plate, a bullet hits with such kinetic energy that almost all of the collision takes place at the moment of initial impact, so there is not nearly enough time for the bullet to be slowed to a stop. Since a bullet is light, slowing it down is very effective.
Against a Kevlar vest, an arrow cuts through the strands, limiting their ability to twist around it and stop it. In addition, an arrow is relatively heavy, meaning that the strands which do catch on it, do not do much to slow it down. In short, an arrow has **more momentum than a bullet.
On the other hand, its kinetic energy is low, meaning that it does not have the initial impact energy needed to penetrate full plate armour. Indeed, metal armour of nearly any type was generally very good at deflecting arrows. Most wounds since the invention of armour, have been to the arms, legs, and face; the most common armour being torso armour.

In short, analysis of how a super-powered character's "bulletproof" nature works may well indeed prove very useful in designing counter-measures. An arrow may well work more effectively against a character with "increased density", for example; while some form of hardened skin would more likely call for bullets.

The idea that a bow and arrow is somehow "less lethal" does have some truth to it; a bullet to an arm or leg is very likely to prove fatal if untreated due to ongoing blood loss. On the other hand, ***most arrow wounds killed due to disease rather than due to wounding; the arrow itself would seal the wound shut.

* The new Spider-man Playstation 4 game looks like great fun.
** Can vary by weight and speed of arrow and bullet. I may very well be wrong, and almost certainly am for heavier calibres of bullets.
*** Hard data is somewhat scarce, as you might imagine.

I'm not taking the conversation too seriously; it's just interesting to think about.


I'm aware that bodkin tip arrows were designed to penetrate armor better. I've seen claims that a bodkin arrow could penetrate plate up to distances of around 100 yards.

I imagine that a similar concept could be designed with super-level targets in mind. With modern materials, you could likely figure out a way to make arrows which are more lethal than medieval arrows (and looking at modern hunting arrows gives some idea of how advances in material technology have made using a bow more efficient).

In the DC universe in particular, I could imagine kryptonite tipped arrows being lethal for Superman. In the context of Wonder Woman, if Aries existed, it seems reasonable that Apollo and Artemis did as well. You'd think that gods known for archery would likely have special bows and arrows.

Johnny3D3D said:

I'm not taking the conversation too seriously; it's just interesting to think about.


I'm aware that bodkin tip arrows were designed to penetrate armor better. I've seen claims that a bodkin arrow could penetrate plate up to distances of around 100 yards.

I imagine that a similar concept could be designed with super-level targets in mind. With modern materials, you could likely figure out a way to make arrows which are more lethal than medieval arrows (and looking at modern hunting arrows gives some idea of how advances in material technology have made using a bow more efficient).

In the DC universe in particular, I could imagine kryptonite tipped arrows being lethal for Superman. In the context of Wonder Woman, if Aries existed, it seems reasonable that Apollo and Artemis did as well. You'd think that gods known for archery would likely have special bows and arrows.

Click to expand...

Oh, I know. However, in my experience on the internet, defensive posting is an unfortunate necessity. I would be glad were it not so; however, I am not sure I could believe it weren't.

Ah; that's something of a yes/no answer. Here I was speaking in general; however, the longbow was an exception. Addressing the Hundred Years' War; at the beginning of the war, longbow arrows could penetrate the armour of the day. At the end of the war, they were much less effective.

There are crossbows designed for military use when silence is a requirement, as well as for hunting. One particular design essentially reverses the bow and pulley, resulting in a long draw and quite a bit more power. Modern competition bows use pulley systems; however, I know too little about them to venture an opinion.

Kryptonite, whether literal or metaphorical, or some kind of magic, would both seem to be good advantages. Applying realism to superpower comics does get you a very different setting in many ways. And I have thought it silly that Batman does not study magic. Yes, the comics have made it clear that he hates magic; however, Batman also hates crime, socialization, and showing emotions. Those are also all things he has studied.

Johnny3D3D said:

I'm not taking the conversation too seriously; it's just interesting to think about.


I'm aware that bodkin tip arrows were designed to penetrate armor better. I've seen claims that a bodkin arrow could penetrate plate up to distances of around 100 yards.

I imagine that a similar concept could be designed with super-level targets in mind. With modern materials, you could likely figure out a way to make arrows which are more lethal than medieval arrows (and looking at modern hunting arrows gives some idea of how advances in material technology have made using a bow more efficient).

In the DC universe in particular, I could imagine kryptonite tipped arrows being lethal for Superman. In the context of Wonder Woman, if Aries existed, it seems reasonable that Apollo and Artemis did as well. You'd think that gods known for archery would likely have special bows and arrows.

Click to expand...

A tempered bodkin point shot from a 160# English Longbow at 10 yards, against tempered plate armour, might just dent or scratch the plate. Penetrate EARLY un-tempered plate? Maybe.

To get through a Kevlar vest without heavy inserts, you need to cut. A compound bow firing a swiveling broadhead would likely punch through a Level 2 vest. The head would have to swivel because if it doesn't, the rotation of the arrow in flight will reduce the penetration. A bullet bleeds its energy into the multiple layers of Kevlar faster than something like a broadhead.

There are many real-world videos of bow/crossbow vs. light armour on Youtube, the watching of which has led me to this conclusion.

** I've also put more than a few target points through wrecked car doors.