Diana of Themyscira is certainly wondrous. Made by the gods themselves, she is strong and agile enough to identify and dodge bullets The Matrix-style, and even block them. But doing so effectively doesn’t just require strength or speed — Diana has to be incredibly smart too.
In my latest Because Science, I’m trying to figure out the real secret to blocking bullets like Wonder Woman. First, what does it feel like to block a bullet? Given whatever you’re blocking with is as durable as Diana’s bracers, do the math, and there isn’t that much force behind a bullet (it’s the bullet’s small area coupled with a decent force that makes for deadly pressure).
Reaction time is also a factor, but here too, the amount of time that Wonder Woman would have to identify, react to, and block a bullet (given she could see it coming) isn’t completely unbelievable. So there must be something else to it…
If you want to block bullets like Wonder Woman, it’s going to come down to smarts because there’s one thing that’s much harder to block than a bullet: dozens of pieces of deadly shrapnel.
After you watch the new episode above, check out my last video on why Superman’s famous time reversal technique would spell disaster for the rest of us, subscribe to this playlist to stay current with the show, buy a Because Science shirt, mug, hat, or collectible pin, and follow me on Twitter to give me a suggestion for the next episode or on Instagram where I’m now posting extra mini-episodes!
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More DC Superhero Nerdery!
- Superman’s time reversal technique would kill us all!
- Could the Flash take a hands-free photo of himself?
- Wonder Woman’s sword is the sharpest thing in the universe
