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Wonder Woman
Real Name: Diana
Nicknames: The Amazing Amazon
Former Aliases: Wonder Girl; Wonder Tot
Other Current Aliases: Diana Prince
Status
Occupation: Emissary to the world of Man, Protector of Paradise Island
Legal Status: Citizen of Themyscira, formerly Princess of Themyscira
Identity: Public
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: Justice League of America
Base of Operations: Themyscira; formerly JLA Watchtower
Origin
Born on Paradise Island, Princess Diana was given great powers by the Gods. She left her homeland and became an emissary to the world of Man.
Place of Birth: Themyscira
Known Relatives: Wonder Woman (Queen Hippolyta) (mother, deceased), Donna Troy (magically created clone)
First Appearance: ALL-STAR COMICS Vol. 1 #8 (December, 1941-January, 1942); (Current Version) WONDER WOMAN Vol. 2 #1 (February, 1987)
History
Pre-Crisis Era
(Golden Age/Earth-Two)
Diana found Steve Trevor, an American sailor who washed ashore when his ship was destroyed by Nazis. She assisted the Allies as Wonder Woman during World War II posing as a nurse named Diana Prince. She later joined the JSA and the All-Star Squadron. Eventually, Diana married Steve Trevor and gave birth to a daughter named Hippolyta "Lyta" Trevor. Lyta grew up to become the superheroine Fury of Infinity, Inc.
(Silver Age/Earth-One)
The origin is similar, but Diana met Steve Trevor long after the end of the Second World War on this world. Soon after coming to Man's World, Wonder Woman saved the infant Donna Troy from a burning house fire. Donna was raised on Paradise Island as the adopted daughter of Queen Hippolyta, and thus Diana's adoptive sister. She returned to Man's World as the teenaged Wonder Girl of the Teen Titans. Meanwhile, Diana had become a founding member of the Justice League of America.
I Ching Era
Wonder-Woman in the 1970s
At the end of the 1960s, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers to remain in "Man's World" (partly to assist Steve Trevor, who was facing criminal charges) rather than accompany her fellow Amazons into another dimension so they could "restore their magick."
Now a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince soon came under the wing of a Chinese mentor known as I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana was trained to use her body as a weapon, learning martial arts and weapons skills, and proceeded to undertake secret agent-style adventures.
The new format of the comic book was strongly influenced by the Emma Peel era of the then-popular British spy series The Avengers. It also bore some similarities to the later TV series Kung Fu, with Diana being an inexperienced student to I Ching's master. Diana Prince also resembled the golden age Black Canary, who ran a flower shop by day, fought crime by night, and had a detective boyfriend, while Diana Prince ran a boutique, fought crime, and had private detective allies in Tim Trench and Jonny Double. Soon after the "new" Wonder Woman began, the editors removed one-by-one her connections to the superhero world, most notably killing off Steve Trevor (though the character would later be revived). One exception was a one-on-one confrontation with Catwoman.
This period of the comic book has its supporters and its detractors. Some critics welcomed the change from campy super-heroics to more serious, "topical" storytelling in the wake of the Batman TV series. Others felt that the comic had abandoned its history. Storylines included secret agent-style plots, as well as some occult tales. One controversial cover showed Diana Prince brandishing a machine gun and firing at an airplane; contrary to the traditional depiction of Wonder Woman, the updated version of Diana Prince was not against killing in order to defend herself or others.
The revised series attracted some writers not normally associated with comic books, most notably science fiction author Samuel R. Delany, who wrote two issues.
This storyline lasted for two years, with Wonder Woman finally being restored to her powers and costume in the early '70s. Part of the credit for the revival of Wonder Woman as a superhero was due to a campaign in which feminist Gloria Steinem - who was offended to see the most famous female superhero depowered - had a hand. The 1972 first issue of Steinem's Ms. Magazine featured Wonder Woman in her 1940s costume on the cover, and contained an essay in appreciation of the character. Ironically, the change in format was originally an acknowledgement of the Women's liberation movement. The I Ching era, despite the controversy, would continue to resonate for some years to come, both in the comic book and in live action adaptations of Wonder Woman a few years later. The 1974 Cathy Lee Crosby telefilm, and the second and third seasons of Lynda Carter's popular series (see below), would borrow heavily from the characterization of Diana Prince in the early 1970s.
Following the return of the "original" Wonder Woman to the comic books, a major two-year story arc consisted of the heroine's attempt to be readmitted to the Justice League of America, the organization she quit after giving up her powers. To prove her worthiness to rejoin the JLA, Wonder Woman voluntarily underwent 12 "trials" (analogous to the 12 labors of Hercules), each of which was monitored in secret by a different member of the JLA.
Wonder Woman had barely won readmittance to the JLA when DC Comics ordered another format change. The popularity of the Wonder Woman TV series, which was initially set during World War II, resulted in DC setting the comic book in this era as well (this was made possible due to DC Comics' multiverse concept, which established that the 1970s Wonder Woman and the 1940s original version lived on two separate, yet parallel, worlds: The 1970s version on "Earth-One", and the 1940s version on "Earth-Two"). When the TV series later changed its setting to the 1970s, the comic book followed suit.
Wonder Woman fought a series of "epic" battles through the 1970s and 1980s, until the character was thought to have been slain during Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986. But in reality, she had been thrown backwards through time, devolving back into the clay from which she had been formed. Thus setting the stage for her eventual re-vamping.
Post-Crisis Era
The soul of Hippolyta's lost child was given life in clay and blessed by the gods on Paradise Island. Hippolyta herself joined the JSA during a time traveling adventure acting as Wonder Woman. Diana took the name of Wonder Woman while acting as ambassador to the outside world. She adopted her costume from an American woman who had given her life to protect Themiscyra years earlier.
Post-Crisis, Wonder Woman was rebooted in 1987. Writer Greg Potter, who previously created the Jemm, Son of Saturn series for DC, was hired to rework the character. He spent several months behind the scenes working with editor Janice Race on new concepts before being joined by writer/artist George Pérez. Potter dropped out of writing the series after issue #2, and Perez became the sole plotter with help from writer Len Wein, who wrote the series' finished dialogue.
Comic book fans and critics consider Perez's 60-issue run one of the highlights of Wonder Woman's history. Pérez and Potter gave her a pro-woman personality, and Perez's extensive research into Greek mythology gave more depth and verisimilitude to Wonder Woman's world than in her previous incarnation.
In her new incarnation, Wonder Woman was Diana, a princess and an emissary from Paradise Island (called Themyscira) to Patriarch's world (read: man's world). She possessed incredibly stunning beauty, a gift from the goddess Aphrodite. From Athena, she received the gift of wisdom; from Demeter, the power and strength of the earth; from Hestia, sisterhood with fire; and from Artemis, a rapport with animals and the instincts and prowess of a hunter. Finally, from the god Hermes, she received the gift of speed and the power of flight.
Wonder Woman did not keep her identity a secret, and she was not at first a "superheroine". Indeed, her character was in many ways that of a babe in the woods, innocent and without guile. Diana spoke only Themyscirian, a combination of classical Greek and Turkish. She had to learn English when she arrived in America, rather than knowing the language intuitively. Nonetheless, Diana was trained as a warrior and had no compunction against using deadly force when called for. Through Pérez's tenure on the book, Diana dealt with war, injustice, inequality, death, and conflicts involving the Olympian Gods.
The supporting characters of the comic were altered as well. For instance, Steve Trevor was changed into an Air Force officer considerably older than Diana's apparent age, thus sidestepping the traditional romance between the two. Instead, Trevor became involved with Etta Candy, who herself became a mature military officer of good standing and a large, but realistic physique. The Greek war god Ares and the Greek witch Circe eventually were written to become two of Diana's greatest enemies. Diana's enemy list also included the Cheetah who was a woman who could transform into a powerful and ferocious feline-humanoid creature.
After Pérez left the series, other writers and artists tried to follow in his footsteps, with varying degrees of success. William Messner-Loebs wrote the character respectfully and the series sold well, but the artwork done by Mike Deodato portrayed the Amazon in skimpy outfits and sexualized poses, which drew criticism from feminists, and also portrayed all the Amazons as exclusively Caucasian,( with the exception of Phillipus),including the Amazon, Euboea, who was already established as being of Asian descent during Perez's run.. His most remembered contribution to the title though was the introduction of the red-headed Amazon Artemis, who eventually took over the title of Wonder Woman for a short time. John Byrne later tried a "back to basics" approach with mixed reviews, including a period with Diana's mother Hippolyta as Wonder Woman. Phil Jimenez produced a run which was likened in some ways to Pérez's, particularly since Jimenez' art bears a striking resemblance to his.
Recently, the writing on the series was turned over to Greg Rucka, whose initial story arc involved a book Wonder Woman had written which caused controversy. The initial arc was full of political subtexts, but more recent storylines have involved the mythology aspect.
Infinite Crisis Era
Wonder Woman took a dark turn during 2005, particularly in the final portion of the four part "Sacrifice" storyline, one of the major lead-ins to Infinite Crisis. Issue #219 of the current Wonder Woman title ("Sacrifice," Part 4) ended with Diana breaking the long-standing do-not-kill code of DC superheroes. While under the mind control of Maxwell Lord, Superman brutally beat Batman and engaged in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she was his enemy, Doomsday. During the fight with Superman, she realized that even if she could somehow beat Superman the problem would not be solved, because he'd still be under the absolute mental control of Max Lord. She created a diversion that lasted long enough for her to race back to Max Lord and demand he tell her how to free Superman of his control. Bound in her lasso of truth Max replied, "Kill me," and Wonder Woman snapped his neck. (See The OMAC Project for more about this storyline.)
The ramifications of this action are expected to resonate in the future; her relationships with both Superman and Batman are seriously strained. (The cover of #220 shows Wonder Woman being arrested by police; however, no such event actually occurs within the issue itself. Wonder Woman voluntarily surrendered to the authorities in issue #222.) The status of Wonder Woman amongst the other heroes and the public at large is uncertain; in the final pages of The OMAC Project, the Brother Eye satellite (the deranged Artificial Intelligence controlling the OMACs) broadcast the footage of Wonder Woman murdering Maxwell Lord, preceded by the word MURDER, to media outlets all over the world.
This isn't the first time Wonder Woman has been shown "crossing the line". In Mark Waid's mini-series Kingdom Come, Wonder Woman is also shown taking a life, albeit in battle and directly in order to save the life of another. However, it should be noted that Kingdom Come takes place in an alternate reality's future, and is therefore not canonical.
In Issue #221, Wonder Woman defended herself from several OMACs who attacked her in her own home. Having repelled the assailants, she was delivering an injured boy to the hospital at the close of the issue and saw a broadcast of the damaging video on the waiting room's television. She witnessed first-hand how people viewing the footage reacted with fear and revulsion; Brother Eye had managed to kill the faith the world had in her. At the start of Infinite Crisis, Batman and Superman distrust her: the latter can only see her as a coldblooded murderer, the former sees in her an expression of the mentality that led several members of the League to decide to mindwipe their villains. (When he tried to stop the League from mindwiping Dr. Light after the villain brutally raped Sue Dibny, Batman's memory was also altered.)
To make matters worse, in Infinite Crisis #2 Brother Eye, acting out of vengeance for the murder of Lord, initiated the final protocol Truth and Justice which aims at the elimination of all Amazons. A full-scale invasion of Themyscira is set into motion, utilizing every remaining OMAC. Diana and her countrywomen, now isolated and alienated from the outside world, are fighting for their lives. In Infinite Crisis #3, the Amazons prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon. However, Wonder Woman realizes that Brother Eye is watching and transmitting, and that unleashing such destructive violence would only exacerbate the effects of her killing of Maxwell Lord. After the weapon (the Purple Ray of Death) is used once, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut it down. She then calls upon Athena, who transports Paradise Island and the Amazons remaining on it to another dimension. However, Wonder Woman chooses not to join them, and is left to face the OMACs alone.
The second Wonder Woman series was among several series that were cancelled at the conclusion of the Infinite Crisis storyline, specifically as part of the "One Year Later..." event focused around the weekly series 52. The final issue was #226. At the end of Infinite Crisis, we see Diana giving up the mantle of Wonder Woman to get in touch with her "human" side. This is probably inspired by her meeting with the Wonder Woman of Earth 2.
One Year Later
In June 2006, a third Volume of Wonder Woman was launched with Allan Heinberg as writer and Terry Dodson on Art. Taking place one year after Infinite Crisis, Diana has passed on the mantle of Wonder Woman to Donna Troy and is currently working under the mantle of Diana Prince, a secret agent. This is strikingly similar to her Pre-Crisis "I ching" era. Whether or not Diana will take up the mantle of Wonder Woman again remains to be seen.
Characteristics
Height: 6'
Weight: 165 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Unusual Features: Large breasts
Powers
Known Powers: Diana recieved gifts of power from the Gods:
Beauty: Granted by Aphrodite (Goddess of Love).
Wisdom: Granted by Athena (Goddess of Wisdom). possesses great wisdom and intelligence, though the degree varies from author to author. She is among the most intelligent members of the Justice League of America, along with the Martian Manhunter and Batman.
Super-Strength: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of the Earth). Diana is literally as strong as the earth because of her link to the planet granted to her by Demeter. She is quite possibly capable of lifting anything on earth.
Super Stamina: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of the Earth). Diana's stamina gives her incredible resistance to blunt force trauma, capable of shrugging off punches from beings such as Superman and Captain Marvel. However, Diana's skin is not totally invulnerable and can be pierced by sharp projectiles with sufficient force distributed over a small surface area (such as bullets).
Magical Resistance: Born of the clay of Themyscira, and given life and divine powers by the gods themselves, Diana has heightened resistance to magical attacks. She is highly experienced in battling foes who use sorcery as a weapon. As a divine creation herself, she is less susceptible to manipulation by magic than many of her fellow powerhouse heroes.
Enhanced Healing: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of Earth). Like the Earth, Diana is constantly renewing herself, allowing her to quickly heal. In cases where she was gravely injured or poisoned, Diana showed the ability to physically merge with the earth, causing whatever injuries or poisons to be expelled from her body as it regains shape.
Oneness with fire: Granted by Hestia (Goddess of the Hearth). Apparent immunity to fire as well as making her a focus of truth.
Enhanced Senses: Granted by Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt). Her Sight, Smell, hearing are greatly increased, She also possess the "Hunters Eye" which allows her to always hit her mark.
Animal Rapport: Granted by Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt). Unity with the animal kingdom and the ability to tame wild beasts.
Athena's Sight: Granted by Athena (Goddess of Wisdom). Wonder Woman was briefly blinded, then had her sight restored by Athena. Since then, she has had the sight of Athena, a power that apparently grants increased insight. (For example, Diana can often detects others' emotions, and is now so fully immune to Doctor Psycho's illusions that she usually is not even aware of what illusions he is attempting to project).
Super-Speed & Flight: Granted by Hermes (God of Messangers). Diana also possesses incredible speed and reflexes, and is capable of unassisted flight at supersonic speeds (frequently generating a sonic boom). On the ground, Diana is easily fast enough to deflect bullets with her silver gauntlets.
Weaknesses: Although Wonder Woman is very durable, piercing weapons can still harm her.
Known Abilities: Diana is the finest warrior ever born among the Amazons of Themyscira. She is a master of armed and unarmed combat, proficient with nearly every weapon ever made (especially the bow and the javelin) and the exotic martial arts styles of the Amazons. Because those martial skills are unknown outside of Themyscira, it is almost impossible to defeat her in battle. Diana is also an accomplished strategist and tactician, trained in the arts of leadership, persuasion and diplomacy, and possesses a great deal of courage as well.
Strength Level: Strength level unknown
Miscellaneous
Equipment:
- Indestructible Gauntlets: modeled after the shackles the Amazons were once enslaved with. The gauntlets were formed from the remains of Zeus's legendary Aegis shield, and were re-forged for her use by Hephaestus. Diana's superhuman reflexes enable her to use the gauntlets to easily deflect projectiles (such as bullets) and powerful energy blasts from beings such as Ares and Darkseid. She is even fast enough to protect herself from multi-vector attacks. At close-range the gauntlets block blades, weapons and punches. In some stories, Diana has used the gauntlets as a dual defensive/offensive weapon, redirecting energy blasts back to their point of origin or other targets. When crossed, the gauntlets generate a remnant of the Aegis itself, forming an impenetrable barrier just in front of them which allows Diana to protect herself and those behind her from area attacks.
- Lansarian Morphing Disk: Wonder Woman has at her disposal a small lightweight disc of alien (Lansinar) technology that, when triggered by her thoughts, transforms into a transparent version of whatever object or vehicle is appropriate for her needs. The device has been used for several purposes, including a communication device, but is most frequently used by Wonder Woman in the form of an invisible jet plane, thus reintroducing this vehicle for the first time in post-Crisis continuity. She has also used the amorphous disc in partnership with Green Lantern's power ring, to hold Earth's moon together while shifting its orbit.
Transportation: Flight commonly. Invisable Jet
Weapons:
Boomerang Tiara: Diana's golden tiara also doubles as a throwing weapon, as it is razor-edged and can cut through most substances.
Notes
- Created by William M. Marston
- According to DC comics official statistics, Wonder Woman stands 5 ft 11 in and weighs 140 lbs.
- The prospect of Wonder Woman and Superman as a possible romantic couple has long been a question posed by fans, with the two characters occasionally being depicted as having a mutual on again/off again attraction to each other, perhaps because they view each other as male/female reflections of themselves. During the John Byrne era of Superman, the Man of Steel had intense dreams and fantasies about Wonder Woman, which he suspected might have been his subconcious telling him Wonder Woman was his most likely chance for a potential romantic partner. The idea of Wonder Woman and Aquaman as a couple has also been proposed, in part because of their frequent team pairings in the Super Friends cartoons, and also because it would be an allusion to Wonder Woman's Silver Age romance with Manno the Mer-Man.
- Wonder Woman's exact strength range has never been precisely determined, but it appears to be between the strength levels of Superman and Captain Marvel.
Trivia
- In the alternate future seen in Kingdom Come Superman and Wonder Woman became a couple and are expecting a child together.
- In Dark Knight Strikes again not only have Superman & Wonder Woman become a couple (albeit estranged) they have a daughter Lara.
Recommended Readings
- Wonder Woman: Gods of Gotham
Animated
Wonder-Woman by Bruce Timm
The animated Justice League series on the Cartoon Network in the 2000s was the first chance to add Wonder Woman (voiced here by Susan Eisenberg) to the DCAU, her rights having been previously tied up in possible movies and television shows. To introduce her anew into a landscape already populated by famed and experienced heroes like Batman and Superman, Bruce Timm and his team decided to take a cue from the George Pérez newcomer-to-Man's-world interpretation. This Diana started off with complete innocence of Man's world, coupled with a certain adherance to Amazonian dogma and class structure (causing her teammates to react to her attitude by calling her "Princess" somewhat disdainfully). Also like the Pérez version, she does not keep a secret identity, and so she quickly becomes an international celebrity for her heroism (as seen in Maid of Honor). Seemingly unique to this incarnation, though, is the noticable effect of Man's World on Diana. Her first appearances are marked by her constantly acting off of Amazonian beliefs and ideas (in Fury, she questions how necessary men really are), but as time passes, she becomes more interested in men - in particular, Batman, with whom she has a consistently flirtatious relationship (a source of controversy among fans) - and also experiences the emotional excesses of Man's world, as compared to the Amazons (who are portrayed as emotionally stunted and stiff). She finds joy, but she also begins to develop a massive temper that on multiple occasions needs to be derailed by her teammates (Hereafter, Hawk and Dove, Eclipsed, and many more). After recent episodes that have dealt directly with her temper, Diana seems to be keeping it relatively in check and has adopted the role of ambassador of the Amazons (on the request of her mother) as first seen in To Another Shore, making for another comic-borne trait that the DCAU Wonder Woman has taken to heart.
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