Wonder Woman

This article is about the DC comic book character. For other uses, see Wonder Woman (disambiguation).

Princess Diana of Themyscira
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman #750 (January 2020). Art by Jesus Merino (pencils), Vicente Cifuentes (inks), and Romulo Fajardo (colors)
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAll Star Comics #8 (October 1941)[a][1]
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoPrincess Diana of Themyscira (Amazon identity)
Diana Prince (civilian identity)
Species
Place of originThemyscira
Team affiliations
Partnerships
Abilities
See list
    • Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, agility, and reflexes
    • Flight
    • Divine lightning manipulation
    • Energy Absorption and projection (via channeling through her bracelets)
    • Magic
    • Astral Projection
    • Animal Empathy
    • Regenerative healing factor
    • Immortality
    • Master martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant
    • Weapon proficiency
    • Knowledge in Occult
    • Genius-level intellect
    • Utilizes Lasso of Truth, indestructible bracelets to deflect opposing weapons, projectile tiara, sword, shield, and invisible plane

Wonder Woman is a superheroine created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton),[2] and artist Harry G. Peter in 1941 for DC Comics. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne,[3] are credited as being his inspiration for the character's appearance.[2][4][5][6][7]

Wonder Woman appears in American comic books published by DC Comics.[8] The character first appeared in All Star Comics #8 published October 21, 1941[9] with her first feature in Sensation Comics #1 in January 1942. The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously ever since.[10] In her homeland, the island nation of Themyscira, her official title is Princess Diana of Themyscira. When blending into the society outside of her homeland, she sometimes adopts her civilian identity, Diana Prince.[11]

Wonder Woman's origin story (from Golden to Bronze Age) relates that she was sculpted from clay by her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and was given a life as an Amazon, along with superhuman powers as gifts by the Greek gods. During the New 52 reboot which established a new primary continuity for the DC Universe, Diana's background was altered to make her the biological daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. After the DC Rebirth and Infinite Frontier events that reinstated pieces of pre-New 52 canon to DC, Diana's clay origin was gradually reintroduced. Diana's clay origin was fully restored as her canon backstory the Dawn of DC event in 2024, during Tom King's Wonder Woman series. During King's series, Diana has her own daughter born of clay, who is born from the essences of her and Steve Trevor and brought to life through a blessing from Hippolyta, who became a goddess in DC canon in 2022. The character has changed in depiction over the decades, including briefly losing her powers entirely in the late 1960s; by the 1980s, artist George Perez gave her an athletic look and emphasized her Amazonian heritage.[12][13] She possesses an arsenal of magical items, including the Lasso of Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in older stories, a range of devices based on Amazon technology.

Wonder Woman's character was created during World War II; the character in the story was initially depicted fighting Axis forces as well as an assortment of colorful supervillains, although over time her stories came to place greater emphasis on characters, deities, and monsters from Greek mythology. Many stories depicted Wonder Woman freeing herself from bondage, which counterpointed the "damsels in distress" trope that was common in comics during the 1940s.[14][15] In the decades since her debut, Wonder Woman has gained a cast of enemies bent on destroying her, including classic villains such as Cheetah, Ares, Circe, Doctor Poison, Giganta, Blue Snowman, Doctor Cyber, along with more recent adversaries such as Veronica Cale and the First Born. Wonder Woman has also regularly appeared in comic books featuring the superhero teams Justice Society (1941) and Justice League (1960).[16]

The character is an archetypical figure in popular culture recognized worldwide, partly due to being widely adapted into television, film, animation, merchandise, and toys. October 21 is Wonder Woman Day, commemorating the release of her first appearance in All-Star Comics #8[17] (except 2017, which held the day on June 3 to tie in with the release of the film of the same name).[18]

Wonder Woman has been featured in various media, from radio to television and film, and appears in merchandise sold worldwide, such as apparel, toys, dolls, jewelry, and video games. Shannon Farnon, Susan Eisenberg, Maggie Q, Lucy Lawless, Keri Russell, Rosario Dawson, Cobie Smulders, Rachel Kimsey, and Stana Katic, among others, have provided the character's voice for animated adaptations. Wonder Woman has been depicted in film and television by Linda Harrison, Cathy Lee Crosby, Lynda Carter, Megan Gale, Adrianne Palicki, and in the DC Extended Universe films by Gal Gadot.


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  1. ^ "Mike's Amazing World of Comics". Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Garner, Dwight (October 23, 2014). "Books – Her Past Unchained 'The Secret History of Wonder Woman,' by Jill Lepore". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lepore was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Moon, Michael (March 12, 2012). Darger's Resources. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0822351566.
  5. ^ Catherine Bennett. "The Secret History of Wonder Woman review – is this what a feminist looks like? | Books". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  6. ^ "Wonder Woman's Kinky Feminist Roots". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  7. ^ Caplan, Rebecca. "Wonder Woman's Secret Past". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  8. ^ Gustines, George Gene (December 29, 2020). "Wonder Woman and Her Evolving Look - She remained steadfast in her decades-long fight for justice, but her costumes ranged from a golden-eagle emblem and skirt to a W logo breastplate and leggings". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  9. ^ All Star Comics #8 was cover-dated December/January 1941/1942, but published October 21, 1941. (See Library of Congress. Archived September 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine)
  10. ^ Hendrix, Grady (December 11, 2007). "Out for Justice". The New York Sun.
  11. ^ "75 years of world-saving: Everything you need to know about 'Wonder Woman'". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2017.
  12. ^ Beedle, Tim (December 25, 2013). "Ten Moments that Mattered: Wonder Woman Becomes War | DC". Dccomics.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  13. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (August 28, 2013). "Wonder Woman Kills...Who? Is the New GOD of What? AZZARELLO Explains (Spoilers)". Newsarama. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  14. ^ "Superdames!: Photo".
  15. ^ "Wonder woman -- you saved my life! Why?". Tumblr. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  16. ^ Crawford, Philip. "The Legacy of Wonder Woman". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  17. ^ "Day of Wonder: Celebrate Wonder Woman This Sunday, October 21". October 19, 2018. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  18. ^ "Celebrate Wonder Woman Day on June 3rd!". DC. May 24, 2017. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2018.