Wonder Woman is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, but Marston ensured that her greatest victories were not won with strength or violence, but with sentiment, comion, and truth. While these core traits remain to this day, Wonder Woman has received new powers, sidekicks, a signature item, and even a retroactively new origin.
William Moulton Marston, a feminist, psychologist, and the inventor of the polygraph, is typically credited as Wonder Woman’s sole creator, though H. G. Peter, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and Olive Byrne are strongly believed to have had a comparable influence on her creation. Wonder Woman is intended to be equal to Superman in physical prowess, but demonstrate the strength of femininity and love in her adventure, making her a comparable force for societal progress, albeit in different ways than the Man of Steel. Marston’s forward-thinking ideals stressed that feminism, comion, and anti-fascism are society’s future.
Wonder Woman’s All-Star Comics debut tells her now-iconic origin story, in which Princess Diana rescues American pilot Steve Trevor following his crash landing on Paradise Island (now known as Themyscira). The story takes place entirely on the island, establishing several crucial details of the Wonder Woman character and mythos. Diana gradually falls in love with Trevor as he heals, the Amazons recognize the Nazis as the ultimate threat to society, and Diana earns the Wonder Woman title and outfit, becoming the sworn protector of the United States and leaving her home behind. In the decades that follow her debut, here are the biggest ways that Wonder Woman has changed.
Wonder Woman Flies Her Most Famous Vehicle
Wonder Woman’s second appearance continues her origin, having her return Steve Trevor to the United States via her signature Invisible Plane, a vehicle that quickly became a staple in Wonder Woman’s mythos (though its origins would vary, depending on the continuity). Wonder Woman also gains the civilian identity of Diana Prince, allowing her to protect humanity as Wonder Woman but live among the people she protects (and immerse herself in humanity’s cultures) as Diana. In her earliest appearances, Wonder Woman predominantly fought Nazi agents, though she gradually gained a rogue’s gallery of supervillains, including Cheetah, Ares (initially known as Mars), and Doctor Poison.
Wonder Woman Gets Her Signature Lasso Of Truth
Wonder Woman’s most famous item, the Lasso of Truth, was soon introduced in her Golden Age adventures. The Lasso’s inclusion is unsurprising, given William Moulton Marston’s invention of the polygraph, but in its earliest appearances, the magic rope could do more than compel the truth from those ensnared by it. The Lasso could also force others to obey Wonder Woman’s commands, a short-lived ability that eventually reappeared in the DC mythos via another magic lasso, The Lasso of Persuasion. The Wonder Woman mythos also includes the Lasso of Lightning, which was created by Ares and gives its the ability to summon the lightning of Zeus himself.
The Divine Origin Of Wonder Woman’s Powers Are Revealed
The feminist overtones of Wonder Woman’s Golden Age stories largely came from her creators, but they were not always present in other stories. Not long after her debut, Wonder Woman ed the Justice Society of America…as the team’s secretary. Not only did this conflict with Wonder Woman’s feminist ideals, but it also made little sense in-universe, as Diana is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. The ing of William Moulton Marston and the end of the Golden Age saw further changes to Wonder Woman’s stories.
Frederick Wertham’s homophobic and reactionary book, Seduction of the Innocent, had a strong and negative influence on superhero comics at the start of the Silver Age, leading to Wonder Woman’s stories removing much of their feminist themes in favor of simple fantasy. Wonder Woman’s romance with Steve Trevor received a stronger focus, however, as did Wonder Woman’s ties to Greek mythology, with the latter resulting in new details being added to Diana’s origin story. Having been sculpted from clay by Hippolyta, the Greek pantheon granted Diana life and her incredible superpowers, explaining why she is not only the strongest Amazon but also one of DC’s most powerful beings.
Wonder Woman Co-Founds The Justice League Of America
Despite her unfortunate Golden Age past in the Justice Society, Wonder Woman is far better known for being a founding member of the Justice League of America, DC’s Silver Age superhero team (which quickly became their most famous). No longer a secretary, Wonder Woman is now a founding member of the Justice League, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with DC’s heaviest hitters. The Silver Age also introduced the concept of the multiverse to DC, establishing that the Wonder Woman seen in the Golden Age is native to Earth-Two while the Wonder Woman who co-founded the Justice League belongs to Earth-One.
Diana Prince Receives Both A Sibling & A Sidekick
Wonder Woman’s Silver Age stories used a similar gimmick to Superman’s Adventure Comics tales as Superboy, albeit a bit more outlandish. Wonder Woman would be accompanied by two time-displaced versions of herself: Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot. The former accidentally became an entirely separate character, however, due to a communication error among DC’s creatives. Wonder Girl, now known as Donna Troy, is a founding member of the Teen Titans as well as a superhero who has since grown beyond her proximity to Wonder Woman. Donna Troy, for better or worse, also has an infamously confusing and ever-changing origin, though later stories would eventually make them all canon via DC’s multiverse.
Wonder Woman Mentors A New Wonder Girl
Bronze Age and Modern Age Wonder Woman comics have seen her return to her feminist roots while retaining her fascinating Greek mythology lore. While DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths resulted in Wonder Woman’s romance with Steve Trevor being seemingly gone, the 90s saw the introduction of a new Wonder Girl, since Donna Troy had since spun off on her own adventures with multiple iterations of the Teen Titans. Cassie Sandsmark’s origin as the daughter of Zeus and the mortal woman Doctor Helena Sandsmark is gradually revealed, as are her superpowers. Sandsmark’s adventures also include a complex rivalry and friendship with her half-brother Ares, who remains one of Wonder Woman’s most dangerous foes.
Wonder Woman’s Parentage Is Revealed
The DC Universe was rebooted yet again in 2011’s Flashpoint, resulting in yet another major change to the Wonder Woman mythos. Wonder Woman’s origin as a clay sculpture brought to life by the Greek pantheon was retconned, and she is now the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus. While not a hard reboot, the DC Rebirth continuity shakeup led to further changes to Wonder Woman, making her a combination of all her previous era’s best elements. Wonder Woman’s feminism and comion are as strong as ever, her romance with Steve Trevor has been revived, she is now both an Amazon and an Olympian, and she remains a founding member of the Justice League. Wonder Woman has undergone a plethora of changes over the decades, but her current incarnation is arguably her best yet.
