wonder-woman

Wonder Woman

The complete codex on Diana of Themyscira — origin, comics history, screen portrayals, and the cultural weight of the most famous superheroine ever created.

Jon X

31 Mar 2026 • 8 min read

Wonder Woman is the most enduring superheroine in popular culture. Created in late 1941, she predates almost every other female superhero still in publication, and unlike her contemporaries she has never been off the page since her debut. Eighty-plus years of continuous publication. Three live-action television series. Five major theatrical films featuring her. More animated appearances than anyone has counted. She is the only member of the original DC trinity who is a woman, and for most of the 20th century she was the only mainstream superheroine that anyone outside comics fandom could name.

This page is a complete reference: who she is, where she came from, how the character has been rewritten across decades of continuity, and the major screen portrayals that have shaped how the public understands her. For deeper coverage of specific topics, see the linked sub-pages on her on-screen history and costume evolution.

Origin

Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston, a Harvard-trained psychologist who is also remembered as a co-inventor of the systolic blood pressure test, the technology that became the foundation of the modern lie detector. Marston's interest in Wonder Woman was not commercial. He wanted to create a heroine who would teach young readers — boys especially — that female authority was natural, that strength and tenderness were not opposites, and that submission to a loving authority was preferable to the violent dominance that defined the Golden Age comics he was reacting against. His personal life and his theories about female superiority were, even by the standards of his era, unconventional. The Lasso of Truth — Wonder Woman's signature weapon — is essentially Marston's lie detector reimagined as mythology.

Diana of Themyscira made her first appearance in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941), in a backup feature. She graduated to her own title, Sensation Comics, in January 1942, and to a self-titled comic that summer. She has been continuously in print ever since.

The original Marston origin is essentially mythological. The Amazons of Themyscira (originally called Paradise Island) are an immortal race of warrior women living in seclusion from the world of men. Queen Hippolyta sculpts a daughter from clay. The goddess Aphrodite breathes life into the statue. The girl is named Diana. When an American military pilot — Captain Steve Trevor — crashes on Themyscira during the Second World War, Diana is chosen by tournament to escort him back to the world of men, and to fight for democracy and freedom against the Axis powers. This is the version that runs through almost all of her major incarnations, with one significant exception covered below.

Powers and abilities

Wonder Woman's power set has expanded and contracted across continuities, but the consistent core is:

Super strength, speed, and durability. Granted by the gods of Olympus. In modern comics she is typically depicted as comparable to Superman, though specific feats and limits vary by writer.

The Lasso of Truth. Forged by Hephaestus from the Magic Girdle of Gaea. Anyone bound by it must speak the truth. The lasso is functionally indestructible and has, depending on the era, also been used to compel obedience, to bind opponents to her will, and (in some Marston-era stories) to rewrite memory.

Indestructible bracelets. Originally called Bracelets of Submission, a relic of the Amazons' enslavement by Heracles. Wonder Woman uses them to deflect bullets and energy attacks. In some versions, removing the bracelets unleashes berserker rage; in others they are simply armour.

Flight. Inconsistent. In Marston-era comics she rode an Invisible Plane, which became iconic. Modern incarnations typically grant her flight directly. Some writers have given her flight as a learned skill rather than a power.

Combat training. Diana is trained from childhood in the entire Amazon martial tradition, which combines classical Greek combat techniques refined over millennia. She is generally portrayed as one of the most skilled hand-to-hand combatants in DC continuity, frequently equal or superior to Batman in pure technique.

Tiara. Used as a thrown weapon. Sharper than it looks.

Comics history

Golden Age (1941–1955)

Marston wrote almost every Wonder Woman story until his death in 1947. The Golden Age comics are weird, vivid, and unembarrassed about Marston's preoccupations. They feature far more bondage imagery than was typical for the era — characters being tied up was a recurring narrative engine — alongside genuine moral seriousness about peace, female authority, and resistance to fascism. After Marston's death the title continued under Robert Kanigher, who softened the strangeness and produced more conventional adventures.

Silver Age and the depowering (1955–1972)

Wonder Woman survived the post-war collapse of the superhero genre, but her stories during the Silver Age were uneven. The most consequential change came in 1968. Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Mike Sekowsky stripped Wonder Woman of her powers, retired the costume, and reinvented Diana Prince as a martial-arts-trained mod boutique owner who fought crime in white jumpsuits and pantsuits. Her mentor was a blind Asian sensei named I Ching. The depowered Diana lasted four years and is one of the most controversial periods in the character's history — celebrated by some for its experimental ambition, dismissed by others as a betrayal of the icon. Gloria Steinem put the classic Wonder Woman on the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine in 1972, and largely as a result, DC restored Diana's powers and costume the same year.

Crisis and the Pérez relaunch (1986–1992)

DC's continuity-reset event Crisis on Infinite Earths gave every major character a clean restart. Wonder Woman was relaunched in 1987 by writer-artist George Pérez, in collaboration with Greg Potter and Len Wein. The Pérez run is widely considered the definitive modern Wonder Woman. It re-grounded her in Greek mythology, kept the clay-statue origin, brought back Hippolyta and the Amazons as fully-realised characters, and gave Diana a contemporary mission as ambassador from Themyscira to the world of men. The Pérez run is the foundation that almost every subsequent take has built on or reacted against.

New 52 and the Zeus retcon (2011–2016)

In 2011 DC rebooted its entire line. The Wonder Woman relaunch, written by Brian Azzarello with art by Cliff Chiang, made the most controversial change in the character's modern history: Diana was no longer a clay statue brought to life. She was the secret daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus. The Azzarello run was critically successful — many readers consider it among the best Wonder Woman comics ever made — but the change to her origin was divisive among long-term fans, who saw the Marston version as central to the character's meaning.

Rebirth and the modern era (2016–present)

DC's Rebirth initiative restored elements of pre-New 52 continuity. Greg Rucka, who had previously written Wonder Woman in the 2000s, returned to the title and effectively re-canonised both origins. The clay-statue version was reaffirmed as true; the Zeus version was retroactively explained as a deception. Subsequent runs by Shea Fontana, Steve Orlando, G. Willow Wilson, Mariko Tamaki, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, and Tom King have continued the character into the present without further dramatic origin changes.

On screen

Wonder Woman's screen history is unusual in superhero terms because for most of it, there was effectively only one Wonder Woman the public could picture: Lynda Carter. The 1975–79 ABC series cast such a long shadow that for almost forty years, no other live-action Wonder Woman entered popular consciousness.

The earlier 1974 TV movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby is largely forgotten. The Lynda Carter series ran for three seasons, beginning as a period piece set during the Second World War (faithful to Marston's original premise) and shifting in season two to a contemporary setting. Carter became, and remains, the public face of Wonder Woman; her appearance and bearing in the role have informed every subsequent take.

Live-action Wonder Woman returned to screens in 2017 with Gal Gadot's debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and her first solo film, Wonder Woman (2017), directed by Patty Jenkins. The Jenkins film is widely regarded as the strongest entry in the DC Extended Universe and was a commercial success that finally established the character as a viable theatrical lead. Gadot returned in Justice League (2017), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), and the Justice League: Snyder's Cut (2021).

Animated portrayals are extensive and largely positive. Susan Eisenberg voiced Diana in the 2001–2006 animated Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series; that run is a touchstone for many fans. Keri Russell voiced her in the 2009 animated film. Rosario Dawson took the role across multiple later DC animated features.

For a complete chronological survey of every actress who has played Wonder Woman, including animated voice work, see Wonder Woman on screen — 1975 to today.

Costume evolution

Diana's costume is one of the most recognisable in comics. The core elements — red top, blue starred briefs or skirt, golden tiara, golden eagle or W chest emblem, red boots, indestructible bracelets — have remained essentially stable since 1941, with each era adding refinements rather than reinventions. The major exceptions are the 1968–72 depowered period (when she wore civilian clothing) and the 2011 New 52 redesign (which gave her trousers and made the costume more armoured).

The 2017 film costume designed by Lindy Hemming is a gladiator-inspired interpretation that retains the colour palette and major elements but renders them in tooled leather and metal — a deliberate move away from the stars-and-stripes pageantry of earlier looks. It has heavily influenced subsequent comic depictions.

For the full design history with examples from every era, see Wonder Woman costume evolution.

Frequently asked questions

When did Wonder Woman first appear? December 1941, in All Star Comics #8.

Who created Wonder Woman? William Moulton Marston, with art by H.G. Peter. Marston's wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston and their partner Olive Byrne are also widely understood to have shaped the character, particularly her values around female authority.

Is Wonder Woman a clay statue or the daughter of Zeus? Both, depending on which continuity you're reading. The original 1941 origin is the clay statue. The 2011 New 52 version made her Zeus's daughter. The 2016 Rebirth restored the clay-statue origin and explained the Zeus version as a deception. The clay-statue version is the dominant canonical answer.

What are Wonder Woman's powers? Super strength, speed, and durability granted by the Olympian gods; flight; mastery of all weapons; an indestructible Lasso of Truth that compels honesty in anyone bound by it; indestructible bracelets used to deflect attacks; and combat training in the full Amazon martial tradition.

Why was Wonder Woman depowered in the late 60s and early 70s? Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Mike Sekowsky reimagined her as a martial-arts-trained mod boutique owner trained by a blind Asian sensei. The change was an attempt to modernise the character for the late 1960s. It was reversed in 1972 partly in response to second-wave feminist criticism, including Gloria Steinem's high-profile championing of the classic Wonder Woman.

Who is Steve Trevor? The American military pilot who crashes on Themyscira and becomes Diana's reason for entering the world of men. He has been a romantic partner across most major continuities, though the nature of the relationship varies by writer.

What is Themyscira? The hidden island home of the Amazons. Originally called Paradise Island in Marston-era comics; renamed Themyscira (after the city in Greek myth) by George Pérez in 1987. Hidden from the world of men by divine concealment.

Has Wonder Woman ever been killed? Comics being comics, yes — multiple times — but never permanently. Major story events including Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and various imaginary stories have killed and resurrected her.

What is the Invisible Plane? A jet aircraft that is invisible. In Marston-era comics it is a piece of Amazon technology Diana flies between Paradise Island and the United States. Modern continuities mostly drop the Invisible Plane in favour of Diana's own flight power, though it has been periodically revived.

Is Wonder Woman bisexual? In several modern continuities — most explicitly Greg Rucka's Rebirth-era run — yes. Rucka has stated that on an island of immortal warrior women, the answer is obviously yes; the question is only whether any specific story chooses to depict it. Earlier continuities largely treated Diana as straight by default.