She’s the most recognizable female superhero in the history of comic books, and even beyond that. Wonder Woman was not the first one, but she certainly is the first to find success. Her story began a long time ago…
At the end of the 1930s, the kids read comic books in masse, especially Superman and Batman! But as it is always the case, some people thought that these stories full of heroes fighting criminals would transform a generation of children into hardened criminals themself, probably resorting to violence before anything else. Not everybody feared the worst. In fact, psychologist William Moulton Marston thought that comics were wonderful and made it known. This led him to get recruited by Maxwell Charles Gaines–then publisher of All-American Publications, aka DC–into the Editorial Advisory Board of the company.
As a consulting psychologist, Marston was in a position of influence and convinced Gaines to try a female superhero to discredit a good part of the arguments used against the violent men of comics. It turns out that Marston was a hardened feminist with a particular lifestyle (living with 2 wives, and 4 comics-reading children) and was in search of a way to disseminate his views.
Using the pen name Charles Moulton, he started to develop the story of “Suprema, The Wonder Woman”–editor Sheldon Mayer quickly got rid of the Suprema name. Inspired by the way the women’s suffrage movement used the myth of the Amazons to develop the narrative behind the changes they wanted, his beliefs in the superiority of women, his work in lie detection and in the spectrum of emotions, his interest in bondage, and a lot of elements taken directly from his life (and the ones of the women in his life), William Moulton Marston was determined to build a feminist tale.
To do just that, he recruited artist Harry G. Peter to develop the design of the character, a mix between Superman, Miss Fury, Captain America, and the Varga Girls (pin-ups found in the magazine Esquire) as Gaines wanted his female superhero to be beautiful as a Miss America. Wonder Woman would hate guns, never kill, and fight for Democracy and equal rights for women.
Wonder Woman made her first appearance in All Star Comics #8 (October 1941) and became the main attraction for the newly launched Sensation Comics in January 1942. The new superhero became an instant hit, even if the National Organization for Decent Literature listed Sensation Comics on its list of banned books because Wonder Woman wasn’t sufficiently dressed.
This didn’t stop the Amazon to join the Justice Society of America, even if the writer, Gardner Fox, made the only female character on the team a secretary that didn’t do anything of consequence. In the pages of Sensation Comics though, Wonder Woman kept up the good fight all by herself and nothing–no chains!–could stop her.
Golden Age Wonder Woman: Created From Clay
There isn’t only one Wonder Woman’s origin story as almost every era of DC Comics’ continuity gave us a new one. Some elements persisted, but others were retconned. Let’s start with the Golden Age.
In All-Star Comics #8, we met Diana, the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons residing on Paradise Island, a secluded realm detached from the rest of the world. When an American pilot named Steve Trevor crashes onto the island, Diana tends to his injuries. This event triggers the intervention of goddesses Athena and Aphrodite, who instruct Hippolyta to send Steve back to America alongside an Amazon champion. Their purpose is to aid the Allies in World War II, as the goddesses believe this will promote global peace and champion women’s rights. Diana undergoes trials to become the chosen champion, named ‘Wonder Woman,’ and embarks on a journey to ‘Man’s World’ with Steve, battling against the Axis powers.
Throughout early issues of Sensation Comics, Diana assumes the identity of an army nurse called Diana Prince, allowing her to remain close to Steve Trevor without revealing her true identity as Wonder Woman. She befriends Etta Candy, a student, and her college friends, who assist her in her adventures. In Wonder Woman #1 (June, 1942), the origin story of Diana and the Amazons is expanded upon. The Amazons, created by Aphrodite from clay, were intended to challenge mortal men driven by the warmongering god Mars. With the aid of Athena and Aphrodite, Hippolyta shapes a child out of clay, who grows up to become Diana. Diana’s mission in ‘Man’s World’ involves defeating the Nazis, who are under Mars’ influence.
In the early stories, Diana possesses various powers and skills, including exceptional strength, speed, perfect memory retention, and advanced medical knowledge due to her Amazon upbringing. The Amazons, a highly advanced civilization, have crafted an invisible jet plane controlled through brain waves alone. This remarkable aircraft is gifted to Wonder Woman, enabling her to transport Steve Trevor back to ‘Man’s World.’
Silver Age Wonder Woman: Daughter of a Mortal Man
During the late 1950s, a significant transformation took place in the history of the Amazons. This pivotal shift occurred in Wonder Woman #99 (July, 1958). Unlike their previous lore, the Amazons no longer boasted divine lineage, with the exception of Hippolyta, who was now revealed to be the daughter of Mars, known as Ares. Rather than fleeing to Paradise Island to escape the oppression of enslavement by men, as depicted previously, these Amazons departed Man’s World due to the tragic loss of their husbands in the war. These alterations to the Amazonian history had far-reaching consequences, particularly for Diana herself.
As a consequence, Diana’s ancestry took a new direction. She now had an unnamed mortal father, rather than being sculpted from clay. Additionally, her formative years were spent in Man’s World, where she adopted the identity of Wonder Girl.
It was not until her late teens that she joined the other Amazons on Paradise Island. Another change emerged in the source of Diana’s powers. Instead of solely being a result of Aphrodite’s intervention, her abilities were now bestowed upon her as gifts from each of the Olympian Gods on the day of her birth.
In this contemporary retelling (set in 1958), the purpose behind Diana’s arrival in Man’s World shifted. Athena no longer dispatched her to end World War II; rather, Diana’s mission was to uphold justice and aid those in need. Although she still ventured to Man’s World following Steve Trevor’s arrival on Paradise Island, her affiliation with the military was no longer prominent.
Post-Crisis Wonder Woman: Olympian Goddess
In 1987, as the DC Universe was dramatically changed by the event of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman’s history underwent another retelling in Wonder Woman #1 by George Perez, which predominantly harkened back to the Golden Age narrative while incorporating fresh embellishments and elements from the Silver Age origin.
The Amazons’ origins reverted to their creation from clay, existing independently from men until their enslavement and subsequent escape to Paradise Island, now known as Themyscira. However, the mythos now revealed that the Amazons were fashioned by multiple Olympian Goddesses, expanding beyond Aphrodite’s sole involvement. Notably, the Amazons were not entirely new beings but rather reincarnated souls of mortal women who had suffered tragic fates at the hands of men. Diana, however, deviated from this pattern as Hippolyta passed away while carrying her. As a result, Diana would be “born” later, sculpted by Hippolyta on Paradise Island.
Similar to the Golden Age origin, Wonder Woman was chosen to embark on her inaugural journey to Man’s World following Steve Trevor’s crash landing on Paradise Island, now Themyscira.
Her mission was twofold: to serve as an ambassador for Themyscira and to confront Ares, who directly caused Steve’s accident. Notably, in this rendition, Diana did not harbor romantic feelings for Steve Trevor, who was instead romantically involved with Etta Candy. Etta’s character underwent a transformation, transitioning from a college student to one of Steve’s colleagues in the Air Force.
Furthermore, Diana abandoned the guise of a secret identity as “Diana Prince” and operated publicly as Wonder Woman or “Princess Diana of Themyscira” when engaging with others face-to-face. She forged a friendship with the archaeologist Julia Kapatelis, who aided Diana in acclimating to Man’s World and taught her the English language.
New 52 Wonder Woman: The Lie
For a period, Wonder Woman’s origin remained relatively consistent with the Post-Crisis version, although a few additions were made during the Modern Age. The Amazons once again possessed advanced technology that had been previously omitted, and there was an implication that Steve Trevor had been Diana’s lover at some point.
However, a significant alteration occurred during the New 52 era in Wonder Woman #3 (January, 2012), unveiling that much of what Diana believed about her heritage was a falsehood. The Amazons were revealed to have a violent past as pirate-like marauders who engaged in acts of rape and murder to reproduce, deviating from their previous portrayal as creations of the gods.
Furthermore, Diana’s origin story was revised: she was not formed from clay but rather born as a result of Hippolyta’s intimate encounter with Zeus, bestowing her with her powers. These changes were later explained as being part of an illusion during the Rebirth era of Wonder Woman comics, clarifying that Diana had never truly returned to Themyscira since her initial departure. While she remained the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, the nature of the Amazons was redefined. They were no longer mortal-born marauders, but rather reincarnated women placed on Themyscira by Aphrodite with the purpose of opposing Ares.
In the Rebirth Year One story, Diana’s arrival in Man’s World once again occurs due to Steve Trevor’s crash landing. However, in this iteration, the decision to send her as an ambassador is made by the Amazons themselves, rather than being driven by any specific divine influence. The restoration of her romantic connection with Steve brings back the bond between the two characters. Etta continues to be Diana’s friend within the military, while Barbara Minerva assumes the role of Diana’s mentor. These relationships and dynamics contribute to Diana’s journey and growth throughout her adventures in Man’s World in the Rebirth storyline.
Wonder Woman’s Adventures never stopped! If you want to explore some part or all of it, all you need to do is follow our Wonder Woman Reading Order. And for reading more about the creation and the history of the creator of Wonder Woman, I recommend you read “The Secret History of Wonder Woman” by Jill Lepore.