Artemis was born a member of the Bana Amazon sect that had split off from the Amazons of Themyscira. The Bana Amazons, under the leadership of Antiope (the Themysciran Queen Hippolyta's sister), left the island of Themyscira and settled in Egypt, where they founded an Amazon city named Bana-Mighdall. The Bana Amazons renounced the Olympian Gods and instead worshiped the Egyptian Goddesses Isis, Mammitu, Bast,Neith and Ishtar. The goddesses blessed the Bana Amazons with a perpetual sandstorm around their city to protect them from outsiders. The Bana traded their fighting skills and weapons in return for male slaves to increase their population, and Artemis was the result of one of these liaisons.
Creation
Diana and Artemis: Two sides of the same coin
Artemis was created in 1994 by writer William Messner-Loebs and artist Mike Deodato when they were working as the creative team of Wonder Woman vol. 2. Because Wonder Woman's true name was Diana (the Roman name for the goddess of the moon and the hunt), Artemis was intentionally given the Greek name of the same goddess in order to link the two women and show that they were "two sides of the same coin." Artemis was envisioned as being far more aggressive and warlike than Diana and had fiery red hair to further help differentiate the two. Deodato based Artemis' appearance on the Wildstorm character Zealotand gave her the same long flowing-topknot hairstyle. Artemis was also inspired by an earlier DC character named Orana, another red-haired Amazon who had challenged Diana for the title of Wonder Woman. Like Artemis, Orana managed to win the title from Diana, only to later die as Wonder Woman (though unlike Artemis, Orana never returned from the dead).
Character Evolution
Artemis in traditional Bana Amazon attire
Eventually the greatest warrior of Themiscyra, Wonder Woman, journeyed to Bana-Mighdall looking for the villainousCheetah, who had stolen her Lasso of Truth. Due to a misunderstanding, Wonder Woman was forced to duel the Bana Amazon's greatest warrior, the Shim'Tar, and was defeated. The god Hermes, who was in love with Wonder Woman, destroyed Bana-Mighdall in retaliation, rendering the Bana Amazons homeless. They entered an alliance with the sorceress Circe, who promised to create a new home for them if they served her during the War of the Gods. Because the Bana held Wonder Woman responsible for the loss of their original home, they decided to attack the Amazons of Themyscira.
It was at this point in the conflict that Artemis made her first appearance. A fiery red-haired girl only fourteen years of age, she stood in front of the Bana's ruling council and protested the action, asserting her belief that Amazons should not fight other Amazons. But since she was only a child, her protests went unheeded and the Bana Amazons went ahead with their assault. During the invasion of Themyscira, Circe betrayed the Bana Amazons and attempted to destroy both Amazon tribes by magically transporting the island to a demonic dimension. The warring Amazons were forced to put aside their differences and fight alongside each other in order to survive the constant onslaught of demon armies. Wonder Woman came to the rescue and forced Circe to return Theymscira back to the real world, but discovered that while only a few months had passed on Earth during this time, an entire decade had passed in the demonic dimension. Artemis was now a beautiful woman in her twenties and had become one of the greatest warriors of her tribe, battle-hardened by ten years of fighting against the demonic hordes.
Major Story Arcs
The Contest
Artemis defeats Diana in the Contest
After Themiscyra was returned to its proper place on Earth, Queen Hippolyta granted the Bana Amazons a small section of the island to serve as their new home. Hippolyta then began to suffer visions of Wonder Woman dying. Since the title of Wonder Woman was held by Hippolyta's daughter Diana, the Queen hoped to prevent her daughter's death by holding a Contest of the Amazons to choose a new Wonder Woman. Initially Hippolyta forbade any member of the Bana from participating in the contest, much to the anger of Artemis and the Bana Amazons. But after Diana pointed out the unfairness of the exclusion, Hippolyta relented and the Bana were allowed to compete.
Artemis demonstrated great battle prowess during the contest and emerged as Diana's strongest challenger. She eventually won the contest with some mystical assistance from Hippolyta, who had privately decided that she would rather see a Bana Amazon become Wonder Woman than risk her daughter's death as foretold in her visions. Artemis was crowned as Wonder Woman and given a uniform identical to Diana's, along with the Gauntlet of Atlas, The Sandals of Hermes and the golden Lasso of Truth in order to replicate Diana's Wonder Woman powers. She then set forth to present herself to the World of Men as the new Wonder Woman.
Career as Wonder Woman
In action as Wonder Woman
Artemis' tenure as Wonder Woman got off to a rocky start. Though she could easily match Diana's prowess in combat, Artemis had grown to adulthood fighting mostly demons in a kill-or-be-killed environment and was very rough around the edges when it came to dealing with people. She possessed little of the personal grace or sense of diplomacy that had made Diana so respected as Wonder Woman. The American public and media generally saw Artemis as being arrogant and abrasive, and she was criticized for resorting to violence far too often. She tried to extend a hand to the superhero community, but usually received the cold shoulder. During her failed attempt to join the Justice League, Batman refused to even allow Artemis to sit in Diana's chair during League meetings.
Death
Artemis Dies As Wonder Woman
Desperate to improve her image, Artemis agreed to work with a public relations representative in an effort to make herself a more likable Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, the representative secretly worked for the villainous White Magician, who was determined to bring about Wonder Woman's demise. Though Artemis was starting to turn things around at this point, doing positive things such as helping downtrodden immigrants and abused women, her arrogance again got the better of her and she was lured into a dimension of Hell by the White Magician, who had gained extreme power there. Artemis fought the Magician with all of her might, but his powers were too great in this dimension and she was killed in the battle, proving Hippolyta's visions of Wonder Woman dying to be true. Her body was found and mourned over by none other than Diana herself.
Requiem
Back from the dead
After Artemis died she ended up in Tartarus, and one of Thirteen ruling Princes of Hell, Dalkriig-Hath, became enamored with her beauty and took her as his bride. Artemis did not suffer the unholy matrimony gladly and killed Dalkriig-Hath the moment he let his guard down. She then took the opportunity to escape back to the living world. She joined an anti-demon team called the Hellendersusing the knowledge she had gained in Tartarus to hunt demons. The Hellenders initially gave her the code name of "Javelin," but she disliked the name and soon switched to the code name ofRequiem instead. She also had a brief relationship with one of the Hellenders named Sure-Shot, but dumped him and left the team after discovering that he and his teammates had gotten their powers and abilities from a dangerous drug. During her time with the Hellenders, Artemis wore the green and white one-piece outfit that eventually became her regular costume.
After the Hellenders disbanded, Artemis trained several heroes in the art of combat, starting with a woman named Henrietta Jessup, whom Artemis had befriended while on the Hellenders. Jessup took the code name of Sojourner. Artemis then encountered Diana (who had regained the title of Wonder Woman) again, and was asked by Diana to train Cassandra Sandsmark, who used the training to become the current Wonder Girl. Artemis' reputation as an elite combat trainer grew such that even Supergirl sought her out to improve her own combat skills. During this time, Artemis was able to gain a measure of revenge on Batman for his hostility towards her when she had tried to join the Justice League. She easily defeated Batman in combat and proceeded to pound him into a pulp, but an ambush prevented her from inflicting permanent injury.
Later, Artemis was informed of great unrest in Hell following the death of Dalkriig-Hath. Despite having killed Dalkriig-Hath herself, Artemis was still considered to be his wife, so she was next in line to rule his section of Hell even though she had no desire for the role. She nevertheless presented herself in front of the twelve surviving Demon Princes and accepted her husband's section of Hell. To officially grant her control of Hell, she had to be blessed by the twelve Demon Princes. After the blessing, it was revealed Artemis had pulled a switch and her friend, the demon Belyllioth, had assumed her form. Infuriated at the trick, the twelve Demon Princes vowed revenge on Artemis upon her return to Tartarus, but Belyllioth (now officially one of the Thirteen rulers of Hell) had promised to protect her for eternity.
Return to the Amazons
Artemis eventually decided to retire from the World of Men and returned to her own people, the Bana Amazons, who still shared the island of Themyscira with the Themysciran Amazons. But there was great unrest on Themyscira during this time as a rogue Amazon sorceress named Magala had incited another war between the two Amazon tribes. Artemis quickly proved herself the greatest warrior of the Bana Amazons and was was crowned Shim'Tar of her tribe.
As the new Bana leader, Artemis hoped to end the conflict and open negotiations with the Themyscirans, but instead wound up in personal combat with Queen Hippolyta, who had assumed the role of Wonder Woman after her daughter Diana's recent death (though like Artemis, Diana later returned from the dead). During their battle, Artemis reminded Hippolyta that the reason she was the new Wonder Woman was because her actions had led to the death of Diana, and also of Artemis herself. Shocked into her senses, Hippolyta renounced her crown, and Artemis and Themyscirian General Phillipus were elected co-leaders of the unified Amazon tribes.
During the OMAC attack on Themyscira during Infinite Crisis, it was decided by Artemis and Phillipus that in order to save the Amazon race, they needed to teleport the entire island and all of the Amazons to a new hidden location. The Amazons resurfaced some time later, once again under the leadership of Hippolyta, but unknown to the rest of the Amazons, Hippolyta had fallen under the evil influence of Circe.
Under the pretense that humans had attacked them first, Hippolyta declared war on the human world. Artemis and Phillipus were assigned to oversee the attack, but soon lost faith in Hippolyta since her actions seemed less than honorable. However, they did not do enough to stop the conflict, and as a result the Amazons were cursed by a disguised Granny Goodness. Their memories were erased and they were scattered to different corners of the world under false identities. Artemis appeared near the Great Wall of China in traveling clothes, with no memories of her Amazonian life.
Enslaved
Held captive by slavers
A few months later the Olympian Gods returned to power, and Zeus restored the memories of the Amazons and brought them back to Themyscira. Artemis, however, was not among them. During her period of memory loss she believed herself to be a normal person without superhuman powers, and while in this vulnerable state she had been kidnapped by Mr. Smyth, the ruthless leader of a notorious slavery ring.
By the time her memory fully returned, she had been bound with special shackles and kept constantly drugged in order to make her too weak to escape. Her captors also dressed her in a copy of her green and white costume, perhaps as a humiliating reminder of her former superhero status. Mr. Smyth then tried to brainwash the captive Artemis into serving him by using a frightening combination of drugs and interrogation, but she successfully resisted through sheer force of will. Artemis was later freed by the banshee villainJeannette, and took violent revenge upon her captors.
Alternate Versions
Flashpoint
In the Flashpoint universe, Artemis followed a much darker path. She killed Wonder Woman's mother Hippolyta and then framed Tempest for the murder in an attempt to keep Themyscira from developing ties to the outside world. Along with the other Amazons, Artemis invaded Britain when their request for aid was denied after Paradise Island was sunk beneath the waves. Ultimately Artemis was killed by Brittania (Penny Black). She cut Artemis in half while she was pursuing Lois Lane in an attempt to stop her from contacting the world outside of Britain.
Occupations: Shim'Tar, Chancellor of Themyscira, Adventurer, former Wonder Woman
Known Relatives: none
Powers and Abilities
Strength and Mastery of Combat
Artemis takes down Diana
Artemis possesses the physical abilities of a peak-level member of the Amazon race: Superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, endurance, and longevity. She is able to lift 15 tons under normal conditions. In addition, she is one of the Amazons' most accomplished warriors and is a master of hand-to-hand combat, swordfighting, and archery. Artemis is the equal of Diana (Wonder Woman) in combat, though her fighting style is far more aggressive, which contrasts with Diana's more measured approach. Because she never holds back, Artemis has often beaten Diana when they have fought, and she believes herself to be the superior fighter.
Abilities
Artemis' mastery of arms includes the ability to expertly construct bows, arrows, and many other weapons by hand. She possesses considerable mechanical ingenuity and is able to quickly fashion useful implements out of any available material, such as when she braided a sturdy rope out of her own hair and then employed it both as a means of escape and as a weapon. As Shim'tar of the Bana Amazons, Artemis owns magical Shim'tar armor which provides a high degree of invulnerability. During her time as Wonder Woman, Artemis also possessed the Gauntlet of Atlas (which increased her strength tenfold, allowing her to lift well over 100 tons), the Sandals of Hermes ( giving her the ability to fly), and the Lasso of Truth. As Wonder Woman, Artemis usually favored using her personal weapons (the bow and arrow) over the lasso.
Artemis learned many sorcery skills during her time in the Underworld, including the ability to assume the form of another person or animal, though using this power expends a considerable amount of her energy. She can reverse the effects of spells cast by demonic forces, and has the power to sense the presence of demons no matter how well they are disguised. Thanks to the sorceress Circe, Artemis is also immortal.
Weaknesses
Somewhat vulnerable to extremely toxic poisons and tranquilizers. Piercing weapons and energy blasts cause minor damage. Her amazon heritage allows her to heal at an amazing rate, and since becoming immortal, her durability has heightened more so.
Other Media
Animation
Artemis in Justice League (2001-2004)
Justice League ( JL ) (2001-2004)
In the Justice League (JL) animated series (2001-2004), a Cartoon Network series, Artemis was depicted in the Justice League episode titled "Fury."
Wonder Woman (2009)
Artemis was a prominent character in the 2009 Wonder Woman direct-to-video animated feature, which re-told Wonder Woman's origin story. Artemis was voiced by 'Rent' actress Rosario Dawson. There were some differences between the original comic book Artemis and this animated version. The Bana Amazon tribe was never mentioned in the film and Artemis was instead an Amazon of Themyscira. She was older than her comic book counterpart and had fought alongside Queen Hippolyta in many battles and wars throughout the ages, establishing herself as one of Themyscira's greatest warriors, perhaps even it's greatest.
Artemis in Wonder Woman (2009)
As great as her prowess was, there came a time when Artemis' fighting skills were surpassed by Hippolyta's daughter, Princess Diana. Diana proved she was the mightiest and most skilled amazon when she won the contest to represent the Amazon people in "Man's world" and became Wonder Woman. There was a difference in Artemis' role in comics and this animated feature. Rather than compete in the contest like in the comics, in this feature Artemis was assigned to oversee it.
This version of Artemis was depicted wearing an outfit that closely resembled her black and brown midriff-baring alternate costume from comic book continuity. She also retained her distinctive long flowing-topknot hairstyle and some of her Themiscirian adornments including her gold upper arm bands, her distinctive gold neck bands and her loose, sheer pants-like garment.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
Artemis appeared again in this direct-to-video animated feature, voiced by actress Rachel Quaintance. She was first shown training Kara Zor-El (before she became Supergirl) in the art of combat, much like she did in the comics. When Artemis soundly defeated Kara during their sparring session, Kara's overprotective cousinSuperman intervened, prompting Artemis to warn him never to lay a hand on her again. Artemis later led the Amazons into battle against an army of Doomsday beasts sent by the villain Darkseid. At the end of the film, Artemis proudly looked on as Kara made her Supergirl debut in her classic blue-and-red costume. Artemis wore a sleeveless red outfit during most of the film, except in battle, when she dressed in Amazonian-style armor.
After talking with Orion and her half-brother Milan, Wonder Woman discovers that Zola's child is in the care of Demeter andHermes. She returns to the apartment to search for Zola andHera but find them missing. Orion uses the boom tube to locate them utilizing a strand of Hera's hair. The two of them are in a bar alongside War, Strife and Dionysus. After the arrival of the two heroes, Wonder Woman demands that Hera take her to Demeter, but as she has been stripped of her divine powers she cannot. Instead War offers to take her, even though Diana knows that he may be planning to kill her. She agrees and the two travel to Demeter's secret lair. Once they arrive there they are attacked by Hermes, who wounds War and threatens Diana.
Meanwhile in the Justice League, she has recently fought her foe Cheetah and the invading Atlanteans led by Ocean Master. However, her relationship with Superman has caught the ire of Batman.
Origin
Diana
As one of the longest continually published comic book characters, Wonder Woman’s history has changed somewhat over the course of her various depictions. In her original golden age appearances certain aspects of the character were introduced which have remained consistent to the modern day. She is an Amazon, raised on Paradise Island (or Themyscira) who journeys to man’s world on a mission of peace. There have been various other aspects of this origin which have stayed mostly as canon, though no longer do. She was originally created of clay after her mother prayed to the god’s for a child and her reason for going to man’s world was because of the unexpected visit of Steve Trevor to Paradise Island. In the golden age this led to an infatuation with the character that remained for her entire golden and silver age appearances. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character’s origin was slightly retold by George Perez. In this version the Amazons were in fact reborn from the souls of abused and murdered women from ancient days.Hippolyta, the leader of the Amazons and Diana’s mother, was the sole member of the Amazons who had been pregnant and when it was deemed appropriate the soul of the child was released into the world. Upon this occurring the female goddesses as well as Hermes who had protected her soul in the Cavern of Souls also blessed the soul with powers beyond those of the other Amazons.
The most recent version of the character’s origin (since the new 52) has not yet been told in totality, but certain things are known. It has been revealed how the Amazons replenish their numbers (they do so by kidnapping sailors and using them for procreation before killing them) as well as the fact of Wonder Woman’s divine lineage. Despite the fact that Zeus is her father it does not necessarily remove other facts about her origin from canon (for instance the blessings of the gods) though it remains to be seen how or if this will be incorporated into the ongoing stories. In the Zero month of the new 52 in which DC was planning to tell the origins of the character from the new 52, the story for Diana focused on the fact that she had been trained by Ares when she was a teenager though she eventually rebelled against him. It is as of yet unclear how this factors into her new origin. When Diana first came to man's world she encountered a group attacking the Pentagon. because of this she befriended Barbara Minerva who was working there on ancient antiquities and Barbara helped her acclimatize to man's world.
Creation
Wonder Woman’s appearance in the early golden age of comics made her the first prominent female superheroine. The psychologist William Moulton Marston created Wonder Woman somewhat as a counter reaction to the presence of prominent male superheroes (at this time Superman, Batman and Captain America) with the hopes that the character could serve as an inspiration for young children (though in certain ways it was geared more towards female readers.) Marston had been partially motivated to creating this character because of the accomplishments of his own wife, who was also an accomplished academic in a time when it was difficult for women to fulfill this role. As a result, the first Wonder Woman series contained many complimentary articles and features which sought to provide guidance to a presumed female readership. There were articles for instance on the different career paths that women could pursue (though these were of course more limited by the standards of the 1940s) as well as a series of stories on famous and accomplished women, called the Wonder Women of History. Marston introduced the character in All Star Comics #8 in 1941. It was not long after that she received her own series.
Additionally, Marston had this to say about the character in 1943:
"Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women' s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman."
Character Evolution
As one of the longest running comic book characters, Diana has seen a great deal of development and throughout every era of comics.
Golden Age
Ordering a Charge
Fans of modern day comic book characters would have some difficulty relating to characters from the early golden age, and Wonder Woman is no exception. As a superhero the character obviously fulfilled the role of an icon for readers, but so too did her secret identity, Diana Prince. The character was created in a time when different cultural and societal norms existed in North America. Thus although by the modern depiction her accomplishments at the time seem ordinary, in that era they were more so. Diana Prince was originally an army nurse, but quickly attained the rank of lieutenant in Army Intelligence. This was partially a creative convenience so that she could be close to both Steve Trevor and received information which she needed to pursue her superheroics. In the real world though, this role in Army intelligence, even as the secretary toGeneral Darnell, was still a rare position for a woman to hold in society. At this time as well, the character had her only real sidekicks in her history in the form of Etta Candy and the Holliday Girls. These characters gave the Wonder Woman a degree more of levity while also allowing the writers to focus on some issues which were more related to women. When Marston left the character, the strong driving force of the character to act as a strong moral guide and role model for female readers left as well and the character became more sensitive to the forces driving the industry as whole. Thus Wonder Woman changed somewhat to a more stereotypical woman. Her main interest was not always fighting crime, but for a time it became all in the interest of keeping Steve Trevor happy and interested in her for marriage. Also the backup stories featuring the Wonder Women of History were slowly phased out and replaced with features on marriage customs from around the world and trivial facts on random household objects. By the time that Robert Kanigher took over the character, a change away from traditional comics as a whole was accomplished. He eventually veered completely away from superheroism and essentially only told stories involving the Wonder Family, which consisted of Wonder Woman, her teenage version Wonder Girl, her baby version Wonder Tot and her mother. This eventually proved not very popular and Kanigher was forced to rethink the character and cast her in a more traditional superhero context (he actually explained this decision in comics to the reader with his various creations vying to remain in continuity against his wishes). It was at this time for instance that Wonder Woman saw the return of some characters that had been missing for some time such as the Cheetah or Doctor Psycho. It was also at this time that she became a founding member of the original Justice League of America.
Silver Age
This superhero era led by Kanigher didn’t last long though. The character was mired in the story lines from the golden age and especially her attachment to Steve Trevor. At the same time across the DC lineup characters were being revitalized with a new focus on science fiction. The silver age at DC is often attributed to having been started by the appearance of the re-imagined Flash in Showcase #4 in 1956. This led to a number of DC characters being reinvented such as Green Lantern andHawkman. The difference with Wonder Woman though is that the character had managed to stay continually published since the golden age and did not get a science fiction retelling in the 1950s and 1960s. This left the character somewhat stilled mired in the past and eventually it was decided that something would be done to break her free of it. When the decision was made though it was decided that she would not have a science fiction background as it would break too much from her background as an Amazon, but that she would be slightly re-imagined as a martial arts based character, more along the lines of Batman. This would allow her to keep her somewhat unique background story, while also being more contemporary and popular. A much stronger emphasis was also placed on her appearance, as her somewhat drab civilian clothes and costume from the golden era were replaced with contemporary fashions of the time. In addition she opened a fashion boutique in trendy Greenwhich Village. This has led some to describe this era of the character as the “Mod Girl Wonder Woman.” While this version of the character did not prove to be consistently popular over the course of her brief run, it did leave some lasting impact on the character once she returned to her usual appearance. Following this she sought out more ambitious careers, for instance as a translator for the United Nations, or as aNASAastronaut and eventually moved back to Army Intelligence where she eventually got promoted to major. Also this period provided the opportunity to sever her from a dependence on Steve Trevor for her stories and her stories for the first time in her publication history became much more in line with what is considered typical of the super hero medium. The introduction of the multiverse made it such that there became two Wonder Womans, the modern version on Earth 1, and the golden age version on Earth 2. For a short time her appearances in her own comic were those of Earth 2 until the contemporary Angle Man accidentally visited her and subsequently the series was returned to modern day. The stories continued much like this for the remainder of the silver age until the end of the first Wonder Woman series with the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. To provide closure to the character which was destined for a reboot, Steve Trevor returned and following the defense of Paradise Island from Shadow Demons, the two were finally married, though in continuity this lasted less than an issue.
Modern Age
The modern age of the character can be tied to the reboot of the character following Crisis on Infinite Earths. In this the character became defined by the vision of George Perez in a way which the entire concept of the character was defined by his direction. As opposed to the past where the character would get retold origins which would try to make her more contemporary, now she got one which tied her much more strongly to the stories of the ancient gods. For the first time Diana enters man’s world not knowing how to speak English already, and is forced to master the language on her own. In this period she also became much more closely related with modern female issues, and this was usually through her circle of friends – Julia and Vanessa Kapatelis andMindi Mayer. Such issues as the cultural need for women to be attractive and thin, suicideand the sensationalization of the media as it pertains to women were all addressed. This version of the character also reimagined Steve Trevor as a father figure for Diana as opposed to a romantic counterpart. After Perez’s run on the character, she was taken over for a time by William Messner Loebs, who recast her again in somewhat more traditional superhero stories, though in this case she still explored a different aspect of humanity. After a long space voyage, when she returned home she was forced to work at a fast food restaurant to pay her bills and made friends with a number of people in her “civilian identity.” This built up to the revelation of betrayal of her mother, and of Artemis taking over as Wonder Woman for a short time, but this was soon reversed. The following writer was John Byrne, who when he was writing Superman in the post-Crisis on Infinite Eaths DC universe, had hinted at a relationship between Diana and Superman. This was explored occasionally under his run, but it is probably best known for the death of Diana, and the assumption of her duties by Hippolyta. She was soon returned to life (as she had never really died, instead having been deified). This period also introduced Cassandra Sandsmark, who would go on to become Wonder Girl at a later point. The remainder of this second series is best remembered for by the writing of Jimenez and Rucka, both of whom helped define the character. The latter during the lead-in of events to Infinite Crisis had Diana fighting Superman who was being controlled by Maxwell Lord. Battered after their battle, Diana has managed to stop Superman by using her lasso of truth on Lord, and the only option which she is given to stopping him is to kill him, and realizing this is the case, she does so. This created a controversy both within comics and in the real world, as both fans and characters alike debated the morality of this decision. In comics this also led to strained relations between her and Superman and her and Batman and with the addition of the events of Identity Crisis, helped to lead to the breakup of the Justice League of America at a crucial point right before the main events of Infinite Crisis were about to begin.
Following the events of Infinite Crisis, she disappeared for a year in order to rediscover herself, and took part briefly in the events of 52. In the span of One Year Later, she was re-imagined once again and was forgiven by Batman and Superman while given her third ongoing monthly title. Batman helped her establish a role at the Department of Metahuman Affairs under the name of Diana Prince (paying homage to her golden age alter ego.) She worked alongside Tom Tresser and eventually became romantically involved with him. This third series is also best remembered for the writing of Gail Simone, who many consider to be the best writer to ever work on the character. A move among fans across the different companies occurred with characters reverting to their original numbering of series (this for instance happened to Iron Man at Marvel as well) and the third Wonder Woman series was relaunched with issue 600. This was actually accurate at the time as it was the indeed the 600 issue released (not including issues numbered otherwise such as with a zero or a million.) Issue 600 was used as a chance to reinvent the character as she discovers herself with no memories and in a new costume. This was a short lived experiment as the entire DC lineup was soon to be re-imagined into the new 52, though certain aspects of her redesigned costume remained.
The New 52
Wonder Woman
The character's depiction in the new 52 has been mostly along the same lines as the remainder of her modern appearances, though as of yet much remains to be explained about her character. One development with the character in this new universe is that some of the developments which occurred during Flashpoint are occasionally referenced (such as her using London as her base of operations.)
Continuity Problems
Due to the reboot of the character following Crisis on Infinite Earths, numerous things no longer made sense in terms of continuity as it related to the remainder of the DC Universe. As her first overall appearance was now in continuity around the Legends miniseries, it no longer made sense that she was a founding member of the Justice League of America. This founding position was instead given retroactively to Black Canary. Later it was decided that she should be given this position back and thus both she and Black Canary were considered founding members of the Justice League. In reference to the Justice League though, although she has more than 400 combined appearances therein, she has had most of her character development in her own series.
Relationship with Superman
Although she has traditionally paired with either Steve Trevor or no one as a main romantic lead, and Superman with either Lois Lane or Lana Lang, there has often been the hint of a romance between the two characters. This began in the 1960 in the series Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane which was equal parts romance and action themed. In order to drive along the romance, the theme often came up of Lois Lane believing that Superman really loved Wonder Woman (though this was mostly for the purposes of a case.) In later years the same ideas perpetuated though most in imaginary stories or alternate tellings of the future. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths the characters were briefly linked romantically in Action Comic #600 which was written by John Byrne. Subsequently the characters' interest in one another was generally portrayed as a strong friendship (this occurred under different writers, primarily Messner-Loebs and Rucka.) Following the reboot of the DC universe into the new 52 the characters once again showed a romantic interest in one another. They found common ground in the isolation which their power give them and shared a kiss in Justice League #12 in 2012.
Major Story Arcs
Due to the format of most golden age comics, the majority of story arcs at the time for all characters were the same, Wonder Woman included. More accurately that is to say that there were not story arcs at all, as issues contained two to three stories, all of which started and concluded within the issue in question. There was therefore not much continuity in Wonder Woman until she reached the silver age. The few exceptions to this were in issues which contained a common theme, such as Wonder Woman meeting some leprechauns and each of the three stories dealing with that. Alternately there were some common themes for the character at the time, one of which was dealing with enemy saboteurs. These were mostly contemporary, and thus started as either the National Socialists in Germany or the Imperial Japanese. Later these became others.
The Silver Age format for comic books also did not generally favour a lot of story arcs, or at least, not memorable ones. In this period though the character did undergo some consistent changes as she battled a variety of common foes including Kobra, but the changed format gave her the ability to develop more as a character. The silver age stories of Wonder Woman can be broken into a few general arcs – the depowered stories (in the mod girl phase), undergoing tests to re-enter the Justice League of America, a golden age story about her work during the Second World War, her adventures as an astronaut for NASA, the hunt for Kobra, and eventually the return of Steve Trevor and the internal politics of working at the Pentagon. The most famous story which she was involved with at this time was “For the Man Who Has Everything”, a story focused on Superman, but also involving herself and Batman. The first major story arc which she was part of was Crisis on Infinite Earths, which also ended her silver age appearances.
Duing the Perez run on the character, there were not as many story arcs either, but they did become more defined. Her entrance into man's world was to stop a global nuclear war created by Ares. She also had introduced a modern version of the Cheetah, Circe, Doctor Psycho and Silver Swan. One of the defining story arcs at this time was the Challenge of the Gods, where she discovers the truth about her own past as she journeys into the underworld. In this time as well she was a part of numerous company-wide crossovers including Millennium, Invasion and one focused on herself, the War of the Gods. The latter was Perez’s swansong on the character and with Messner Loebs taking over afterwards the direction of the character changed again somewhat. Under his direction, Diana became involved in battle factions of organized crime inBoston, and faced off against Ares Buchanan and the White Magician. This resulted in Wonder Woman being marooned in space, and returning to uncover the plot. During the events of Zero Hour a slightly different version of her origin is told, and Artemis wins the right to be Wonder Woman in another contest. This ends eventually with Diana battling the White Magician after Artemis has been killed. The John Byrne run equally was without as many defined story arcs except specifically with how her death affected others. This was also incorporated into the company wide Genesis event. Once she returned she faced a new villain known as Devastation who she battled occasionally, and she also took responsibility for Cassandra Sandsmark (who would later become Wonder Girl.) As a prominent character within the DC universe she took part in company-wide crossovers likeOur Worlds at War and the Joker’s Last Laugh. When Rucka took over the character first memorable story arcs occurred, and most famously among them Stoned and the Superman story arc Sacrifice which ended in Wonder Woman issue 219 with her killing Maxwell Lord.
Wonder Woman was minorly associated with the series 52, and in the One Year Later universe following Infinite Crisis she becomes a member of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. The most memorable story arc from this era was the much maligned Amazons Attack story arc, which many fans felt was not engaging nor did it do enough service to the well-established characters. After Gail Simone took over the series, a number of memorable story arcs took place, foremost among them Rise of the Olympian and Warkiller. Following the departure of Gail Simone the character was relaunched into the storyline Odyssey, where she must discover who she is and what has happened to her life. During this period she also took part in the events of Blackest Night where she was first a Black Lantern and later a Star Sapphire.
With the decision to relaunch the DC Universe into the new 52, this was done by the Flashpoint story arc, where the Reverse Flash has modified the past with a vastly different modern DC Universe having resulted. In this universe Diana leads a dystopian society of Amazons that have taken over England after a battle between the Amazons and the Atlanteans led by Aquaman.
In the new 52, there has not been one central story arc thus far, but there have been some common developments, mostly involving in fighting among the gods.
Powers and Abilities
Wonder Woman’s powers are as a result of her blessings by the gods (or presumably in the modern version by her divine ancestry.) Her abilities in large part come from her upbringing in the martial society of the Amazons.
Superhuman strength
Her level of super strength (as granted to her by Demeter) is comparable to that of the Earth itself (as this is where she derives her powers.) She is thus strong on a level with the strongest other DC’s characters including Superman and Captain Marvel. It is generally accepted that she is not as strong as Superman, but that she is one of the few in the same class as he is. Wonder Woman was even able to take on Powergirl in a hand to hand fight while trying to free her from mind-control. Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel were an even match when they fought. On one occasion she even used her massive strength to move the Earth (though this was under duress and aided by Superman and the Martian Manhunter.) With the launch of the new 52 Wonder Woman showed a new strength level while fighting a God, she removes her bracelets and goes into a "berzerker rage" of power. We then find out that Wonder Woman's bracelets are what protects her opponents from her intense power. Wonder Woman had a quick match with Supergirl where we found out that they are close in strength, Wonder Woman over powered Supergirl with her bracelets still on.
Superhuman Speed
Granted by Hermes (God of Messengers), her top speed has never been well documented, but she has shown to be faster than half the speed of light. The Flash has said that Wonder Woman can easily keep up with him and she has been seen keeping up with Flash going faster than hypersonic speed. She has been shown to be on par with some of the fastest characters in the DC Universe such as Jesse Quick. She can disarm human opponents of their weapons instantly and she can immobilize her opponents in the blink of an eye, as she showed when she speedblitz White Martian and Genocide into space in no time and was able to take down Amazo before he could finish a word. She is such a well trained athlete that in combat, her reflexes even surprise the likes of Superman.
Invulnerability/Durability
Granted by Demeter (Goddess of the Earth), in the Pre-52, she is immune to radiation and the coldness of space; she also possesses a high level of resistance against fire and high temperatures, she has been shown taking fire, lava, thermonuclear explosions, hell fire and even superman's heat vision, however, her invulnerability has a vulnerable point against piercing weapons. Wonder Woman can fight with and withstood considerable damage in the form of hand to hand combat with opponents such as Superman and Gods. Wonder Woman possesses a high resistance to damage and magical attacks. Also she was self-sufficient in the fact that Wonder Woman did not have to eat or sleep and could hold her breath under water for hours and hours. This may still hold true in the new 52, Wonder Woman has still shown the ability to fight on with little to no rest or food to replenish her strength.
Flight
Granted by Hermes (God of Messengers), this ability allows her to fly at fast speeds. In the silver age she could not fly and had to rely on the Amazon ability to glide on air currents and her invisible plane. Wonder Woman is able to fly at hyper-sonic speeds able to keep up with Superman.
Healing factor
Granted by Demeter (Goddess of Earth). In the rare instance when Wonder Woman is harmed, her body heals from any injury instantly without scarring
Divine Wisdom
Granted by Athena (Goddess of Wisdom), this gives her a degree of wisdom beyond that of most mortals and gives her a strong moral sense. This also aids her in her tactical ability. She is among the smartest and wisest members of the Justice League of America, along with the Martian Manhunter and Batman.
Super Stamina/Agility
Wonder Woman can fight to she drops dead, she does not need to rest. Wonder Womans's agility is on a super-human level.
Great Beauty
Although not a real power in itself, she received a blessing of great beauty from Aphrodite.
Enhanced Sense
Granted by Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt). Eyesight, hearing, taste, touch and smell are all on super-human level. Wonder Woman has the (Hunters Eyes) which allows her to always hit her mark and see far distances.
Other assorted divine powers
For a time she was given enhanced vision by Athena, which gave her the ability to see in darkness and through illusions. Due to her wisdom she can learn languages faster than a regular person, she can talk to animals. She has also been shown to project herself astrally in order to commune with the gods and ask for special favors from them. She has also been shown to take on the abilities of certain of her patron goddesses as when she became a form of divine midwife to save the life of an unborn child.
Martial Combat
Wonder Woman is trained in the a variety of martial arts, making her a master of unarmed and armed combat (even proving adept with pistols.) Even when depowered she is on par with some of the best hand to hand fighters in the DC Universe.
Weapons and Equipment
Lasso of Truth
The Lasso of Truth forces people to tell the truth. It was forged by Hephaestus from the Golden Girdle of Gaea that Antiope had once worn. It is able to restore people's lost memories get rid of illusions or cause illusions to those it holds and heal the holder's body cure insanity and protect people who are in close proximity to it from magical attacks. In the golden age version the lasso could also take on a rigid form and hold people aloft from a great distance away. During these eras, the lasso also forced those who were bound by it to act as the holder demanded. This trait also affected Wonder Woman. A non-combat application of the lasso is that it can be used to change Diana's clothes as long as those clothes are "in the right frequency" as the lasso. Although this was a plot device used more often in the golden and silver age in has been used on occasion in modern comics as for instance one time Diana transformed into a Miss America costume.
Bracelets of Victory
These are a pair of steel cuffs that are indestructible because they were created from the remains of Zeus’s Aegis shield. Wonder Woman can use her super reflexes to deflect projectiles, blades, punches, or any form of offensive attack used against her (including Darkseid’s Omega Beams.) She can also use them to deflect an object back into her enemies. When Diana crosses them to protect her from impact with larger projectiles as well as damage inflicted by explosions and collisions with hard surfaces, the bracelets generate a small energy shield. In recent events, Diana has learned how to emit a devastating magic lightning attack from her bracelets do to their link with Zeus. This attack can even strike Gods and Goddesses down with a powerful strike, and this attack can even work underwater. In the golden age these were items of submission meant to control Amazons. If they were removed from an Amazon, she would launch into an uncontrollable rage, releasing her full power (this was a plot device which subdued many foes, among them the Crimson Centipede.) Also during this era, if they were bound together by a man, all her powers were lost, this was only true in the Golden Age. With the launch of the new 52 the golden age bracelets are brought back. Wonder Woman removes her bracelets and go into a "berzerker rage" of power. Wonder Woman's bracelets are what protects her opponents from her intense power in the New 52.
Royal Tiara
Her tiara is razor sharp and can be used so as to return to her when thrown. It is also magical and can therefore be used to injure those susceptible to magic, such as Superman.
The Invisible Plane
The invisible plane was Diana’s major means of travel during the Golden and Silver ages as the character did not have the ability of flight. It was controlled telepathically and would appear almost instantly. With the introduction of the power of flight to the character it was a forgotten element of her character until she found the Lansinar Disk. This disc was a piece of alien technology which allowed her to create an invisible version of whatever object or vehicle she visualized it to be. She would use this to create an invisible plane, but it eventually became to be used more to create the Wonder Dome.
Battle Armour
When faced with a larger threat, Diana will wear her Amazon battle armour for added protection as well as use martial weapons such as swords. Technically speaking as well, as reimagined under the George Perez 1980s reboot, the iconic costume is in fact simply the breastplate of this armour. She will also additionally use a shield for added defense when she deems it necessary.
Martial Weapons
Diana is depicted as quite skilled in a number of martial weapons. She has shown to be adept with swords, battle axes and spears. She tends to favour swords though in particularly difficult fights. Her knowledge of martial weapons extends to other less conventional weapons, including broken bottles.
Magical Sword
Materializing the sword
On occasions Wonder Woman has employed a magical sword of unknown (though presumably Amazon) origin. This sword has been used most specifically against those with the power of invulnerability as invulnerability generally does not work against magical items. It is generally represented as a short sword. In Wonder Woman (vol. 4) #15, Hephaestus modifies Diana's bracelets so that she can manifest two short swords from them during battle.
Sandals of Hermes
Given to Diana by Hermes, these are no longer in canon, but at one point allowed her to travel between Themyscira and the outside world. These sandals have also been given to Artemis and Cassandra Sandsmark as they also provide the power of flight.
Gauntlet of Atlas
These gauntlets allow the strength of any who uses them to be increased by ten. She has used these to battle the White Magician in his demon form and Doomsday. When using them Diana has trouble controlling her sudden increase in strength.
Earrings
Although seemingly only a purely decorative aspect of her costume, in the golden and silver ages, her earrings were sometimes depicted as giving her the ability to breathe in outer space. Gelignite Grenade Earrings and Grappling Hook Bracelet - In her depowered mod girl phase, Diana on rare occasion employed these devices, which were concealed to look like regular parts of her costume. She acquired them from a demolitions expert and villain which she had helped reform. The grenades were strong enough to blast through a thick steel door and the grappling hook could support easily her body weight to aid in climbing.
As one of the major DC characters, Wonder Woman has appeared in many Elseworlds titles as well asRealworlds, and Just Imagine from Stan Lee
Ame-Comi
Ame-Comi #1 Amanda Conner
Wonder Woman appears in the first three issues of the Ame-Comi comic run. She is depicted as a young warrior eager to prove herself in battle, but when she goes against her mothers words it results in a punishment of sorts. Diana is made into an ambassador of peace to the world outside of Themyscira, which she is reluctant to perform. At a U.N. Assembly where she announces Themyscira's intention for peace she is attack by Cheetah, who is quickly defeated. This depiction of Diana is that of a younger amazon who is depicted in a more arrogant and aggressive manner.
Other Media
The character has appeared occasionally on live television. In 1966 a short film was made to pitch the character to television studios, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The most famous television show was in 1975 starring Lynda Carter.
The first animated version of the character was in 1972 in an episode of the Brady Kids cartoon called “It’s all Greek to Me.” Starting in 1973 she appeared as one of the main characters in Super Friends, and appeared for 8 seasons in total. In 1988 she appeared in one story in the Superman animated series. She later became a major character in the DC Animated Universe Justice League and Justice League unlimited. This series is best known for the implied romantic feelings between herself and Batman. After the end of this relatively long running series, she appeared in Batman The Brave and the Bold. She later appears in the series Young Justice as a background character. In 2009 an animated film was created which mostly served as an origin story.
Numerous novels have been created involving the character: Gods and Goddesses (1998), Spirit of Truth (2001), The Hiketeia (2002), Justice League of America: Wonder Woman Mythos (2003), and Wonder Woman Love and Murder (2007).
Wonder Woman has also appeared as a playable character in the following video games: Justice League Task Force (1995), Justice League Injustice For All (2002), Justice League Chronicles (2003), Justice League Heroes (2006), Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe (2008), and Injustice: Gods Among Us.
In 2011, the cosmetics company MAC released a series of cosmetics, including lipstick, with a Wonder Woman theme.
Wonder Woman has also appeared in the 2013 Netherealm Studio game, INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us, as a playable character with her own set of super moves and alternate constumes, one of which was a New 52 skin.
Psychological Analysis
Between 1942 and 1947, images of tied up women began to populate the covers of Wonder Woman. This subtext has been noted, and it has been debated whether it was a release for
Marston ’s sexual fantasies, or an outlet for readers of the comics, who were teenagers developing their sexuality. Marston had worked as a prison psychologist and bondage and submission were two themes of his comics and they were intertwined with theories of the rehabilitation of criminals. Wonder Woman of course, being a superhero wanted to change the ways of the criminals. Even a rehabilitation center was built on a small island near concept of Marston was the “loving submission” where kindness would allow people to surrender. Parodies have been written with this concept, as male criminals may give up only to spend time with her.
When Marston died in 1947 Robert Kanigher took over and Diana became less of a feminist character but during this time, her abilities expanded as she wore earrings that provided her with the air she needed when she was in outer space and she had an invisible plane. Extra additions included a tiara which could cut through almost anything and acted as a boomerang and her bracelets now had two way radios.
In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham alleged that there were lesbian subtexts to Wonder Woman and claimed comics contributed to juvenile delinquency in his book Seduction of the Innocent where despite a very obvious heterosexual relationship with Steve Trevor , Wertham asserted that Wonder Woman’s association with theHolliday Girls could be interpreted as a lesbian relationship. The Comics Code Authority was then introduced in reaction to Wertham 's claims against the entire industry.
Depiction and the Iconic Costume
Wonder Woman’s costume has come under heavy criticism throughout the years. Many find that as an example of a character that is supposed to represent female empowerment that by wearing a costume which reveals a gratuitous amount of skin that the character is being contradictory. Numerous attempts have been made to make her costume more realistic, however in terms of the character’s history there are few problems with it. Despite that it offers little protection, Wonder Woman does not require very much protection, either from harm or from the elements. The costume is also sometimes criticized for its symbolism closely related to American themes, that despite the fact that she is meant to be an emissary of peace to the whole planet, that her costume looks very American This is explained as one of the motivations for her role in man’s world. The costume is a breastplate inspired by the colors and symbols of a downed World War II airplane being flown bySteve Trevor’smother . As an American pilot, it is therefore not surprising that stars (on the lower part of her breastplate) and stripes (one her boots) are evident parts of the design. In the summer of 2011 it was announced that DC Comics would reboot its entire lineup and create the new 52. Debate immediately surfaced as the head creative force behind the reboot (Jim Lee) decided that all female characters should be drawn with "pants" or full leg covering as part of their costume. This was in line with the redrawn Wonder Woman after issue #600 in volume 3. However, as the summer progressed images began to appear with Diana in a costume which appeared to be a synthesis of her traditional one and the reimagined one. With the actual reboot this is the costume that was decided on, essentially with the breastplate in the general shape of the traditional costume, and the theme being more in line with the redesign of the previous year. She additionally has added aspects of her uniform which didn't exist before such as a braided armband.
