Alan Kistler's Wonder Woman Files

OUR HERO IN A NUTSHELL

There exist extra-dimensional beings made up of celestial energy. One set of such beings were worshiped as gods by the Ancient Greeks. Long ago, the Greek goddesses took pity on women they had seen slain unjustly by men and resurrected them into a society of women warriors.

After being temporarily enslaved by Hercules and his men, these Amazons, led by Queen Hyppolyta, decided to leave society. The Greek goddesses led them to the mystical island of Themyscira (sometimes called "Paradise Island"). There, the Amazons were prevented from aging and were hidden from the outside world, though the bracelets they now wore would always remind them of the shackles they'd once had.

The Amazons lived in peace, developing art and technology unknown to the rest of Earth. But after thousands of years, Hypollyta found that she longed for a child. Making a baby out of clay, she beseeched the goddesses and they breathed life into the doll, granting the queen a daughter. Named Diana, the child was blessed with great beauty, heightened senses, a link to animals, great strength, incredible speed and the power of flight.

Growing up, Princess Diana was trained in hunting, martial arts, diplomacy, literature, science and other fields. As Diana entered adulthood, she was chosen to be an ambassador to "Patriarch's World" in order to teach others the benefits of focusing on science and knowledge rather than violence and conquest. To help her against any enemies, she was given new, unbreakable silver bracelets, a golden eagle-crested suit of armor and a mystical "lasso of truth" that could increase its length and extend her will over whomever it ensnared. This lasso, along with Diana's own goddess-blessed wisdom and insight, made her near-invulnerable to hypnosis and mind control. Eventually, she was also given an advanced jet which could alter its form and was invisible to all radar and the naked eye.

Labeled "Wonder Woman" by the media, Diana won fame as both a hero and a social activist for womens' rights, such as spear-heading the international Wonder Woman Foundation. She has often fought alongside Superman and the Batman (the three of them collectively known as the "Trinity") and became a founding member of the Justice League of America.

Diana was later joined in her fight for justice by her younger sister Donna Troy, who called herself Wonder Girl and became a founding member of the Teen Titans. When Donna grew up, she left the Wonder Girl name behind and a few years later it was adopted by teenage hero Cassie Sandsmark.

Twice over the years, Diana has had to give up the mantle of Wonder Woman. The first time, she was replaced by the Amazon warrior Artemis for a time. Later, her own mother Hyppolyta filled in for her for several months. In the end, however, Diana has remained the one true Wonder Woman in the hearts of others.

Not too long ago, Diana executed a villain who had taken control of Superman's mind, believing she had no other choice. This invited fear and suspicion from the public and Diana became resentful towards humanity and came to believe that she did not understand them. She decided to adopt a civilian identity in order to build a stronger connection to common people. Thanks to Batman's resources, she gained the proper documentation and IDs to begin a new life as government agent Diana Prince. She lived primarily as Diana Prince for nearly a year before returning to her double-role as Wonder Woman.

Thanks to a recent magic spell cast on her, Diana now loses all her superhuman abilities when she is out of costume and thus, as Diana Prince, she must rely only on her wits, experience and skills. This is highly dangerous since her new job (the Department of Metahuman Affairs) specializes in combating superhuman terrorists. Thankfully, Diana is more than up to the challenge, with or without powers.

That's the basics. Feel free to continue if you want to learn the full history and evolution of this super-hero icon.

Part 1 - Diana's introduction into comics all the way through the 1960s.

Part 2 - The I-Ching era, during which Diana was revamped and de-powered, all the way up to the mid-1980s.

Part 3 covers Diana Post-Crisis.

Part 4 covers Infinite Crisis and beyond.

Wonder Woman in Media