GEEKS Celebrates Wonder Woman

For the first time in her fabled 75 years of existence, the Amazon Princess known as Wonder Woman will have a solo adventure on the Silver Screen.

Known as Princess Diana of Themsyscira, Wonder Woman made her debut in the eighth issue of All-Star Comics in October 1941, before headlining her adventures in Sensation Comics and later her self-titled series. Diana was created by American psychologist and comic book writer William Moulton Marston, who was inspired by two of the great women in his life: his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, and Olive Byrne.

Wonder Woman’s origin story primarily involves her mother, Queen Hippolyta, sculpting her from clay and was brought to life by the Greek Gods, who gave the child some of their gifts. Demeter gave Diana strength from Earth spirit Gaea, while Pallas Athena gave the future Maiden of Might wisdom, intelligence, and military prowess. Finally, Artemis gave her the ability to communicate with any animal.

When Queen Hippolyta announced a contest for to be the Themyscira ambassador to the outside world, Diana eagerly wanted to enter the tournament to explore the world. But, the Queen forbade her to get into the competition because she was worried about the dangers that would attract her daughter. Upset with her mother’s decree, Diana snuck into the stadium and disguised herself. Diana eagerly went into battle and eventually won the tournament.

While her mother was disappointed with Diana’s unmasking, she kept to the rules and awarded her daughter the tools necessary to survive in man’s world. Among the tools included bulletproof bracelets, which were formed from the remains of Athena’s shield, a tiara that could be used as a boomerang-like weapon, and her Lasso of Truth. She also received a unique airplane, the Invisible Jet, which no one could detect.

Diana arrived in the United States and stunned the nation with her heroics as she tackled dangerous adversaries such as the Cheetah, Giganta, Circe, Doctor Psycho, Doctor Poison, and even Ares himself. She also gained allies in the forms of Etta Candy and Colonel Steve Trevor, who served as her love interest. Throughout her history, Wonder Woman has been a member of numerous superhero teams. In the Golden Age of Comics, fans saw Diana team up with the Justice Society of America in the pages of All-Star Comics. When legendary DC Comics writer Gardner Fox established the Justice League of America in March 1960, Wonder Woman was one of the group’s founding members and has been featured in numerous incarnations of the team. She also formed a legendary partnership with DC Comics’ top heroes: Superman and Batman. Both fans and comic book industry insiders consider the trio to be DC Comics’ core trinity.

Outside of the comic books, Wonder Woman has been featured in numerous media adaptations since the 1970s. While she was primarily featured in the Superfriends franchise voiced by actresses Shannon Farnon, Connie Caulfield, and B.J. Ward, it was the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) that brought her television glory.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

ABC broadcasted Wonder Woman’s first live action solo series from 1976 to 1977, while CBS aired the series’ final two seasons. Actress-singer Lynda Carter played the titular role, while Lyle Waggoner and Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman respectfully portrayed Steve Trevor and Queen Hippolyta. Carter’s iconic portrayal of Wonder Woman rocketed the Amazon Princess to the top of the pop culture Rolodex.

While there were numerous attempts to bring Wonder Woman back to the small screen in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the DC Animated Universe brought Diana, her allies, and adversaries back to TV in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Voiced this time by actress Susan Eisenberg, Wonder Woman was part of the core team since the three-part “Secret Origins” and remained on the team thru Justice League Unlimited’s 2006 series finale: “Destroyer!”

Gal Gadot brings Wonder Woman to the Silver Screen

This decade has smiled kindly on the Amazon Warrior as Israeli actress Gal Gadot became the first performer to portray Wonder Woman on the Silver Screen. She made her debut as the princess in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. In 2015, fans were ecstatic to learn that Gadot will headline the very first solo Wonder Woman adventure that will drop in theatres this weekend. The film will also star Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta), and Robin Wright (General Antiope).

GEEKS salutes Wonder Woman for an incredible 75 years, and we hope that she has 75 more years of adventure.