History Franchise / Wonderwoman

* LeotardOfPower: Her iconic costume is composed of a shoulder-less blue star-spangled leotard with a golden breast plate.

%%* LeotardOfPower: The classic example.

* ''[[ComicBook/AllStarComicsNumberEight Introducing Wonder Woman]]'' (1941) [[note]]Wonder Woman's first appearance.[[/note]]

* ''[[ComicBook/WonderWomanNumberOne The Origin of Wonder Woman]]'' (1942)

* MagicalGirlWarrior: Even more so as depicted in an anime-style Japanese statuette seen by Diana and [[Characters/GreenArrowBlackCanary Black Canary]] when the two visit Tokyo. The price tag reads "Wonder Woman: Happy Magic Fun Sword Girl - Sexy! Sexy! Fight! Fight!"[[note]]''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 3) #35[[/note]]

*** This has led to {{Flanderization}} by people CompletelyMissingThePoint that she was acting violently out of character in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome.'' That's ''why'' Batman and everyone were so shocked by her killing Von Bach. Since then, readers and writers alike seem to have pegged her as the one member of DC's Big Three who is willing to kill--which, in light of most of her history, may count as pretty drastic MotiveDecay.

* LeotardOfPower: The classic example.
* LightningBruiser

* LivingLieDetector: With help from her magic lasso. It's also canon that she's the spirit of truth, and it's hard to tell a lie around her even without the lasso. As Creator/MercedesLackey pointed out in the foreword to "The Circle" TPB, the lasso doesn't just make someone ''tell'' the truth, it makes them ''see and confront'' the truth. Traditionally [[CompletelyMissingThePoint (before the odd recent decision to make her the]] ''[[CompletelyMissingThePoint most]]'' [[CompletelyMissingThePoint violent of DC's]] [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Big]] [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Three),]] when she was very focused on ''redeeming'' villains who could be redeemed, the lasso was a wonderful tool because if she got it around the villain and asked him the [[ArmorPiercingQuestion hard questions about his motivations,]] he not only couldn't lie to Wonder Woman, ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he couldn't lie to himself.]]''

* ClothesMakeTheLegend

* DeusExMachina: Her lasso of truth, making it somewhat difficult to tell mystery stories.

Later, she was revamped for ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' by the comics legend Creator/GeorgePerez. She was powered-up, giving her flight, and tying her much more to Greek mythology and a mission as a messenger of peace to "Patriarch's World". Furthermore, she considered a SecretIdentity obviously counterproductive in that role, so she stayed with her new friends, Julia Kapatelis, a classical Greek scholar, and her daughter Vanessa. Furthermore, ComicBook/SteveTrevor was revised to be old enough to be Diana's father, thus precluding the cliché romance; instead, he romanced ComicBook/EttaCandy. However, it turns out that he is indirectly linked to Diana's home since his mother, Diana Trevor, crash landed there and died helping the Amazons defeat a monster, making her a deeply honored hero to them.[[note]]It was also Perez's way of explaining why Wonder Woman's outfit was an American motif - they assumed Diana's insignia was her standard, and emulated them.[[/note]]

In addition, she was simultaneously made much more naïve and tougher. The naïveté is such that Wonder Woman could not conceive of a woman being an enemy, which made the time when the ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} tried to con her out of her lasso an extremely upsetting moment. The toughness comes from being a classically trained warrior who is ready to kill as necessary and with no regrets, such as when she decapitated the villainous god Deimos. At the same time, her supervillain enemies became much more credible threats as in how the Cheetah was changed from a normal woman in a silly cheetah suit to a villain who became a powerful and deadly were-cheetah who is a real challenge to Diana in battle.

A popular (and therefore cheapened) way to escalate the drama in Wonder Woman stories (or {{Crisis Crossover}}s) recently has been to threaten Paradise Island... and then make good on the threat. The Amazons have been all-but-destroyed by ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, themselves (in two civil wars), [[ComicBook/OurWorldsAtWar Imperiex]], Hera, [=OMAC=]s, [[ComicBook/NewGods Granny Goodness]] in the wake of ''ComicBook/AmazonsAttack'', and in AlternateUniverse by the removal of the gods' protection.

* ''Wonder Woman: ComicBook/SteveTrevor Special'' (2017)

* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague''

** ''Film/WonderWoman1984'': The follow-up to the 2017 film, an {{interquel}} that pits her against Maxwell Lord and ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} in, well, [[TheEighties 1984]].

** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Voiced by Creator/SusanEisenberg as a princess fresh from Paradise Island (Themyscara), and a little bit naive. She had a [[UnresolvedSexualTension budding]] [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys relationship]] with Franchise/{{Batman}}. Her origin story was retooled to fit with the series narrative, which left out much of the comic origin, though it was revisited in later episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': She appears in the ColdOpening of an episode and in the main story of another. Her design is an homage to the Golden Age and has a lot of canon references to the [[Series/WonderWoman1975 TV series]] - including the theme music. She's voiced by Vicki Lewis.

* ''WesternAnimation/JLAAdventuresTrappedInTime'': A 2014 movie that involved ComicBook/KarateKid and Dawnstar working with the Justice League to stop ComicBook/LexLuthor. She's voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle-Griffin.

** Back in the GoldenAge, when sexist MoralGuardians accused her of being a lesbian because she was doing all these "masculine" activities, Marston delivered an amusing TakeThat by giving Wonder Woman the catch phrase, "Suffering Sappho!"

* AntiHeroSubstitute: ComicBook/{{Artemis}} took over as Wonder Woman for a brief time during TheNineties.

** Steve Trevor, since Marston left the book, has been adrift, but lingers (especially in adaptations) based on the name retaining some currency. Completely averted as of the ''Comicbook/{{New 52}}'', however, where Trevor has been upgraded to being the DCU's version of ComicBook/NickFury.

* BigBad: Ares, the Greek god of war. In the New 52, Ares is more of an AntiVillain. The first new BigBad was Hera, who was then succeeded by First Born -- Zeus and Hera's unnamed first son, who was sealed away by Zeus due to the prophecy stating that he would be dethroned by his own child. [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Once he breaks free, he's not too pleased.]]

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman2011 In the New 52]] she became the new Goddess of War after killing ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}

** Supporting character ComicBook/{{Nubia}} was introduced as a painfully inept attempt at creating a heroine to reflect the Black Power movement of the 1970s.

* FeminineWomenCanCook: Averted to a degree in a [[ComicBook/JusticeLeague JLA Classified]] arc, where during a League meeting, Wonder Woman (one of the team's toughest warriors) bakes a plate of Themyscrian pomegranate-flavored pastries. In the last scene of the issue in question, Batman says, "And one more thing. Diana, Alfred will need this recipe."

* FictionalCounterpart: One memorable story has Diana appearing on "The Scene," a talk show hosted by various female journalists such as ComicBook/LoisLane and [[Franchise/TheFlash Linda Park]]. The name, logo, and premise of the series are extremely similar to those of the real life female talk show ''Series/TheView.''

* LegacyCharacter: During the 1990s, the Wonder Woman mantle was briefly passed to Artemis before she was killed off. Later, the mantle again changed hands, this time to Queen Hippolyta. This led to a series of confusing events where Hippolyta went back in time to the 1940s and retroactively became the "original" Wonder Woman, making Diana a legacy heroine herself. This idea was [[CanonDisContinuity ignored by subsequent writers]] and done away with when DC rebooted its history during the Comicbook/{{New 52}}.

* MagicalGirlWarrior: Even more so as depicted in an anime-style Japanese statuette seen by Diana and [[ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey Black Canary]] when the two visit Tokyo. The price tag reads "Wonder Woman: Happy Magic Fun Sword Girl - Sexy! Sexy! Fight! Fight!"[[note]]''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 3) #35[[/note]]

* MetronomicManMashing: Wonder Woman gets this done to her by TheDevil. It succeeds in pissing her off. Well, more so than she already was at him.

* APirate400YearsTooLate: Wonder Woman once faced a husband and wife team that lead a group of (mostly women) air pirates who operated out of a small fleet of aircraft. While most of the group was well adapted to "modern" (1940s) times the husband styled himself after an old timey pirate and went by Captain Redbeard. Amusingly their fight attracted the attention of a {{Clock Roach|es}} that then put the pirates, Diana, ComicBook/SteveTrevor, Etta Candy and the Holliday Girls back in the more appropriate time period for a swashbuckling confrontation on the high seas.

** The next three writers - Eric Luke, Phil Jimenez, and Creator/GregRucka - were decidedly less keen on rocking the boat, though Jimenez's run did see Themyscira getting blown up by ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} (then rebuilt), and Diana's home base shifting to [[BigApplesauce New York]], with a legitimate embassy for the Amazons. For about five years or so, all was still...

* RoguesGallery: [[ComicBook/AresDC Ares/Mars]], ComicBook/{{Cheetah}}, ComicBook/{{Circe}}, [[GiantWoman Giganta,]] [[PsychicPowers Dr. Psycho,]] [[{{Cyborg}} Dr. Cyber,]] [[AlienGeometries Angle Man,]] [[ThoseWackyNazis Paula Von Gunther]]. Gunther eventually makes a HeelFaceTurn, however.

** In ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'', ComicBook/TheJoker's depiction of her is as an angry housewife armed with the RollingPinOfDoom.

** The titular character is a superhumanly strong and fast WarriorPrincess who fights with a sword and [[KnowsTheRopes a magic lasso]]. One of her most iconic enemies is ComicBook/{{Circe}}, [[WickedWitch a misanthropic witch]].
** Another evil magician among Diana's rogues gallery is Thomas Asquith Randolph, the White Magician. He was once a hero but ultimately became obsessed with gaining power. He was defeated by Diana with help from her fellow Amazon ComicBook/{{Artemis}} and, ironically enough, [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor Circe.]]

[[AC:Comic Books]]

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: When Wonder Woman goes back in time and finds a TyrannosaurusRex terrorizing some cavemen, she figures out it must have somehow escaped the ice age.

As part of the Comicbook/DCRebirth initiative, Creator/GregRucka returned to write ''Comicbook/WonderWomanRebirth''. His run attracted notice for being the first in the main DC continuity to depict Diana as in a relationship with another woman.[[note]]This writing decision was partly the result of Rucka seeing the character as representative of universal love for all humanity, regardless of gender, and partly because he thought it was the most logical explanation for how Diana could seemingly know all about love, sex, relationships, and marriage [[FridgeLogic despite growing up on an island]] populated [[LadyLand entirely by women.]][[/note]] Also, for the first time in three decades, Diana and Steve Trevor are officially a couple in mainstream continuity again.

* ''Series/{{Wonder Woman|1975}}'': A 1975-79 show starring Creator/LyndaCarter. A more faithful adaptation of the comics, it is [[NarmCharm dated, particularly its early episodes set in World War II, but fondly remembered]]. And Lynda Carter managed an eerie resemblance to the original character as drawn by Gibson Girl artist Harry G. Peter.

* A four-and-a-half-minute pilot reel was produced by [[Series/Batman1966 Greenway Productions]] in 1967 -- planned as an ultra-campy SitCom, with Wonder Woman (Ellie Wood Walker) as a delusional HollywoodHomely single girl who imagines herself a beautiful superhero. It was never aired, but can now be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRS5Bsf3l9c here]].

* Several WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies star Wonder Woman, including ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'', ''WesternAnimation/SupermanBatmanApocalypse'', and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom''. She is voiced by Creator/VanessaMarshall in the former while Susan Eisenberg revisits the role in the latter two. There is virtually no between-film continuity as each DCU film tends to be a reboot. She also appears in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'', reprised by Marshall. She also appears ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueWar'' and ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueThroneOfAtlantis'' voiced by Creator/MichelleMonaghan and Creator/RosarioDawson [[TheOtherDarrin respectively]].

* AdaptationalModesty: Her original costume had knee-length star-spangled culottes that looked like a skirt unless she was in action. This was revised to the familiar star spangled [[WhoWearsShortShorts short shorts]] and a strapless halter top. Over time it became [[{{Stripperiffic}} a leotard and a corset]] with varying amounts of cleavage, and was otherwise not protective wear. Even within the comics through all sorts of redesigns they've experimented with adding pants and fully covered armor, but often revert to something closer to the classic appearance due to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks fan outrage of changing the costume too much]] (making her look like a generic female warrior rather than Wonder Woman). The Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse included a Grecian/Roman inspired combat skirt that ended up well received, emphasizing the heritage of the outfit both in the comics lore and in real world comics history. [[RetCanon Comics and other adaptations quickly followed their lead]].

** Ambiguous no more: Creator/GregRucka [[WordOfGod recently officially came out]] saying that [[WordOfGay that Wonder Woman is bisexual]].

* ClarkKenting: Originally on par with the {{Trope Namer|s}} [[Franchise/{{Superman}} himself]], and sometimes worse as she won't even wear glasses as Diana Prince, yet even Steve Trevor didn't figure it out. Averted since UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks when she didn't have a disguise at all, but brought back in UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks when she resumed her Diana Prince secret identity. At least she wears glasses and changes her hair style now.

* CoolPlane: Her invisible jet. Just [[MST3KMantra don't think too hard]] about the way it works (or [[FridgeLogic why she needs it if she can fly]], though at first it was because she couldn't fly (UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks), then she can only [[strike:fly]] [[NotQuiteFlight glide]] short distances (UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks) and needs the jet for long-distance flight. This hasn't been true since the 1980s, though). In UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks, she occasionally uses it to transport cargo or passengers, but for the most part, it hangs around due to historic value and RuleOfCool. More recent versions have depicted the jet as a stealth plane. Which ''was'' its original purpose, back in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks. Why else make a plane invisible?

* FlightStrengthHeart: As she actually was given a [[TheHeart loving heart]] [[CharmPerson and the power to make friends easily]]. [[BeautyEqualsGoodness She was also given beauty]], [[SpeaksFluentAnimal the power to talk to]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings calm animals]]; and [[CoolAirShip has an invisible plane]], [[{{Flight}} even though she can fly]], and [[FridgeLogic it doesn't actually make anyone within it invisible]]. The [[Series/WonderWoman1975 TV series]] also introduced us [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wonderwomanspins.jpg to the way]] Wonder Woman could [[SpectacularSpinning spin]] to [[ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction change clothes.]]

* PaintedOnPants: Wonder Girl traditionally wears these. During the Messner-Loebs run, WW also wore something like bike pants. Wondy herself follows this trope in [[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited "The Once and Future Thing"]], with her disguise in TheWildWest. Which is [[FridgeLogic odd]], since she swiped it from a ''man'', and it was still form-fitting, including in the crotch.

** Then ''Loebs'' got fed up and left. Cue Creator/JohnByrne taking over and moving Diana to Gateway City, a thinly-veiled pastiche of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco with a brand-new supporting cast (most notably ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark). Ironically, this was somewhat ''less'' drastic than the Loebs retool(s); Byrne had great respect for Perez and took steps to restore the old status-quo and scope of Diana's adventures, and it's even been argued that his supporting characters were just Perez's with the SerialNumbersFiledOff.

* StrawFeminist: When written badly. The PetPeeveTrope of a lot of WW fans.

* ThouShaltNotKill: Originally played straight but averted more and more since the '90s, considering these days Diana is (usually) perfectly willing to kill if she judges it necessary and will never second-guess making that decision. [=* =][[MemeticMutation NECKSNAP]][=* =]

The bosomy [[note]]like ComicBook/PowerGirl, exactly how bosomy depended on the artist - by the 1990s she became positively {{Stripperiffic}}. The bust size changed most significantly after Lynda Carter portrayed her in the 1970s, and she's had
the [[MostCommonSuperpower second-biggest pair in DC Comics]] ever since.[[/note]], raven-haired Amazon heroine was never as well-known by the general public as the other "big heroes" until the 1970s, thanks to Shannon Farnon, her voice actress on ''Super Friends'', and Lynda Carter, who portrayed her in prime time. In addition, UsefulNotes/{{feminis|m}}ts loved her, as evidenced by her being on the cover of the premiere issue of the movement's flagship magazine, ''Ms.''

[[AC:Notable Comic Books Stories]]

* ''Amazon'': In light of the success of the CW's ''{{Series/Arrow}}'', the network looked at developing possible ''Series/{{Smallville}}''-like approach to Wonder Woman, focusing on her teenage years and her emergence into the world outside Themyscira. In mid-2013 it was announced that the project had been cancelled and The CW instead commissioned ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', which took ''Amazon's'' prequel concept and gave it to Batman.

* ''WesternAnimation/JLAAdventuresTrappedInTime'': A 2014 movie that involved ComicBook/KarateKid and Dawnstar working with the Justice League to stop ComicBook/LexLuthor. She's voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle Griffin.

** ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'': A full television series that serves as a ContinuityReboot of the same concept as the web series, with noticeable differences, such as which characters are included and more stylized character designs. She's once again voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle Griffin.

** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Voiced by Creator/SusanEisenberg as a princess fresh from Paradise Island (Themyscara), and a little bit naive. She had a [[UnresolvedSexualTension budding]] [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys relationship]] with Franchise{{/Batman}}. Her origin story was retooled to fit with the series narrative, which left out much of the comic origin, though it was revisited in later episodes.

** Queen Atomia has created a machine and chamber that can turn people into her mindless "Nutron" and "Proton" slaves, altering their physical body and greatly reducing their mental capacity. When she tries to use the Proton Chamber on Diana and her friends Diana destroys the chamber.

** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Voiced by Creator/SusanEisenberg as a princess fresh from Paradise Island (Themyscara), and a little bit naive. She had a [[UnresolvedSexualTension budding]] [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys relationship]] with {{Franchise/Batman}}. Her origin story was retooled to fit with the series narrative, which left out much of the comic origin, though it was revisited in later episodes.

* ''Amazon'': in light of the success of the CW's ''{{Series/Arrow}}'', the network looked at developing possible {{Series/Smallville}}-like approach to Wonder Woman, focusing on her teenage years and her emergence into the world outside Themyscira. In mid-2013 it was announced that the project had been cancelled and The CW instead commissioned ''{{Series/Gotham}}'', which took ''Amazon's'' prequel concept and gave it to Batman.

* ''WesternAnimation/JLAAdventuresTrappedInTime'' : A 2014 movie that involved ComicBook/KarateKid and Dawnstar working with the Justice League to stop ComicBook/LexLuthor. She's voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle Griffin.

* ''WebAnimation/DCSuperheroGirls'': A web-series tie-in for [[Toys/DCSuperheroGirls the toyline]]. It is set in a SuperheroSchool and features teenage versions of multiple superheroes and supervillains. Wonder Woman is the main protagonist and is the NewTransferStudent who rooms with ComicBook/HarleyQuinn. She's once again voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle Griffin.

** As The Atom found out in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', the lucky bastard.

* MsFanservice: Wonder Woman is a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], very beautiful raven-haired Amazonian woman (and also the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman) who wears outfits (such as a revealing strapless leotard or a bustier-hotpants combo) that display her skin and highlight her muscular yet voluptuous body, [[MostCommonSuperpower large breasts]], [[AmazonianBeauty strong toned muscles (especially her large biceps)]], ripped broad shoulders, [[MaleGaze nicely toned buttocks]], and [[ShesGotLegs long muscular legs]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The B&D content of UsefulNotes/{{The Golden Age|OfComicBooks}} comics was so blatant and ever-present, it [[DoubleEntendre stomped on the "sub"]] part of "Subtext".

the [[MostCommonSuperpower]] ever since[[/note]], raven-haired Amazon heroine was never as well-known by the general public as the other "big heroes" until the 1970s, thanks to Shannon Farnon, her voice actress on ''Super Friends'', and Lynda Carter, who portrayed her in prime time. In addition, UsefulNotes/{{feminis|m}}ts loved her, as evidenced by her being on the cover of the premiere issue of the movement's flagship magazine, ''Ms.''