Post by Doctor Cyber on Jun 18, 2012 13:15:06 GMT -5
Real name: Diana of Themyscira, Diana Prince
Alter Ego: Previously Wonder Woman
Status
Occupation: Ambassador of Themyscira
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: Citizen of Themyscira, formerly Princess of Themyscira
Group Affiliation(s): Justice League of America
Origin
Place of Birth: Themyscria
Known Relatives: Known Relatives: Zeus (great-grandfather), Hera (great-grandmother), Poseidon (great-granduncle), Hades (great-granduncle), Ares (grandfather), Aphrodite (grandaunt), Apollo (granduncle), Artemis (grandaunt), Athena (grandaunt), Hephaestus (granduncle), Hermes (granduncle), Heracles (granduncle), Hippolyta (Wonder Woman III, mother, deceased), Antiope (aunt, deceased), Donna Troy (Troia, sister), Troy Long (nephew), Helena Kosmatos (Fury I, adoptive sister), Lyta Hall (Fury II, adoptive niece), Hector Hall (Dr. Fate IV, adoptive nephew-in-law), Daniel Hall (Dream II, adoptive grandnephew).
History
In the age when men were hunter-gatherers, existing as small tribes, an injury to a dominant hunter could mean that his family starved, it meant being ostracised from society and generally being made the scapegoat. One unfortunate was teased and goaded by his fellows into such a rage that he ended up killing the one person that cared for him, his poor unsuspecting wife. In savagery and pain she died, yet her spirit did not pass onto the other side, it was intercepted by the earth goddess Gaea and like thousand of female souls to come it was held and nurtured deep in the realm of Hades in the Cavern of Souls.
The Olympian goddesses foresaw a time when men would forget the old gods that they themselves would fade into the distance without followers. They decided to create a society of women to act as guides and teachers to spread the world of Olympus far and wide. Zeus was neutral on the scheme, while Ares was openly hostile to the idea. However Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter and Hesta lead by Artemis with the help of Hermes traveled to the Cavern of Souls and used their power to release the souls there contained. The female souls rained down upon a remote lake in Greece where new bodies formed from the clay in the mud at the bottom of the lake. Thus were born the race of the Amazons.
The first two too emerge from the lake were the sisters Hippolyta and Antiope, they ruled the Amazons as Queens. As a sign of trust they were given two girdles of Gaea to wear. The Amazons spread their message, but many local rulers felt threatened by this society of freedom and legends of brutality and violence was spread about the female race. Their reaction was to withdrawal, stepping back from the work that the goddesses had given them.
It was still an age of myth and the demi-god Herakles bidden by Hera on his twelve labours found himself compelled to obtain one of the girdles of the Amazons. Goaded by the agents of Ares he battled Hippolyta and was defeated. The Amazons welcomed Herakles and his men into their city in good faith but Herakles drugged Hippolyta. While he made his way to Troy his men enslaved the Amazons. Hippolyta was freed by Athena and led her people in an uprising against their enemies.
In the aftermath the Amazons split into two groups, half followed Antiope in rejecting the Olympian gods while the other half led by Hippolyta remained loyal to their gods and bid by Athena made their way to the seashore. There they were met by the goddesses and informed that despite their loyalty that their previous sin of withdrawing from their destined line was to be punished. They were to become the defenders of the world against the darkness of Tartarus on the far Paradise Island and while they succeeded in their task they would be immortal and gifted.
And so it was that for 3,000 years the Amazons of Themyscira were left to their own devices on a lost island, which they also called Themyscira. They built a nation and over the millennia carved out a truly remarkable civilization under the guidance of their Queen, Hippolyta. But then the entire world beyond Themyscira seemed to go mad, a madness which reached new heights as World War II began. An American woman by the name of Diana Trevor crashed on Themyscira, and through her amazing courage and bravery saves Themyscira by defeating a host of monsters from Doom's Doorway. The Amazons honored her by fashioning a ceremonial coat-of-arms from her symbols, thus adopting some of the features of the American flag.
It was only a short time later that a mother's prayers are answered. Every day, for one thousand years, Hippolyta had prayed to the goddess to grant her a child - as her original life had ended 30,000 years before while she was pregnant. So much was her desire and earnest were her prayers, that the goddess did indeed answer. Hippolyta fashioned a baby out of clay along the shores of Themyscira. And it was then that the final soul, her unborn infant from the Well of Souls, was infused with the clay lovingly formed by a Queen and a cycle was completed. Her child was destined to be remarkable, gifted upon her creation by the gods of Olympus who had answered the prayers of a grieving woman still feeling the pain of the loss of her sister and missing the daughter she never could bring to the world. The Queen named her baby daughter Diana, after the hero who had saved the lives of so many Amazons and was honored by them.
Diana caused no end of joyful headaches for the Queen and her sister Amazons. She was the first child born and raised exclusively on Themyscira and the first one any of them had even laid eyes upon, let alone raised, in over 3,000 years. Quite a few ancient texts and scrolls were consulted on a daily basis as Diana could be willful, demanding, and as the only child on Themyscira, lonely. But it was hard not to love the Queen's young daughter and Diana had a thousand mothers, sisters, mentors, and teachers. Hippolyta took steps to make sure Diana's childhood was as normal as possible. To this end, the young princess was taught self-control of her gods granted abilities by her mother and General Phillipus. In the end, Hippolyta had a mystical barrier placed around the island proper. The barrier would negate Diana's access to her abilities while in the island interior - her Demeter-given superhuman strength was hard to control for a kid. Still, each day, Diana would thank her patron gods (Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Hestia and Hermes), vowing not to spoil her gifts and swearing to protect the innocents and strive for peace.
When Diana was twelve years old, she was tired of being the only child to be had on an island of immortal women. More than one person noticed how terribly isolated and lonely the girl was at intervals, but what could any of them truly do about it? The mystic Magala would be the one to come up with a solution. Using an ancient spell and a mirror, she created a doppelganger of the princess. A mystical twin that was literally Diana's reflection brought to life. Diana could not have been more pleased. Though she abused it a little. Letting her twin attend the more boring of her classes while she went off the play, and they would enjoy secret playtime with no one else the wiser. But then the day came when the doppelganger just disappeared. For many years, Magala and Diana simply believed the spell had run its course. However, they were wrong. But that is the story of another Amazon princess, later to be known as Troia.
It would be years later that an augury foretold that Ares would try and destroy the world in his glee for war. The Amazons had to pick from among themselves a champion and once again re-enter the world of man, the Patriarch's World. They had remained isolated long enough. A contest was organized and all the Amazons were allowed to compete, except for one. Her mother forbade Diana to even try, so great was Hippolyta's fear of losing her daughter. This would be the first time Diana defied her mother in such a blatant and major way.
Using the Mask of Proteus and competing masked so that existing friendships would not spoil the competition, Diana entered the Contest. Without even the benefit of her gifts, she was able to best every woman present to become the unquestioned Champion of Themyscira. And when the deceit was revealed during the awards ceremony, Hippolyta was forced to still acknowledge her daughter as the uncontested champion and bestow upon her the sacred coat-of-arms ; she also received the silver bracelets crafted for the champion, and passed the final test - using them to deflect every bullet fired at her by General Phillipus, using Diana Trevor's .45 handgun. So it was that the crown princess of Themyscira ventured to Patriarch's World.
To begin her quest to thwart Ares, Diana was gifted with the lasso of truth. She embarked on her mission, finding Harmonia who first gave her the talisman she wore, her amulet. And Diana discovered that Harmonia was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. It was also during this time Diana met US military pilot Steve Trevor and eventually confronted the god of war. She was able to defeat him, plowing through his madness and even he had to accept her power and wisdom regarding his actions - if Ares was to devastate mortals all gods would die for lack of worshippers, including him. It was then that Diana officially took her place in Patriarch's World.
She became an overnight celebrity and was known far and wide as 'Wonder Woman'. Myndi Mayer would act as Diana's publicist and make her a household name. Her face was seen plastered in newspapers, television, and everywhere Myndi could get her seen. She was a very close friend of the princess and when she died, Diana mourned more than a business associate. Though she remains close to Myndi's brother and speaks to him periodically.
Diana also made fast friends with Julia Kapatelis, staying with the elder professor and her daughter Vanessa when she first arrived in Patriarch's World. Diana would meet quite a few others during this time period, including the man who would become her best friend, Kal-el. There was an almost tangible and instant connection between herself and the Man of Steel. On their second encounter they would share in a kiss, Superman even admitting that he had thought of the princess since their first meeting, but there was nothing that could come of the encounter. Only friendship could be pursued by either one of them. It is also during this period that Diana first encountered the witch who would be her nemesis for a long time to come: Circe.
When Diana returned to her island home, she was immediately confronted by the King of the Olympians himself, Zeus. As often during the mythic past, it was his intention to begin his notion of a relationship with the princess, which she categorically refused. This naturally did not go over well. In retaliation, he sent Diana on a quest. During the Challenge, Diana came face to face with the woman she was named for and even freed Heracles from his punishment for his transgressions against the Amazons - as it was revealed he had been carrying the Amazon's island on his shoulder during all those millennia. He came to Themyscira's shores as he made apologies to the Amazons for what he had done ; by making amends, he ascended to godhood Also during the Challenge, Diana destroyed Doom's Doorway. After 3,000 of guardianship, the Amazons were freed from their burden.
It wasn't too long afterwards that the Amazons learned that Mt. Olympus, home of their patron gods, had been attacked by Darkseid. Darkseid failed to usurp the power of the Olympians due to Superman and Wonder Woman, but they were too late in preventing the dark god from destroying Olympus. The Olympians left for a new safe haven and essentially left the Amazons on their own for the first time. As the gods left, there was an unforeseen side effect - their magic left with them and all Amazons, including Diana, were suddenly turned back to clay. Gateway's city newest hero, super-powerful reclusive billionaire Harold Campion, intervened and restored the Amazons to flesh. However, Campion was revealed to actually be Heracles - who had petitioned the other gods to fix the Amazons. His apologies to the Amazons were but lies, and he was plotting to submit Diana to his will with a potion similar to the one he had used against her mother. He couldn't follow through his machination; however, as he fell in love with Diana as they shared adventures. Diana rejected him and his devious ways, breaking his heart.
The departure of the gods would mark the first time Themyscira was opened to outsiders. And since then, there have been a few summits and conferences hosted on what quickly became known as Paradise Island. The first official cultural exchange would be attended by several notables, including journalist and writer Lois Lane. The summit would nearly meet with utter disaster when Eris, the goddess of discord tried to sow her seeds of discontent - but she was soundly defeated.
Still, there is very little rest for the weary. Cheetah, a villainess that would later become an odd sort of ally of the Amazon, stole Diana's lasso, bringing her all the way to Egypt in order to retrieve it. It is in Egypt that Diana discovers her aunt's tribe of Amazons, the Bana-Mighdall, and their city-state hidden in the desert sands. Diana was forced into battle against the Bana-Mighdall champion, bearing the title and the armour of the Shim'tar. Diana managed to pull through and got her lasso back, and then the city seemed to disappear back into the sands.
Then came a moment that would change Diana's life, though she would have no idea how much at the time. For the first time Princess Diana would meet fellow superhero, and former Wonder Girl, Troia. It was a meeting wherein the women would have an immediate connection, though neither of them would have any clue to what extent they would bond. They were fast friends and many people often associated them together because of Donna's past history as Wonder Girl.
Still, the diplomatic exchanges between Themyscira and the world would continue. With Hermes as their guide to Patriarch's World, the Amazons launched a nationwide tour of the United States that began in New York City. Hippolyta herself led the dignitaries and a huge celebration is launched in their honor when they are greeted at the United Nations building. However, things went less than smoothly from there.
The event later known as the War of the Gods was kindled by Circe, determined to cause as much trouble and mayhem as she could for the Amazons. Circe allied herself with Antiope's tribe and even schemed to frame the Amazons for murder; transforming the Queen herself into the Bana-Mighdall champion, the Shim'tar ; she also unleashed the Bana-Mighdall warriors on the world as the Amazon delegation while at the UN building. The incident was damaging in the extreme, continued exchanges were rejected and the Amazon ambassadors were forced to return to Themyscira.
Diana, however, remained in Patriarch's World, more determined than ever to continue and complete her mission there. It would only be a matter of time before she came face to face with blatant hatred and bigotry in the form of the Red Panzer. But with the help of Troia and Captain Marvel, neither the Red Panzer or his message of hate could stand against the three mighty heroes.
Darkseid, however, would not so easily forget his failure at the hands of Wonder Woman and Superman on Olympus. Still wanting to acquire the power of the Olympians, he had Wonder Woman captured and interrogated by Desaad so she would tell him the location of the New Olympus. Helped by her ally Schorr, a detective in the Gateway City Police Dept, she escaped Desaad - only to learn that, since she wasn't speaking, Darkseid had launched an invasion on Themyscira. When Diana and Schorr managed to jump to Themyscira via Boom Tube, the place had been reduced to smoking ruins , with survivors in hiding. An entire army of Parademons confronted Diana, who defeated them all - but then Darkseid took Mike Schorr hostage and threatened to kill him if Diana wouldn't tell him how to find New Olympus. At this moment, the surviving Amazons, inspired by Diana tremendous bravery, launched a counter-attack against the superior might of Darkseid's reserve troops. Darkseid called in numerous combat spaceships, and the Amazon forces and Diana found themselves thoroughly overmatched. Still, the Amazons fought on with such fierceness that Darkseid, impressed, decided to spare them and called off the invasion. He left behind 1200 Amazons dead, and a ravaged island.
Soon Diana faced what would be one of the most trying periods of her difficult life. Themyscira was apparently destroyed by Circe. She was the last of her race, the only one of her kind left. Diana was devastated. But she would not be defeated. Though she found herself plagued by strange dreams and omens, as well as nightmares regarding her mother and the suffering of her Amazon sisters - she continued on, spreading her message, despite her own inner turmoil. At one point she was doubting her own sanity so badly she had a heart to heart with Superman, asking him to do whatever it might take against her should she ever go rogue. That was how much she worried over her own mental state.
And then the truth was revealed. Themyscira had not been destroyed by the witch, but transported to another dimension and hidden behind a mystical barrier. Diana fought her way past it, defeating Circe's minions, and entering a battle that apparently precipitated the death of Circe However, as Wonder Woman landed on the beach of Paradise island, an arrow was launched to seemingly take the princess' life. Diana at first feared the worst. What if Themyscira had been overrun? What if they really were dead or worse? But when a group of her fellow sisters came running along the beach, she knew that despite the strange event, all was well. She had saved her fellow Amazons.
Diana's first stop was the royal palace and her mother. There she discovered the truth of what had happened. In Patriarch's World, the island had disappeared for a mere span of months. In actuality, ten years had passed for the Amazons. They had been set upon by the Tribe of Antiope, working for Circe at the time, and civil war had ensued in the streets of Themyscira. But both sides were evenly matched, despite the Bana-Mighdall's modern weaponry and soon Circe took advantage of the condition of both tribes of Amazons. She banished them to a dimension and had them beset by daemons.
Antiope's people and Hippolyta's joined forces against their common foe and fought side by side for ten years until they at last won their way free. In gratitude, Hippolyta granted her sister's tribe sanctuary and gave them a portion of the island - that was, however, more desolate than the rest, near the plains where purple fires once appeared. Tension still ensued between the two tribes as Diana soon found out all on her own when she met the warrior Artemis.
continued...
History continued...
Diana toured the Bana-Mighdall village and though she initially met with disdain, once they got a good look at her, it turned to awe. And she soon found out why. She was taken to where they kept their most sacred relic. It was the remains of a statue of her Aunt Antiope. Diana was her splitting image. It was a fact that Diana's mother never revealed to her. And the woman soon discovered there were a few other facts her mother left out about the early history of the Amazons and her personal involvements, especially with the son of Zeus.
Then came more devastating news. Her mother had ordered a new Contest. There would be a new Wonder Woman crowned. Diana was shocked and went immediately to her mother. She accused Diana of turning her back on her mission, and left her to choose whether or not she would participate to the Contest. At first, Diana thought of not doing so, but she determined she simply could not forfeit her mission. And so, Diana dealt with the situation the best way she could and tried to enjoy her time with friends - though she was severely displeased and had to prepare for battle.
The princess performed as amazingly during the Contest as one would expect. The only other person coming close to her was the warrior of the Bana-Mighdall, Artemis. But her mother knew better. Left alone, she was more than sure Diana would again best her sisters and prove that she is the Amazon champion in name and right. So, she rigged the entire thing against her as much as she could during the final course. She brought to life the enchantments of the island, long dormant traps, and, even more recklessly, dangerous beasts. But it didn't matter. She needed something to slow Diana down and distract her from the task at hand. She even had a spell cast that halved Wonder Woman's power, transferring the other half to Artemis.
It worked. Diana herself managed to escape most of the pitfalls that, while treacherous, did little to stall the Amazon's progress. However, the traps put her fellow competitors being in danger ; in several cases Diana had to stop and rescue Amazons from traps. She would have even thrown away the Contest to stay behind and treat the injured Amazons, if not urged on by another friend who stayed to take care of the injured. And still, she was catching up to Artemis during the last leg of the race.; she was even overtaking her. Diana was pushing to the limits of her endurance, but never did she falter. Well, that is until the end. She looked up and saw her mother at the finish line...and stumbled. Artemis won and was declared the new Wonder Woman.
Hippolyta's plan had worked perfectly. Once everything was said and done and Artemis was given her uniform and insignia, Hippolyta was all smiles. It was as if her earlier disapproval of Diana had never existed. She pretended that all was right with the world and spoke of grooming Diana for her own Queenship someday. The princess did not wish to hear of that or other such trivialness. She instead presented her mother with a gift. The remains of Antiope's statue that Diana had seen in the village of the Bana-Mighdall Amazons.
Hippolyta was horrified and Diana confronted her further as she revealed she knew about Hippolyta's role in being first seduced and then overwhelmed and ravaged by Heracles and his men and the acts that led to the Amazon's exile to paradise. Diana even had her suspicions that Heracles may have even been her father. But she did not stick around to hear any explanations, instead leaving for Patriarch's World again - which she at that point considered to be home.
Diana was at yet another low point in her life. She felt betrayed. She was no longer Wonder Woman. She no longer trusted her mother. And having isolated herself once more from Themyscira, she needed a way to help not only support herself but her friends, who as well, were down and out in their own ways - Julia was hospitalized and her friend Donna Milton was out of a job. Enter Micah Rains. Diana finally agreed to become business partners in a detective agency. Donna would be their lawyer. And she would get salary enough to support herself and those who had come to depend on her. During that time, Diana wore a black costume - which still had Diana Trevor's emblems, although it was not a Wonder Woman costume.
In the meantime, Artemis was making quite a show of herself as Wonder Woman. She seemed to be making a lot of headway and Diana began to doubt herself, wondering if her mother had made the right decision and she had indeed failed. But then Diana did what she always had in the past, and she began to look for the truth. What she found was disturbing.
All the changes and good that Artemis seemed to be doing were an illusion. Yes, she was doing her best to be a good Wonder Woman. Though her methods were more than a bit questionable. But the truth of the matter was she was being made into a patsy. The villains she had fought and defeated had been frauds setup to make her look good and make her move on without a fight. The underlining problem was still there. Nothing had changed.
And even as Diana was assimilating all this information, she was attacked and confronted by an angry Artemis. The redhead felt Diana was trying to undermine her, have doors shut in her face, and otherwise prevent her from being accepted since the JLA had turned her away and would not grant her Diana's seat on the team. Finally Diana was able to present Artemis with the very files that proved she was right. And then she went to confront the one person who could clear up everything. Her mother.
Diana flew back to Paradise Island and the news was less than good. Her mother had gone into the woods and dressed in rags and was punishing herself, flagellating herself with birch rods. The other Amazons feared she'd gone mad. Diana's mood was bitter and dark enough at that point that she had little sympathy for her mother - she wanted only answers and she wasn't leaving until she got them. But for all her anger at her mother, the sight of the mighty Queen crushed by misery was shocking for Diana. When she questioned why Hippolyta would put them both through such a tragedy, Hippolyta confessed everything. She had been having terrible visions for months, and prophetic flashes of her daughter lying dead in Patriarch's World. The new Contest and Hippolyta's successful attempts at sabotaging Diana's efforts were all to prevent this fate from occurring. She also swore that Heracles was not Diana's father.
Even in her grief and remorse, Hippolyta was still scheming. She would not see her plans go to waste and still desperately wished to keep Diana safe. After she revealed the truth, she expected Diana to confront her further - so she could stall her, and let Artemis go to her doom instead of Diana. But Diana wasn't about to stand around and debate her mother's motives. She was going to help Artemis, and if she was to die as foretold, then so be it. But the princess was running on borrowed time. The hand of Fate was closing in and Artemis was the prize. Diana knew Artemis was going to be confronting the White Magician and she had to try and get to her. It was then that other things began to click for the Amazon as she realized that her close friend, Donna Milton, was the sorceress Circe in disguise - although she did not realize it herself, as the witch's psyche had been buried by the magical illusion. Milton/Circe, however, could accidentally magically transport Diana to Artemis' location.
The old and the new Wonder Woman began a battle of life and death as they confronted a group of daemons and in the end found themselves overwhelmed. Circe then appeared.- still not quite herself, but more herself than she had been for awhile. She turned the tide of the combat by defeating a pair of the daemons, disappearing in a flash of light even as she called Diana her only friend. Diana and Artemis were again alone and fought side by side, but while the evil would be defeated, Artemis would not live to see the next day. Diana was devastated. But that would not be the end. Not by a long shot. Diana fought through Hell to bring back her sister Amazon, the bonds of loyalty forged on that day being a catalyst for a friendship that many would probably not have believed possible considering their initial meetings and Artemis' ongoing hatred of her mother, Hippolyta. In Hades, Diana freed Artemis from her new status of unwilling bride to a daemon lord, and they both went back to Earth.
Diana was once again Wonder Woman. And soon enough, a new Wonder Girl would enter the scene in the form of Cassandra Sandmark. A girl with enough guts and tenacity that even Zeus himself had to take notice and grant her power from the Olympians. And Diana would trust none other than Artemis with the girl's training in the ways of battle and how to be a true Amazon.
Some time later, Neron started granting infernal power to super-villains, and heroes has to confront the demon lord in his own plane. Wonder Woman saved Captain Marvel from Neron's yoke, but brutally paid it with her life. Neron knew Diana powers were still divided between Diana and Artemis, as the spell from the Contest had never been reversed - and used that state of relative weakness to kill the Amazon princess with Hellfire. The JLA's desperate measures to save the comatose Diana all failed, and they watched her die. Hippolyte's terrible vision had finally come exactly true.
The distraught Queen, however, had refused to believe the gods would abandon the Amazons and prayed fervently to Hear so her daughter would live despite everything. Her prayers were heard, and Diana was brought back to life - as a goddess, her take the role of the Olympian goddess of Truth.
Hippolyte's machination to keep her daughter safe and have Artemis die in her stead were revealed to other Amazons, and the Council of Themyscira condemned her to step in as the new Wonder Woman, fighting to atone for her deeds and replacing the now ascended Diana. Chronologically, Hippolyte wore the costume of Wonder Woman for a short time ; in absolute time she was an adventurer for years, but most of her feats as a hero happened when she time-travelled to World War Two. There, as Wonder Woman I and a member of the All-Stars Squadron, she adventured from 1942 to 1950 ; during this period she also came to be considered as a surrogate mother by Helena Kosmatos, the first Fury. She came back in the present mere moments after having left.
Diana had quite a few rules and tenants she had to abide by as a new member of the Greek Pantheon. But rarely was she able to do so. She could not leave the mortal world alone. And perhaps the final straw came when Diana's own sister's existence was at stake. Before this, Diana and Donna did not know of their connection to one another. But when Dark Angel came to once again throw Donna into another tragic lifetime, she had powerful friends on her side. Wally West, who was a man who could slip out of the bounds of time. Hippolyta, who had only just returned from the past with her invisible plane. And Diana, a goddess who would orchestrate them from behind the scenes to save the woman they all loved and cherished. In the end, Diana's punishment was to be banished from Mt. Olympus. She also was banished from her potential domain, Hades - as she learned she was from Zeus' bloodline and Ares was her grandfather.
As she came back to the mortal world, Hippolyte was coming back from the past. She joyfully was reunited with her daughter, and gave her back the role of Wonder Woman as well as the invisible plane, an artefact of Lansinian technology granted to Diana which Hippolyte had taken with her back in the past. Oblivion, however, was able to use her newly formed mental connection with the invisible vehicle against her. It cocooned her within its recesses and created a fantasy world based off her own secret dreams and desires. And while it created this world, it kept expanding at an exponential rate, causing a great deal of destruction in Gateway City.
Superman and Batman came to investigate, knowing it to be Diana's territory and that she was there. They ended up being caught in the fantasy world as well. A world where Diana and Kal were married and Bruce was their best friend. Though they would fight themselves mentally free of the powerful allure of such a fantasy, Diana was hurt to see the damage done to the city. She felt it was her fault and concluded she was a danger to those around her. Rather than live amongst people with such constant and potential threats doggedly following her, she decided to isolate herself. The Lansinar technology, conforming to her subconscious desire, created for her the Wonder Dome. A floating fortress it the sky that would be home for some time to come.
After regrouping from the destruction within Gateway City, Diana was confronted by what would become a most persistent nemesis. Devastation - a being created by Cronus to bring back worship of the Titans and give them power through it. It very nearly succeeded, to the point that Cronus came close to seizing the power of Heaven itself. He had destroyed the Greek Pantheon, leaving Diana powerless. He had destroyed the Hindu one as well and had turned his eyes to the heart of the godwave. But when Rama, the Avatar of the Hindu gods, and Diana, the Greek Avatar brought together their two pantheons to fight along side the angels of heaven, Cronus found himself defeated - in part by them and in part by his arrogance in thinking he could encompass the Presence.
It seemed that Cronus was not the only upstart planning a comeback. The children of Ares were soon making waves in Gotham. Taking over some of Gotham's more prominent villains, they made a bid to bring Ares back into the world. Even Batman himself would fall victim and be made into the ultimate creature of fear, possessed by Phobos. It was the combined efforts of Batman, Nightwing, Donna, Cassie, and Diana that drove back invasion into Gotham and went a long way to help rebuild the trust between Batman and Wonder Woman that had been breached when his termination protocols had been used against the JLA. It also was the first occasion for Ares and Diana to collaborate - as it was Ares who fell his children, whose success in Gotham had made them so power-made that they denied him.
Most recently, Diana has been through one of her more devastating periods to date. Civil War on Themyscira. Amazon against Amazon, orchestrated by an ancient evil named Ariadhne who had killed Antiope and possessed the sorceress Magala. It was brutal. Bloody. And every bit as heart wrenching as one would expect from a battle between such groups of warriors. In the end, Hippolyta did something drastic to bring peace to Themyscira - she dissolved the matriarchy. Themyscira no longer had a Queen, and was left with self-rule. Although Hippolyte's decision appeared to be remarkably noble and selfless, Diana understood her mother was also abdicating to return to the life of adventure she craved after her time as Wonder Woman I, along with the Justice Society of America. This worsened the rift between mother and daughter.
Though Diana understood the point of her mother's decision despite her mixed motivations, and could truly care less about the loss of her title, the civil war itself is what caused her the most pain. It damaged the Amazons greatly, as well as her work and credibility (helped along by Lex Luthor). She also feared that she has been rejected by her sisters as she was asked to leave the island in the wake of them deciding their new path. Discovering shortly after that Vanessa Kapatelis was now the new Silver Swan has only added to her list of worries.
More tragic events were to follow. The extremely powerful extraterrestrial entity Imperiex launched a major campaign of universal obliteration, and soon the Earth was fighting for its very survival. Brainiac's Warworld (which he conquered after Mongul's death) and forces from Apokolips joined Imperiex, but an alliance of alien nations backed Earth. At one point, Imperiex managed to launch a weapon which would destroy the universe The Amazons chose to sacrifice Paradise island, and mystically transported it into Earth's orbit, were it served as a staging ground and first line of defense for Earth and its allies before being destroyed by Imperiex's weapon. Still, the sacrifice of Themyscira bought enough time to counter Imperiex's attempt at universal destruction.
When the alliance between Imperiex, Darkseid and Brainiac started crumbling and degenerated into backstabing, Darkseid was at a disadvantage as the arsenals of Apokolips were destroyed by Brainiac. Diana then flew to Darkseid and managed to persuade him to join forces to destroy Brainiac. Wonder Woman's raw spiritual power was added to the dark god's might and channeled through Tempest's magical powers, sending Brainiac to the dawn of time to be annihilated by the Big bang. As Diana and Darkseid parted ways, however, Diana revealed to Darkseid that during their brief fusion, she had left piece of the Amazon's peace-loving soul as a seed inside the master of Apokolips' own soul.
Among the assembled Earth forces' opponents where probes shaped like Imperiex himself, each powerful enough to destroy the planet. One of them almost managed to go far enough to perform its genocidal duty - but Diana, using her war shield, managed to cut it open so it would explode before destroying Earth. The princess, however, was at ground zero of the monstrously powerful explosion, and was severely wounded. Superman took the nearly dead Wonder Woman to Hippolyte to save her life; although the Amazons healed the worst of the damage, she was too badly wounded to fight and lost consciousness.
Hippolyte then launched herself into war to replace the fallen Wonder Woman - wearing her own Eagle Armour as well as the Gauntlets of Atlas, Sandals of Hermes and Diana's lasso. She successfully fought to protect a space ark full of alien refugees from Imperiex' forces, then switched back to defending Earth as it was realized Imperiex probes were going to obliterate Greece. Despite her best efforts, Hippolyte couldn't stop the probe, and was very badly burned during atmospheric re-entry as she kept attempting to destroy the robotic monster. Learning of the situation, Diana struggled to her feet and rushed to her mother's help despite her wounds. It was not enough, and the probe was nearly upon Athens when Hippolyte summoned a last burst of strength and garroted the probe's head off with the Lasso of Truth.
Diana was left to hug her fatally wounded mother in the crater ; they had saved Greece, but the terribly burned Hippolyte breathed her last in her daughter's arms.
The Amazons went on to built a new Themyscira - an archipelago of floating islands. General Phillipus was elected President, and Diana had the Ring (the Lansinarian artefact which created the Wonder Dome) help providing the technology which allowed for the creation of numerous crystal-clear highly advanced buildings. As she laid her mother to rest on one of the islands of new Themyscira, she had a last vision of Hippolyte, Antiope and Diana Trevor - as her mother disappeared forever after telling her how proud she was of her.
Even though Luthor had previously been plotting against the Amazons, Wonder Woman ended up saving him. Luthor and Circe had been allies in some of their villainous endeavours, and when Luthor became President of the USA Circe proposed him a new alliance - her powerful spells, cunning, manipulative ability and beautiful body to rule together. Luthor coldly rejected her, and Circe did what some women scorned do - she turned every man in New York into a bestiamorph, and took control of the city in chaos with an army of villainesses. As no man could enter the city lest he be turned into a beast, Wonder Woman organized an all-women army of super-heroines and took on Circe's forces. The tide almost turned when Circe turned another man into a beast - Superman. Superman's animal side was looking much like the engine of destruction named Doomsday, who once had killed him - but Wonder Woman stood up to the raging might of an animal Man of Steel. Circe escaped, but New York and Superman were returned to normal and Luthor escaped death.
Another universal crisis was prevented by the Amazon champion when Cronus, Zeus' father and king of the Titans, was brought back to life. The old god's terrible machination almost destroyed two pantheons - the Olympian one and the Hindu one. Those gods were changed to stone as Cronus stole and harnessed their powers. One of Cronus' monstrous children, Oblivion, disposed of two of the best semi-divine champions from those pantheons, the Olympian Wonder Woman and the Hindu Rama (seventh incarnation of Vishnu), by trapping them in an illusion of mutual bliss. Both Diana and Rama broke free however. It was almost too late, using the stolen power, Cronus was leading an all out assault of his monstrous children on the very Heavens, intending to submit the Presence (basically the Jewish/Christian/Islamic God) to his will. The freed Olympians and Hindus joined Wonder Woman and Rama to Heavens to fight Cronus' forces along with the heavenly Host, and Wonder Woman eventually broke Cronus' scythe, breaking his power. Although this would work another instance of Diana and her grandfather Ares fighting side by side, it also made Cronus swear revenge against the Amazon. To that end he would create his daughter Devastation, made from the same clay as Diana - who would later nearly kill Wonder Woman.
During Infinite Crisis, Wonder Woman started her journey to becoming darker, more of an anti-hero. While under the mind control of Maxwell Lord, Superman brutally beat Batman and engaged in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she was his enemy, Doomsday. During the fight with Superman, Wonder Woman realized that even if she could somehow beat Superman, the problem would not be solved, because he'd still be under the absolute mental control of Max Lord. She created a diversion that lasted long enough for her to race back to Max Lord and demand he tell her how to free Superman of his control. Bound in her lasso of truth Max replied, "Kill me," and Wonder Woman snapped his neck.
The ramifications were very strong. Her relationships with both Superman and Batman are seriously strained. Wonder Woman voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. During her time in jail she did a lot of self-assessment, critically evaluating her role as an ambassador and promoter of peace. She actually feels as if her method was right, and that in reality, peace never happens unless one side defeats the other. She ends of leaving the jail and returning to her home.
The status of Wonder Woman amongst the other heroes and the public at large is uncertain, however the Brother Eye satellite does broadcast the footage of Wonder Woman murdering Maxwell Lord, preceded by the word MURDER, to media outlets all over the world.
Wonder Woman then defended herself from several OMACs who attacked her in her own home. Having repelled the assailants, she was delivering an injured boy to the hospital and saw a broadcast of the damaging video on the waiting room's television. Brother Eye had managed to kill the faith the world had in her.
She knows that Batman and Superman distrust her: the latter can only see her as a cold-blooded murderer. To make matters worse, Brother Eye, acting out of vengeance for the murder of Lord, initiated the final protocol “Truth and Justice”, which aims at the elimination of all Amazons. A full-scale invasion of Themyscira is set into motion, utilizing every remaining OMAC.
Diana and her countrywomen, now isolated and alienated from the outside world, are fighting for their lives. The Amazons then prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon. However, Wonder Woman realizes that Brother Eye is watching and transmitting, and that unleashing such destructive violence would only exacerbate the effects of her killing of Maxwell Lord. After the weapon (the Purple Ray of Death) is used once, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut it down. She then calls upon Athena, who transports Paradise Island and the Amazons remaining on it to another dimension. However, Wonder Woman chooses not to join them, and is left to face the OMACs alone.
During the battle, she puts on all her equipment, the Sandals of Hermes, the Eagle Armour, the Gauntlets of Atlas, and wields the War Shield and Sword of Hephaestus, so sharp that it can carve the electrons off an atom. She destroys the remaining OMAC and realizes that their utter defeat was what brought peace and feels this is what is needed more in the world.
Diana has past the mantle of Wonder Woman to Donna Troy and hasn’t been seen since.
Characteristics
Age: Approximately early 30's
Height: 5'11
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Unusual Features: None
Personality:
Diana Prince is not a super-hero - she's a warrior princess from a highly advanced civilization, a champion, and an ambassador on a mission. Her work is not to hit super-villains in long, spectacular battles but to promote peace and understanding through the world. Part of this mission is to act as an exemplar - Diana is warrior 24/7, and all her words and deeds should ideally bring peace, whether that is preventing unjust wars or putting a street punk back on the straight and narrow.
In the past Diana has always avoided violence and only used it as a last resort. She was the ever diplomat, and even against vile enemies would always act without scorn or contempt and make it clear she treat her opponents as respected equals with whom she would rather negotiate than rumble.
Likewise she is not a crime-fighter. Criminality and social ills are certainly a terrible thing, but Diana's work is much greater than stopping bank robbers: she has to convince Patriarch's World that peace and negotiation are viable and durable solutions. Still, she is regularly a front-line fighter in major catastrophes, and often defends the Earth or parts of it against tremendous catastrophes, invasions, rampaging monsters and the like - whether solo, with her own allies or with the JLA.
Diana is strong but obviously caring, loving and trusting. She wear her heart on her sleeve and express her emotions without reservation, which can be awkward to more emotionally repressed persons. She has learned to moderate her emotional display, particularly toward men, the reactions of which she was obviously unfamiliar with previously - but she is still rather outgoing and very honest about how she feels. In general, she is very truthful and does not believe in lying, which can complicate her role as an ambassador.
Diana is not solely a warrior and ambassador; she is also a serious scholar, believing in the power of knowledge. As the sole occupant of the Themysciran Embassy, she spent a lot of time reading and in solitary introspection - as the champion of her peoples' best value; she must spend time with herself and any doubt or weakness.
Due to her roots, Wonder Woman is a feminist, making it clear that women are as good as any man, and bring their own strengths and values to civilizations. She also tends to be a traditionalist - but in the traditions of the somewhat unchanging Themyscira. Although she will probably never be truly familiar with modern technology, she has successfully adapted herself to the world's rapid pace. In fact, her struggle to understand the Patriarch's world made manifest a remarkable intelligence, empathy and sense of adaptation.
Although Diana is most famous for being a driven, courageous and a decisive warrior in the cause of love and peace, she also as a wicked sense of humor that is perhaps not as well known than her other qualities.
Diana is not all sweetness and light, however - she is quite competitive and might find it hard to pass an occasion to prove she is the best. A true Mediterranean, she has something of a temper, and does not always stay as calm and dispassionate in a fight as she is supposed to be. Likewise, due to her honesty and lack of inhibitions about her emotions, she can also come across as moody and stubborn, like many proud women around the former Mare Nostrum.
In her heart, Diana has the courage of her race. To have Diana as your friend is to have a loyal ally for life. She takes the bonds of friendship, sisterhood, and camaraderie very seriously. Diana is closer to the true warrior-scholars of old who believed it was just as important to maintain their minds as well as their bodies.
Diana, however, is slowly changing. During Infinite Crisis, where she took the life of Max Mercury, she realizes that her role as Wonder Woman was not who she was, it was something that mankind made her. She is the champion of a race of women who have studied ancient forms of combat and strategy for hundreds of years. She was a warrior first, and that is what she would remain.
Powers
Known Powers: Princess Diana has been gifted great powers directly from the Olympus Gods. Aphrodite gave her great beauty and a loving heart; Athena gave her wisdom; Hestia gave her a charisma and aura to communicate her message of peace; Demeter/Gaia made her so strong as to be comparable to Superman, and Hermes gave her fantastic swiftness and the gift of flight. Artemis also blessed her with all the talents of a huntress, plus the ability to soothe the heart of the wildest beasts.
Known Abilities: Wonder Woman is also fantastically gifted in all the martial arts and weapons known to the Amazons - her skill and knowledge more than enough to train the Batman himself.
In one training session in the JLA Watchtower, she single-handedly fought Shiva, Killer Croc, and Cheetah, and won. When blinded, she fought the entire JLA to prove she was still capable. She is the finest warrior ever born among the Amazons of Themyscira and has defeated them all in combat twice.
Because those martial skills are unknown outside of Themyscira, it is almost impossible to defeat her in battle. Her skill has allowed her to defeat the likes of Superman, who is faster, stronger, and more durable.
Diana is one of the greatest acrobats on earth, and is a world-class hunter, capable of tracking and stealth that allows her to sneak up on the most aware animals. She is also a very skilled animal handler and trainer and is also a highly gifted dancer. She is an accomplished politician and ambassador and skilled in persuasion and diplomacy. She is skilled in first aid and medical treatments and has knowledge of artifacts and the occult that surpasses most people on earth. Diana is also an accomplished strategist and tactician, trained in the art of leadership.
She has also exhibited heightened proficiency with languages, being able to speak her native Themysciran, Ancient and Modern Greek, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese (she expressed "difficulty" with the tones of Cantonese during an interview with Lois Lane), Russian and Hindi.
Strength Level: Wonder Woman's physical strength is superhuman, comparable to that of Superman.
Weaknesses:
Misc (optional)
Diana can summon her equipment, the Sword, Armor, and Shield, and Sandals, and Gauntlets of Atlas at any time with but a spin.
Equipment:
Alter Ego: Previously Wonder Woman
Status
Occupation: Ambassador of Themyscira
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: Citizen of Themyscira, formerly Princess of Themyscira
Group Affiliation(s): Justice League of America
Origin
Place of Birth: Themyscria
Known Relatives: Known Relatives: Zeus (great-grandfather), Hera (great-grandmother), Poseidon (great-granduncle), Hades (great-granduncle), Ares (grandfather), Aphrodite (grandaunt), Apollo (granduncle), Artemis (grandaunt), Athena (grandaunt), Hephaestus (granduncle), Hermes (granduncle), Heracles (granduncle), Hippolyta (Wonder Woman III, mother, deceased), Antiope (aunt, deceased), Donna Troy (Troia, sister), Troy Long (nephew), Helena Kosmatos (Fury I, adoptive sister), Lyta Hall (Fury II, adoptive niece), Hector Hall (Dr. Fate IV, adoptive nephew-in-law), Daniel Hall (Dream II, adoptive grandnephew).
History
In the age when men were hunter-gatherers, existing as small tribes, an injury to a dominant hunter could mean that his family starved, it meant being ostracised from society and generally being made the scapegoat. One unfortunate was teased and goaded by his fellows into such a rage that he ended up killing the one person that cared for him, his poor unsuspecting wife. In savagery and pain she died, yet her spirit did not pass onto the other side, it was intercepted by the earth goddess Gaea and like thousand of female souls to come it was held and nurtured deep in the realm of Hades in the Cavern of Souls.
The Olympian goddesses foresaw a time when men would forget the old gods that they themselves would fade into the distance without followers. They decided to create a society of women to act as guides and teachers to spread the world of Olympus far and wide. Zeus was neutral on the scheme, while Ares was openly hostile to the idea. However Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter and Hesta lead by Artemis with the help of Hermes traveled to the Cavern of Souls and used their power to release the souls there contained. The female souls rained down upon a remote lake in Greece where new bodies formed from the clay in the mud at the bottom of the lake. Thus were born the race of the Amazons.
The first two too emerge from the lake were the sisters Hippolyta and Antiope, they ruled the Amazons as Queens. As a sign of trust they were given two girdles of Gaea to wear. The Amazons spread their message, but many local rulers felt threatened by this society of freedom and legends of brutality and violence was spread about the female race. Their reaction was to withdrawal, stepping back from the work that the goddesses had given them.
It was still an age of myth and the demi-god Herakles bidden by Hera on his twelve labours found himself compelled to obtain one of the girdles of the Amazons. Goaded by the agents of Ares he battled Hippolyta and was defeated. The Amazons welcomed Herakles and his men into their city in good faith but Herakles drugged Hippolyta. While he made his way to Troy his men enslaved the Amazons. Hippolyta was freed by Athena and led her people in an uprising against their enemies.
In the aftermath the Amazons split into two groups, half followed Antiope in rejecting the Olympian gods while the other half led by Hippolyta remained loyal to their gods and bid by Athena made their way to the seashore. There they were met by the goddesses and informed that despite their loyalty that their previous sin of withdrawing from their destined line was to be punished. They were to become the defenders of the world against the darkness of Tartarus on the far Paradise Island and while they succeeded in their task they would be immortal and gifted.
And so it was that for 3,000 years the Amazons of Themyscira were left to their own devices on a lost island, which they also called Themyscira. They built a nation and over the millennia carved out a truly remarkable civilization under the guidance of their Queen, Hippolyta. But then the entire world beyond Themyscira seemed to go mad, a madness which reached new heights as World War II began. An American woman by the name of Diana Trevor crashed on Themyscira, and through her amazing courage and bravery saves Themyscira by defeating a host of monsters from Doom's Doorway. The Amazons honored her by fashioning a ceremonial coat-of-arms from her symbols, thus adopting some of the features of the American flag.
It was only a short time later that a mother's prayers are answered. Every day, for one thousand years, Hippolyta had prayed to the goddess to grant her a child - as her original life had ended 30,000 years before while she was pregnant. So much was her desire and earnest were her prayers, that the goddess did indeed answer. Hippolyta fashioned a baby out of clay along the shores of Themyscira. And it was then that the final soul, her unborn infant from the Well of Souls, was infused with the clay lovingly formed by a Queen and a cycle was completed. Her child was destined to be remarkable, gifted upon her creation by the gods of Olympus who had answered the prayers of a grieving woman still feeling the pain of the loss of her sister and missing the daughter she never could bring to the world. The Queen named her baby daughter Diana, after the hero who had saved the lives of so many Amazons and was honored by them.
Diana caused no end of joyful headaches for the Queen and her sister Amazons. She was the first child born and raised exclusively on Themyscira and the first one any of them had even laid eyes upon, let alone raised, in over 3,000 years. Quite a few ancient texts and scrolls were consulted on a daily basis as Diana could be willful, demanding, and as the only child on Themyscira, lonely. But it was hard not to love the Queen's young daughter and Diana had a thousand mothers, sisters, mentors, and teachers. Hippolyta took steps to make sure Diana's childhood was as normal as possible. To this end, the young princess was taught self-control of her gods granted abilities by her mother and General Phillipus. In the end, Hippolyta had a mystical barrier placed around the island proper. The barrier would negate Diana's access to her abilities while in the island interior - her Demeter-given superhuman strength was hard to control for a kid. Still, each day, Diana would thank her patron gods (Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Hestia and Hermes), vowing not to spoil her gifts and swearing to protect the innocents and strive for peace.
When Diana was twelve years old, she was tired of being the only child to be had on an island of immortal women. More than one person noticed how terribly isolated and lonely the girl was at intervals, but what could any of them truly do about it? The mystic Magala would be the one to come up with a solution. Using an ancient spell and a mirror, she created a doppelganger of the princess. A mystical twin that was literally Diana's reflection brought to life. Diana could not have been more pleased. Though she abused it a little. Letting her twin attend the more boring of her classes while she went off the play, and they would enjoy secret playtime with no one else the wiser. But then the day came when the doppelganger just disappeared. For many years, Magala and Diana simply believed the spell had run its course. However, they were wrong. But that is the story of another Amazon princess, later to be known as Troia.
It would be years later that an augury foretold that Ares would try and destroy the world in his glee for war. The Amazons had to pick from among themselves a champion and once again re-enter the world of man, the Patriarch's World. They had remained isolated long enough. A contest was organized and all the Amazons were allowed to compete, except for one. Her mother forbade Diana to even try, so great was Hippolyta's fear of losing her daughter. This would be the first time Diana defied her mother in such a blatant and major way.
Using the Mask of Proteus and competing masked so that existing friendships would not spoil the competition, Diana entered the Contest. Without even the benefit of her gifts, she was able to best every woman present to become the unquestioned Champion of Themyscira. And when the deceit was revealed during the awards ceremony, Hippolyta was forced to still acknowledge her daughter as the uncontested champion and bestow upon her the sacred coat-of-arms ; she also received the silver bracelets crafted for the champion, and passed the final test - using them to deflect every bullet fired at her by General Phillipus, using Diana Trevor's .45 handgun. So it was that the crown princess of Themyscira ventured to Patriarch's World.
To begin her quest to thwart Ares, Diana was gifted with the lasso of truth. She embarked on her mission, finding Harmonia who first gave her the talisman she wore, her amulet. And Diana discovered that Harmonia was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. It was also during this time Diana met US military pilot Steve Trevor and eventually confronted the god of war. She was able to defeat him, plowing through his madness and even he had to accept her power and wisdom regarding his actions - if Ares was to devastate mortals all gods would die for lack of worshippers, including him. It was then that Diana officially took her place in Patriarch's World.
She became an overnight celebrity and was known far and wide as 'Wonder Woman'. Myndi Mayer would act as Diana's publicist and make her a household name. Her face was seen plastered in newspapers, television, and everywhere Myndi could get her seen. She was a very close friend of the princess and when she died, Diana mourned more than a business associate. Though she remains close to Myndi's brother and speaks to him periodically.
Diana also made fast friends with Julia Kapatelis, staying with the elder professor and her daughter Vanessa when she first arrived in Patriarch's World. Diana would meet quite a few others during this time period, including the man who would become her best friend, Kal-el. There was an almost tangible and instant connection between herself and the Man of Steel. On their second encounter they would share in a kiss, Superman even admitting that he had thought of the princess since their first meeting, but there was nothing that could come of the encounter. Only friendship could be pursued by either one of them. It is also during this period that Diana first encountered the witch who would be her nemesis for a long time to come: Circe.
When Diana returned to her island home, she was immediately confronted by the King of the Olympians himself, Zeus. As often during the mythic past, it was his intention to begin his notion of a relationship with the princess, which she categorically refused. This naturally did not go over well. In retaliation, he sent Diana on a quest. During the Challenge, Diana came face to face with the woman she was named for and even freed Heracles from his punishment for his transgressions against the Amazons - as it was revealed he had been carrying the Amazon's island on his shoulder during all those millennia. He came to Themyscira's shores as he made apologies to the Amazons for what he had done ; by making amends, he ascended to godhood Also during the Challenge, Diana destroyed Doom's Doorway. After 3,000 of guardianship, the Amazons were freed from their burden.
It wasn't too long afterwards that the Amazons learned that Mt. Olympus, home of their patron gods, had been attacked by Darkseid. Darkseid failed to usurp the power of the Olympians due to Superman and Wonder Woman, but they were too late in preventing the dark god from destroying Olympus. The Olympians left for a new safe haven and essentially left the Amazons on their own for the first time. As the gods left, there was an unforeseen side effect - their magic left with them and all Amazons, including Diana, were suddenly turned back to clay. Gateway's city newest hero, super-powerful reclusive billionaire Harold Campion, intervened and restored the Amazons to flesh. However, Campion was revealed to actually be Heracles - who had petitioned the other gods to fix the Amazons. His apologies to the Amazons were but lies, and he was plotting to submit Diana to his will with a potion similar to the one he had used against her mother. He couldn't follow through his machination; however, as he fell in love with Diana as they shared adventures. Diana rejected him and his devious ways, breaking his heart.
The departure of the gods would mark the first time Themyscira was opened to outsiders. And since then, there have been a few summits and conferences hosted on what quickly became known as Paradise Island. The first official cultural exchange would be attended by several notables, including journalist and writer Lois Lane. The summit would nearly meet with utter disaster when Eris, the goddess of discord tried to sow her seeds of discontent - but she was soundly defeated.
Still, there is very little rest for the weary. Cheetah, a villainess that would later become an odd sort of ally of the Amazon, stole Diana's lasso, bringing her all the way to Egypt in order to retrieve it. It is in Egypt that Diana discovers her aunt's tribe of Amazons, the Bana-Mighdall, and their city-state hidden in the desert sands. Diana was forced into battle against the Bana-Mighdall champion, bearing the title and the armour of the Shim'tar. Diana managed to pull through and got her lasso back, and then the city seemed to disappear back into the sands.
Then came a moment that would change Diana's life, though she would have no idea how much at the time. For the first time Princess Diana would meet fellow superhero, and former Wonder Girl, Troia. It was a meeting wherein the women would have an immediate connection, though neither of them would have any clue to what extent they would bond. They were fast friends and many people often associated them together because of Donna's past history as Wonder Girl.
Still, the diplomatic exchanges between Themyscira and the world would continue. With Hermes as their guide to Patriarch's World, the Amazons launched a nationwide tour of the United States that began in New York City. Hippolyta herself led the dignitaries and a huge celebration is launched in their honor when they are greeted at the United Nations building. However, things went less than smoothly from there.
The event later known as the War of the Gods was kindled by Circe, determined to cause as much trouble and mayhem as she could for the Amazons. Circe allied herself with Antiope's tribe and even schemed to frame the Amazons for murder; transforming the Queen herself into the Bana-Mighdall champion, the Shim'tar ; she also unleashed the Bana-Mighdall warriors on the world as the Amazon delegation while at the UN building. The incident was damaging in the extreme, continued exchanges were rejected and the Amazon ambassadors were forced to return to Themyscira.
Diana, however, remained in Patriarch's World, more determined than ever to continue and complete her mission there. It would only be a matter of time before she came face to face with blatant hatred and bigotry in the form of the Red Panzer. But with the help of Troia and Captain Marvel, neither the Red Panzer or his message of hate could stand against the three mighty heroes.
Darkseid, however, would not so easily forget his failure at the hands of Wonder Woman and Superman on Olympus. Still wanting to acquire the power of the Olympians, he had Wonder Woman captured and interrogated by Desaad so she would tell him the location of the New Olympus. Helped by her ally Schorr, a detective in the Gateway City Police Dept, she escaped Desaad - only to learn that, since she wasn't speaking, Darkseid had launched an invasion on Themyscira. When Diana and Schorr managed to jump to Themyscira via Boom Tube, the place had been reduced to smoking ruins , with survivors in hiding. An entire army of Parademons confronted Diana, who defeated them all - but then Darkseid took Mike Schorr hostage and threatened to kill him if Diana wouldn't tell him how to find New Olympus. At this moment, the surviving Amazons, inspired by Diana tremendous bravery, launched a counter-attack against the superior might of Darkseid's reserve troops. Darkseid called in numerous combat spaceships, and the Amazon forces and Diana found themselves thoroughly overmatched. Still, the Amazons fought on with such fierceness that Darkseid, impressed, decided to spare them and called off the invasion. He left behind 1200 Amazons dead, and a ravaged island.
Soon Diana faced what would be one of the most trying periods of her difficult life. Themyscira was apparently destroyed by Circe. She was the last of her race, the only one of her kind left. Diana was devastated. But she would not be defeated. Though she found herself plagued by strange dreams and omens, as well as nightmares regarding her mother and the suffering of her Amazon sisters - she continued on, spreading her message, despite her own inner turmoil. At one point she was doubting her own sanity so badly she had a heart to heart with Superman, asking him to do whatever it might take against her should she ever go rogue. That was how much she worried over her own mental state.
And then the truth was revealed. Themyscira had not been destroyed by the witch, but transported to another dimension and hidden behind a mystical barrier. Diana fought her way past it, defeating Circe's minions, and entering a battle that apparently precipitated the death of Circe However, as Wonder Woman landed on the beach of Paradise island, an arrow was launched to seemingly take the princess' life. Diana at first feared the worst. What if Themyscira had been overrun? What if they really were dead or worse? But when a group of her fellow sisters came running along the beach, she knew that despite the strange event, all was well. She had saved her fellow Amazons.
Diana's first stop was the royal palace and her mother. There she discovered the truth of what had happened. In Patriarch's World, the island had disappeared for a mere span of months. In actuality, ten years had passed for the Amazons. They had been set upon by the Tribe of Antiope, working for Circe at the time, and civil war had ensued in the streets of Themyscira. But both sides were evenly matched, despite the Bana-Mighdall's modern weaponry and soon Circe took advantage of the condition of both tribes of Amazons. She banished them to a dimension and had them beset by daemons.
Antiope's people and Hippolyta's joined forces against their common foe and fought side by side for ten years until they at last won their way free. In gratitude, Hippolyta granted her sister's tribe sanctuary and gave them a portion of the island - that was, however, more desolate than the rest, near the plains where purple fires once appeared. Tension still ensued between the two tribes as Diana soon found out all on her own when she met the warrior Artemis.
continued...
History continued...
Diana toured the Bana-Mighdall village and though she initially met with disdain, once they got a good look at her, it turned to awe. And she soon found out why. She was taken to where they kept their most sacred relic. It was the remains of a statue of her Aunt Antiope. Diana was her splitting image. It was a fact that Diana's mother never revealed to her. And the woman soon discovered there were a few other facts her mother left out about the early history of the Amazons and her personal involvements, especially with the son of Zeus.
Then came more devastating news. Her mother had ordered a new Contest. There would be a new Wonder Woman crowned. Diana was shocked and went immediately to her mother. She accused Diana of turning her back on her mission, and left her to choose whether or not she would participate to the Contest. At first, Diana thought of not doing so, but she determined she simply could not forfeit her mission. And so, Diana dealt with the situation the best way she could and tried to enjoy her time with friends - though she was severely displeased and had to prepare for battle.
The princess performed as amazingly during the Contest as one would expect. The only other person coming close to her was the warrior of the Bana-Mighdall, Artemis. But her mother knew better. Left alone, she was more than sure Diana would again best her sisters and prove that she is the Amazon champion in name and right. So, she rigged the entire thing against her as much as she could during the final course. She brought to life the enchantments of the island, long dormant traps, and, even more recklessly, dangerous beasts. But it didn't matter. She needed something to slow Diana down and distract her from the task at hand. She even had a spell cast that halved Wonder Woman's power, transferring the other half to Artemis.
It worked. Diana herself managed to escape most of the pitfalls that, while treacherous, did little to stall the Amazon's progress. However, the traps put her fellow competitors being in danger ; in several cases Diana had to stop and rescue Amazons from traps. She would have even thrown away the Contest to stay behind and treat the injured Amazons, if not urged on by another friend who stayed to take care of the injured. And still, she was catching up to Artemis during the last leg of the race.; she was even overtaking her. Diana was pushing to the limits of her endurance, but never did she falter. Well, that is until the end. She looked up and saw her mother at the finish line...and stumbled. Artemis won and was declared the new Wonder Woman.
Hippolyta's plan had worked perfectly. Once everything was said and done and Artemis was given her uniform and insignia, Hippolyta was all smiles. It was as if her earlier disapproval of Diana had never existed. She pretended that all was right with the world and spoke of grooming Diana for her own Queenship someday. The princess did not wish to hear of that or other such trivialness. She instead presented her mother with a gift. The remains of Antiope's statue that Diana had seen in the village of the Bana-Mighdall Amazons.
Hippolyta was horrified and Diana confronted her further as she revealed she knew about Hippolyta's role in being first seduced and then overwhelmed and ravaged by Heracles and his men and the acts that led to the Amazon's exile to paradise. Diana even had her suspicions that Heracles may have even been her father. But she did not stick around to hear any explanations, instead leaving for Patriarch's World again - which she at that point considered to be home.
Diana was at yet another low point in her life. She felt betrayed. She was no longer Wonder Woman. She no longer trusted her mother. And having isolated herself once more from Themyscira, she needed a way to help not only support herself but her friends, who as well, were down and out in their own ways - Julia was hospitalized and her friend Donna Milton was out of a job. Enter Micah Rains. Diana finally agreed to become business partners in a detective agency. Donna would be their lawyer. And she would get salary enough to support herself and those who had come to depend on her. During that time, Diana wore a black costume - which still had Diana Trevor's emblems, although it was not a Wonder Woman costume.
In the meantime, Artemis was making quite a show of herself as Wonder Woman. She seemed to be making a lot of headway and Diana began to doubt herself, wondering if her mother had made the right decision and she had indeed failed. But then Diana did what she always had in the past, and she began to look for the truth. What she found was disturbing.
All the changes and good that Artemis seemed to be doing were an illusion. Yes, she was doing her best to be a good Wonder Woman. Though her methods were more than a bit questionable. But the truth of the matter was she was being made into a patsy. The villains she had fought and defeated had been frauds setup to make her look good and make her move on without a fight. The underlining problem was still there. Nothing had changed.
And even as Diana was assimilating all this information, she was attacked and confronted by an angry Artemis. The redhead felt Diana was trying to undermine her, have doors shut in her face, and otherwise prevent her from being accepted since the JLA had turned her away and would not grant her Diana's seat on the team. Finally Diana was able to present Artemis with the very files that proved she was right. And then she went to confront the one person who could clear up everything. Her mother.
Diana flew back to Paradise Island and the news was less than good. Her mother had gone into the woods and dressed in rags and was punishing herself, flagellating herself with birch rods. The other Amazons feared she'd gone mad. Diana's mood was bitter and dark enough at that point that she had little sympathy for her mother - she wanted only answers and she wasn't leaving until she got them. But for all her anger at her mother, the sight of the mighty Queen crushed by misery was shocking for Diana. When she questioned why Hippolyta would put them both through such a tragedy, Hippolyta confessed everything. She had been having terrible visions for months, and prophetic flashes of her daughter lying dead in Patriarch's World. The new Contest and Hippolyta's successful attempts at sabotaging Diana's efforts were all to prevent this fate from occurring. She also swore that Heracles was not Diana's father.
Even in her grief and remorse, Hippolyta was still scheming. She would not see her plans go to waste and still desperately wished to keep Diana safe. After she revealed the truth, she expected Diana to confront her further - so she could stall her, and let Artemis go to her doom instead of Diana. But Diana wasn't about to stand around and debate her mother's motives. She was going to help Artemis, and if she was to die as foretold, then so be it. But the princess was running on borrowed time. The hand of Fate was closing in and Artemis was the prize. Diana knew Artemis was going to be confronting the White Magician and she had to try and get to her. It was then that other things began to click for the Amazon as she realized that her close friend, Donna Milton, was the sorceress Circe in disguise - although she did not realize it herself, as the witch's psyche had been buried by the magical illusion. Milton/Circe, however, could accidentally magically transport Diana to Artemis' location.
The old and the new Wonder Woman began a battle of life and death as they confronted a group of daemons and in the end found themselves overwhelmed. Circe then appeared.- still not quite herself, but more herself than she had been for awhile. She turned the tide of the combat by defeating a pair of the daemons, disappearing in a flash of light even as she called Diana her only friend. Diana and Artemis were again alone and fought side by side, but while the evil would be defeated, Artemis would not live to see the next day. Diana was devastated. But that would not be the end. Not by a long shot. Diana fought through Hell to bring back her sister Amazon, the bonds of loyalty forged on that day being a catalyst for a friendship that many would probably not have believed possible considering their initial meetings and Artemis' ongoing hatred of her mother, Hippolyta. In Hades, Diana freed Artemis from her new status of unwilling bride to a daemon lord, and they both went back to Earth.
Diana was once again Wonder Woman. And soon enough, a new Wonder Girl would enter the scene in the form of Cassandra Sandmark. A girl with enough guts and tenacity that even Zeus himself had to take notice and grant her power from the Olympians. And Diana would trust none other than Artemis with the girl's training in the ways of battle and how to be a true Amazon.
Some time later, Neron started granting infernal power to super-villains, and heroes has to confront the demon lord in his own plane. Wonder Woman saved Captain Marvel from Neron's yoke, but brutally paid it with her life. Neron knew Diana powers were still divided between Diana and Artemis, as the spell from the Contest had never been reversed - and used that state of relative weakness to kill the Amazon princess with Hellfire. The JLA's desperate measures to save the comatose Diana all failed, and they watched her die. Hippolyte's terrible vision had finally come exactly true.
The distraught Queen, however, had refused to believe the gods would abandon the Amazons and prayed fervently to Hear so her daughter would live despite everything. Her prayers were heard, and Diana was brought back to life - as a goddess, her take the role of the Olympian goddess of Truth.
Hippolyte's machination to keep her daughter safe and have Artemis die in her stead were revealed to other Amazons, and the Council of Themyscira condemned her to step in as the new Wonder Woman, fighting to atone for her deeds and replacing the now ascended Diana. Chronologically, Hippolyte wore the costume of Wonder Woman for a short time ; in absolute time she was an adventurer for years, but most of her feats as a hero happened when she time-travelled to World War Two. There, as Wonder Woman I and a member of the All-Stars Squadron, she adventured from 1942 to 1950 ; during this period she also came to be considered as a surrogate mother by Helena Kosmatos, the first Fury. She came back in the present mere moments after having left.
Diana had quite a few rules and tenants she had to abide by as a new member of the Greek Pantheon. But rarely was she able to do so. She could not leave the mortal world alone. And perhaps the final straw came when Diana's own sister's existence was at stake. Before this, Diana and Donna did not know of their connection to one another. But when Dark Angel came to once again throw Donna into another tragic lifetime, she had powerful friends on her side. Wally West, who was a man who could slip out of the bounds of time. Hippolyta, who had only just returned from the past with her invisible plane. And Diana, a goddess who would orchestrate them from behind the scenes to save the woman they all loved and cherished. In the end, Diana's punishment was to be banished from Mt. Olympus. She also was banished from her potential domain, Hades - as she learned she was from Zeus' bloodline and Ares was her grandfather.
As she came back to the mortal world, Hippolyte was coming back from the past. She joyfully was reunited with her daughter, and gave her back the role of Wonder Woman as well as the invisible plane, an artefact of Lansinian technology granted to Diana which Hippolyte had taken with her back in the past. Oblivion, however, was able to use her newly formed mental connection with the invisible vehicle against her. It cocooned her within its recesses and created a fantasy world based off her own secret dreams and desires. And while it created this world, it kept expanding at an exponential rate, causing a great deal of destruction in Gateway City.
Superman and Batman came to investigate, knowing it to be Diana's territory and that she was there. They ended up being caught in the fantasy world as well. A world where Diana and Kal were married and Bruce was their best friend. Though they would fight themselves mentally free of the powerful allure of such a fantasy, Diana was hurt to see the damage done to the city. She felt it was her fault and concluded she was a danger to those around her. Rather than live amongst people with such constant and potential threats doggedly following her, she decided to isolate herself. The Lansinar technology, conforming to her subconscious desire, created for her the Wonder Dome. A floating fortress it the sky that would be home for some time to come.
After regrouping from the destruction within Gateway City, Diana was confronted by what would become a most persistent nemesis. Devastation - a being created by Cronus to bring back worship of the Titans and give them power through it. It very nearly succeeded, to the point that Cronus came close to seizing the power of Heaven itself. He had destroyed the Greek Pantheon, leaving Diana powerless. He had destroyed the Hindu one as well and had turned his eyes to the heart of the godwave. But when Rama, the Avatar of the Hindu gods, and Diana, the Greek Avatar brought together their two pantheons to fight along side the angels of heaven, Cronus found himself defeated - in part by them and in part by his arrogance in thinking he could encompass the Presence.
It seemed that Cronus was not the only upstart planning a comeback. The children of Ares were soon making waves in Gotham. Taking over some of Gotham's more prominent villains, they made a bid to bring Ares back into the world. Even Batman himself would fall victim and be made into the ultimate creature of fear, possessed by Phobos. It was the combined efforts of Batman, Nightwing, Donna, Cassie, and Diana that drove back invasion into Gotham and went a long way to help rebuild the trust between Batman and Wonder Woman that had been breached when his termination protocols had been used against the JLA. It also was the first occasion for Ares and Diana to collaborate - as it was Ares who fell his children, whose success in Gotham had made them so power-made that they denied him.
Most recently, Diana has been through one of her more devastating periods to date. Civil War on Themyscira. Amazon against Amazon, orchestrated by an ancient evil named Ariadhne who had killed Antiope and possessed the sorceress Magala. It was brutal. Bloody. And every bit as heart wrenching as one would expect from a battle between such groups of warriors. In the end, Hippolyta did something drastic to bring peace to Themyscira - she dissolved the matriarchy. Themyscira no longer had a Queen, and was left with self-rule. Although Hippolyte's decision appeared to be remarkably noble and selfless, Diana understood her mother was also abdicating to return to the life of adventure she craved after her time as Wonder Woman I, along with the Justice Society of America. This worsened the rift between mother and daughter.
Though Diana understood the point of her mother's decision despite her mixed motivations, and could truly care less about the loss of her title, the civil war itself is what caused her the most pain. It damaged the Amazons greatly, as well as her work and credibility (helped along by Lex Luthor). She also feared that she has been rejected by her sisters as she was asked to leave the island in the wake of them deciding their new path. Discovering shortly after that Vanessa Kapatelis was now the new Silver Swan has only added to her list of worries.
More tragic events were to follow. The extremely powerful extraterrestrial entity Imperiex launched a major campaign of universal obliteration, and soon the Earth was fighting for its very survival. Brainiac's Warworld (which he conquered after Mongul's death) and forces from Apokolips joined Imperiex, but an alliance of alien nations backed Earth. At one point, Imperiex managed to launch a weapon which would destroy the universe The Amazons chose to sacrifice Paradise island, and mystically transported it into Earth's orbit, were it served as a staging ground and first line of defense for Earth and its allies before being destroyed by Imperiex's weapon. Still, the sacrifice of Themyscira bought enough time to counter Imperiex's attempt at universal destruction.
When the alliance between Imperiex, Darkseid and Brainiac started crumbling and degenerated into backstabing, Darkseid was at a disadvantage as the arsenals of Apokolips were destroyed by Brainiac. Diana then flew to Darkseid and managed to persuade him to join forces to destroy Brainiac. Wonder Woman's raw spiritual power was added to the dark god's might and channeled through Tempest's magical powers, sending Brainiac to the dawn of time to be annihilated by the Big bang. As Diana and Darkseid parted ways, however, Diana revealed to Darkseid that during their brief fusion, she had left piece of the Amazon's peace-loving soul as a seed inside the master of Apokolips' own soul.
Among the assembled Earth forces' opponents where probes shaped like Imperiex himself, each powerful enough to destroy the planet. One of them almost managed to go far enough to perform its genocidal duty - but Diana, using her war shield, managed to cut it open so it would explode before destroying Earth. The princess, however, was at ground zero of the monstrously powerful explosion, and was severely wounded. Superman took the nearly dead Wonder Woman to Hippolyte to save her life; although the Amazons healed the worst of the damage, she was too badly wounded to fight and lost consciousness.
Hippolyte then launched herself into war to replace the fallen Wonder Woman - wearing her own Eagle Armour as well as the Gauntlets of Atlas, Sandals of Hermes and Diana's lasso. She successfully fought to protect a space ark full of alien refugees from Imperiex' forces, then switched back to defending Earth as it was realized Imperiex probes were going to obliterate Greece. Despite her best efforts, Hippolyte couldn't stop the probe, and was very badly burned during atmospheric re-entry as she kept attempting to destroy the robotic monster. Learning of the situation, Diana struggled to her feet and rushed to her mother's help despite her wounds. It was not enough, and the probe was nearly upon Athens when Hippolyte summoned a last burst of strength and garroted the probe's head off with the Lasso of Truth.
Diana was left to hug her fatally wounded mother in the crater ; they had saved Greece, but the terribly burned Hippolyte breathed her last in her daughter's arms.
The Amazons went on to built a new Themyscira - an archipelago of floating islands. General Phillipus was elected President, and Diana had the Ring (the Lansinarian artefact which created the Wonder Dome) help providing the technology which allowed for the creation of numerous crystal-clear highly advanced buildings. As she laid her mother to rest on one of the islands of new Themyscira, she had a last vision of Hippolyte, Antiope and Diana Trevor - as her mother disappeared forever after telling her how proud she was of her.
Even though Luthor had previously been plotting against the Amazons, Wonder Woman ended up saving him. Luthor and Circe had been allies in some of their villainous endeavours, and when Luthor became President of the USA Circe proposed him a new alliance - her powerful spells, cunning, manipulative ability and beautiful body to rule together. Luthor coldly rejected her, and Circe did what some women scorned do - she turned every man in New York into a bestiamorph, and took control of the city in chaos with an army of villainesses. As no man could enter the city lest he be turned into a beast, Wonder Woman organized an all-women army of super-heroines and took on Circe's forces. The tide almost turned when Circe turned another man into a beast - Superman. Superman's animal side was looking much like the engine of destruction named Doomsday, who once had killed him - but Wonder Woman stood up to the raging might of an animal Man of Steel. Circe escaped, but New York and Superman were returned to normal and Luthor escaped death.
Another universal crisis was prevented by the Amazon champion when Cronus, Zeus' father and king of the Titans, was brought back to life. The old god's terrible machination almost destroyed two pantheons - the Olympian one and the Hindu one. Those gods were changed to stone as Cronus stole and harnessed their powers. One of Cronus' monstrous children, Oblivion, disposed of two of the best semi-divine champions from those pantheons, the Olympian Wonder Woman and the Hindu Rama (seventh incarnation of Vishnu), by trapping them in an illusion of mutual bliss. Both Diana and Rama broke free however. It was almost too late, using the stolen power, Cronus was leading an all out assault of his monstrous children on the very Heavens, intending to submit the Presence (basically the Jewish/Christian/Islamic God) to his will. The freed Olympians and Hindus joined Wonder Woman and Rama to Heavens to fight Cronus' forces along with the heavenly Host, and Wonder Woman eventually broke Cronus' scythe, breaking his power. Although this would work another instance of Diana and her grandfather Ares fighting side by side, it also made Cronus swear revenge against the Amazon. To that end he would create his daughter Devastation, made from the same clay as Diana - who would later nearly kill Wonder Woman.
During Infinite Crisis, Wonder Woman started her journey to becoming darker, more of an anti-hero. While under the mind control of Maxwell Lord, Superman brutally beat Batman and engaged in a vicious fight with Wonder Woman, thinking she was his enemy, Doomsday. During the fight with Superman, Wonder Woman realized that even if she could somehow beat Superman, the problem would not be solved, because he'd still be under the absolute mental control of Max Lord. She created a diversion that lasted long enough for her to race back to Max Lord and demand he tell her how to free Superman of his control. Bound in her lasso of truth Max replied, "Kill me," and Wonder Woman snapped his neck.
The ramifications were very strong. Her relationships with both Superman and Batman are seriously strained. Wonder Woman voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. During her time in jail she did a lot of self-assessment, critically evaluating her role as an ambassador and promoter of peace. She actually feels as if her method was right, and that in reality, peace never happens unless one side defeats the other. She ends of leaving the jail and returning to her home.
The status of Wonder Woman amongst the other heroes and the public at large is uncertain, however the Brother Eye satellite does broadcast the footage of Wonder Woman murdering Maxwell Lord, preceded by the word MURDER, to media outlets all over the world.
Wonder Woman then defended herself from several OMACs who attacked her in her own home. Having repelled the assailants, she was delivering an injured boy to the hospital and saw a broadcast of the damaging video on the waiting room's television. Brother Eye had managed to kill the faith the world had in her.
She knows that Batman and Superman distrust her: the latter can only see her as a cold-blooded murderer. To make matters worse, Brother Eye, acting out of vengeance for the murder of Lord, initiated the final protocol “Truth and Justice”, which aims at the elimination of all Amazons. A full-scale invasion of Themyscira is set into motion, utilizing every remaining OMAC.
Diana and her countrywomen, now isolated and alienated from the outside world, are fighting for their lives. The Amazons then prepare to destroy the OMACs with a powerful new weapon. However, Wonder Woman realizes that Brother Eye is watching and transmitting, and that unleashing such destructive violence would only exacerbate the effects of her killing of Maxwell Lord. After the weapon (the Purple Ray of Death) is used once, Wonder Woman convinces the Amazons to shut it down. She then calls upon Athena, who transports Paradise Island and the Amazons remaining on it to another dimension. However, Wonder Woman chooses not to join them, and is left to face the OMACs alone.
During the battle, she puts on all her equipment, the Sandals of Hermes, the Eagle Armour, the Gauntlets of Atlas, and wields the War Shield and Sword of Hephaestus, so sharp that it can carve the electrons off an atom. She destroys the remaining OMAC and realizes that their utter defeat was what brought peace and feels this is what is needed more in the world.
Diana has past the mantle of Wonder Woman to Donna Troy and hasn’t been seen since.
Characteristics
Age: Approximately early 30's
Height: 5'11
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Unusual Features: None
Personality:
Diana Prince is not a super-hero - she's a warrior princess from a highly advanced civilization, a champion, and an ambassador on a mission. Her work is not to hit super-villains in long, spectacular battles but to promote peace and understanding through the world. Part of this mission is to act as an exemplar - Diana is warrior 24/7, and all her words and deeds should ideally bring peace, whether that is preventing unjust wars or putting a street punk back on the straight and narrow.
In the past Diana has always avoided violence and only used it as a last resort. She was the ever diplomat, and even against vile enemies would always act without scorn or contempt and make it clear she treat her opponents as respected equals with whom she would rather negotiate than rumble.
Likewise she is not a crime-fighter. Criminality and social ills are certainly a terrible thing, but Diana's work is much greater than stopping bank robbers: she has to convince Patriarch's World that peace and negotiation are viable and durable solutions. Still, she is regularly a front-line fighter in major catastrophes, and often defends the Earth or parts of it against tremendous catastrophes, invasions, rampaging monsters and the like - whether solo, with her own allies or with the JLA.
Diana is strong but obviously caring, loving and trusting. She wear her heart on her sleeve and express her emotions without reservation, which can be awkward to more emotionally repressed persons. She has learned to moderate her emotional display, particularly toward men, the reactions of which she was obviously unfamiliar with previously - but she is still rather outgoing and very honest about how she feels. In general, she is very truthful and does not believe in lying, which can complicate her role as an ambassador.
Diana is not solely a warrior and ambassador; she is also a serious scholar, believing in the power of knowledge. As the sole occupant of the Themysciran Embassy, she spent a lot of time reading and in solitary introspection - as the champion of her peoples' best value; she must spend time with herself and any doubt or weakness.
Due to her roots, Wonder Woman is a feminist, making it clear that women are as good as any man, and bring their own strengths and values to civilizations. She also tends to be a traditionalist - but in the traditions of the somewhat unchanging Themyscira. Although she will probably never be truly familiar with modern technology, she has successfully adapted herself to the world's rapid pace. In fact, her struggle to understand the Patriarch's world made manifest a remarkable intelligence, empathy and sense of adaptation.
Although Diana is most famous for being a driven, courageous and a decisive warrior in the cause of love and peace, she also as a wicked sense of humor that is perhaps not as well known than her other qualities.
Diana is not all sweetness and light, however - she is quite competitive and might find it hard to pass an occasion to prove she is the best. A true Mediterranean, she has something of a temper, and does not always stay as calm and dispassionate in a fight as she is supposed to be. Likewise, due to her honesty and lack of inhibitions about her emotions, she can also come across as moody and stubborn, like many proud women around the former Mare Nostrum.
In her heart, Diana has the courage of her race. To have Diana as your friend is to have a loyal ally for life. She takes the bonds of friendship, sisterhood, and camaraderie very seriously. Diana is closer to the true warrior-scholars of old who believed it was just as important to maintain their minds as well as their bodies.
Diana, however, is slowly changing. During Infinite Crisis, where she took the life of Max Mercury, she realizes that her role as Wonder Woman was not who she was, it was something that mankind made her. She is the champion of a race of women who have studied ancient forms of combat and strategy for hundreds of years. She was a warrior first, and that is what she would remain.
Powers
Known Powers: Princess Diana has been gifted great powers directly from the Olympus Gods. Aphrodite gave her great beauty and a loving heart; Athena gave her wisdom; Hestia gave her a charisma and aura to communicate her message of peace; Demeter/Gaia made her so strong as to be comparable to Superman, and Hermes gave her fantastic swiftness and the gift of flight. Artemis also blessed her with all the talents of a huntress, plus the ability to soothe the heart of the wildest beasts.
- Beauty: Granted by Aphrodite (Goddess of Love).
- Charisma and Aura: Granted by Hestia (Goddess of Hearth and Home). She has the natural ability to influence others, which allows her to bring her message of peace.
- Wisdom: Granted by Athena (Goddess of Wisdom). Possesses great wisdom and intelligence, though the degree varies from author to author. She has a very strong willpower and is also among the most intelligent members of the Justice League of America, along with the Martian Manhunter and Batman.
- Super-Strength: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of the Earth). Diana is literally as strong as the earth because of her link to the planet granted to her by Demeter. She is strong enough to lift anything on earth. She has numerous examples of being called the Strongest woman on earth. She has been said to be the second strongest hero, after Superman, and although Superman is stronger, she is on the same level.
- Super Stamina: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of the Earth). Diana's stamina gives her incredible resistance to blunt force trauma, capable of shrugging off punches from beings such as Superman and Captain Marvel. However, Diana's skin is not totally invulnerable and can be pierced by sharp projectiles with sufficient force distributed over a small surface area (such as bullets).
- Super Reflexes and Speed: Granted by Hermes (God of Messengers). Diana also possesses incredible reflexes and speed. She is capable of blocking machine gun fire with her gauntlets, at point blank range. She can hit an opponent with a flurry of superspeed blows. She has caught up with Jesse Quick, during at which time Jesse had reached Light Speed. She is said to be as fast as Superman on the ground, but not as fast in the air.
- Flight: Granted by Hermes (God of Messengers). Diana can move through the air just by force of will. She has superb maneuverability and can reach vast supersonic speeds (frequently generating a sonic boom). This ability also gives her very fast swimming speed.
- Magical Resistance: Born of the clay of Themyscira, and given life and divine powers by the gods themselves, Diana has heightened resistance to magical attacks. She is highly experienced in battling foes who use sorcery as a weapon. As a divine creation herself, she is less susceptible to manipulation by magic than many of her fellow powerhouse heroes.
- Regeneration: Granted by Demeter (Goddess of Earth). Like the Earth, Diana is constantly renewing herself, allowing her to quickly heal. In cases where she was gravely injured or poisoned, Diana showed the ability to physically merge with the earth, causing whatever injuries or poisons to be expelled from her body as it regains shape.
- Oneness with fire: Granted by Hestia (Goddess of the Hearth). Apparent immunity to fire as well as making her a focus of truth.
- Enhanced Senses: Granted by Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt). Her Sight has been enhanced and she has eagle-like vision, enabling her to see for miles. Her hearing is also enhanced, enabling her to hear the faintest of sounds from far away. Her smell is so acute she can smell blood like that of wolf. When she was blinded, she was still fully capable of seeing the world through her senses, and even battled the JLA to prove her point. She also possess the "Hunters Eye" which allows her to always hit her mark.
- Animal Rapport: Granted by Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt). Unity with the animal kingdom and the ability to tame wild beasts. It is an ability that allows her to project a soothing, pacifying feeling in animals.
- Athena's Sight: Granted by Athena (Goddess of Wisdom). Wonder Woman was briefly blinded, then had her sight restored by Athena. Since then, she has had the sight of Athena, a power that apparently grants increased insight. (For example, Diana can often detects others' emotions, and is now so fully immune to Doctor Psycho's illusions that she usually is not even aware of what illusions he is attempting to project).
- Magical Insta-change: She can change her garb by spinning, changing her costume to that of whatever she desires.
Known Abilities: Wonder Woman is also fantastically gifted in all the martial arts and weapons known to the Amazons - her skill and knowledge more than enough to train the Batman himself.
In one training session in the JLA Watchtower, she single-handedly fought Shiva, Killer Croc, and Cheetah, and won. When blinded, she fought the entire JLA to prove she was still capable. She is the finest warrior ever born among the Amazons of Themyscira and has defeated them all in combat twice.
Because those martial skills are unknown outside of Themyscira, it is almost impossible to defeat her in battle. Her skill has allowed her to defeat the likes of Superman, who is faster, stronger, and more durable.
Diana is one of the greatest acrobats on earth, and is a world-class hunter, capable of tracking and stealth that allows her to sneak up on the most aware animals. She is also a very skilled animal handler and trainer and is also a highly gifted dancer. She is an accomplished politician and ambassador and skilled in persuasion and diplomacy. She is skilled in first aid and medical treatments and has knowledge of artifacts and the occult that surpasses most people on earth. Diana is also an accomplished strategist and tactician, trained in the art of leadership.
She has also exhibited heightened proficiency with languages, being able to speak her native Themysciran, Ancient and Modern Greek, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese (she expressed "difficulty" with the tones of Cantonese during an interview with Lois Lane), Russian and Hindi.
Strength Level: Wonder Woman's physical strength is superhuman, comparable to that of Superman.
Weaknesses:
- Attack vulnerability: Diana is very durable, able to take punches from the likes of Superman and Doomsday, but she is weak, very weak, against cutting & piercing attacks. Basically treat her durability vs. cutting and piercing attacks as a 5 instead of a 9. She is not bulletproof and could be cut from a knife or sword.
- Temper: In general, Diana would be considered easy-going by most people. She isn't one given to rudeness, being overly aggressive, or otherwise unfriendly. However, Diana does have an incredible temper. It takes a lot to rile this trained warrior, but once provoked beyond her control her anger can be absolute. In battle she would bring to bear every ounce of training and fortitude she had against an opponent, the same would hold true for other areas as well. Though her anger isn't always a fiery rage. Perhaps the most frightening of all is the cold rage that Diana has indulged in as well. Truly her mother's child, Diana can be as cunning, cold, and calculating as a situation might warrant. It is this aspect of her temper that once put her at odds against her mother as even the Queen herself discovered that no betrayal would go unaddressable or dismissed.
- Stubborn: If ever there was a trait that aids Diana as much as it helps her, this is the one. The flip side of being 'willful' is its extreme version...stubbornness. Once set on a course of action, the Olympians themselves cannot dissuade her. She has defied her mother, gods and goddesses, and the laws of space and time in order to achieve those things she sets her mind and heart upon. She has a deep and abiding sense of right and wrong, and at times in the past the ends have justified the means, despite the risk or loss involved. And woe to whomever would dare stand in her way.
- Competitive: Diana has a competitive streak in her that simply knows no bounds, for good or for ill. She gives everything she has to a chosen task and refuses to accept defeat in a situation. Even during the times of her life when she has been down and out, it was only a matter of time before she recuperated and came back with a vengeance. While a healthy competitive spirit can be an asset, when it comes to Diana it is also a detriment that can be used against her. This is not to say she is a 'bad sport' in any sense of the word, but failure isn't something she accepts lightly.
Misc (optional)
Diana can summon her equipment, the Sword, Armor, and Shield, and Sandals, and Gauntlets of Atlas at any time with but a spin.
Equipment:
- Indestructible Bracers: Modeled after the shackles the Amazons were once enslaved with. The gauntlets were formed from the remains of Zeus's legendary Aegis shield, and were re-forged for her use by Hephaestus. Diana's superhuman reflexes enable her to use the gauntlets to easily deflect projectiles (such as bullets) and powerful energy blasts from beings such as Ares and Darkseid. She is even fast enough to protect herself from multi-vector attacks. At close-range the gauntlets block blades, weapons and punches. In some stories, Diana has used the gauntlets as a dual defensive/offensive weapon, redirecting energy blasts back to their point of origin or other targets. When crossed, the gauntlets generate a remnant of the Aegis itself, forming an impenetrable barrier just in front of them, allowing Diana to protect herself and those behind her from area attacks.
- Lansarian Morphing Disk: Wonder Woman has at her disposal a small lightweight disc of alien (Lansinar) technology that, when triggered by her thoughts, transforms into a transparent version of whatever object or vehicle is appropriate for her needs. The device has been used for several purposes, including a communication device, but is most frequently used by Wonder Woman in the form of an invisible jet plane, thus reintroducing this vehicle for the first time in post-Crisis continuity. She has also used the amorphous disc in partnership with Green Lantern's power ring, to hold Earth's moon together while shifting its orbit.
- Gauntlets of Atlas: When worn, these magical gauntlets magnify the physical strength of the wearer by a factor of ten. Diana used the Gauntlet several times; most notably to destroy a clone of the Superman-killer Doomsday. She has had trouble in the past while wearing them, because the magnitude of her strength is so great it is hard to control. She will use them if necessary however.