Like many other superheroes created during the Golden Age of Comics, Wonder Woman was tied into the events of World War II. This was an undeniable aspect of her characters for years that partially defined her in multiple mediums.
However, the ever-changing tides of the DC Universe saw Diana introduced long after the war ended. Despite that, she continued to have some relationship with the conflict, especially in alternate reality stories like the world of DC Bombshells. Now, we're taking a closer look at Wonder Woman and her shifting status to WWII.
WONDER WOMAN IN THE GOLDEN AGE
William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter introduced Wonder Woman in 1941, during the height of the Second World War. Accordingly, it's not surprising that she fought Nazis alongside contemporaries like Superman, Batman and Captain America. Steve Trevor was an intelligence agent when he crashed on Themyscira and was on a mission to bring back Nazi secrets to the army. The Amazons became quick enemies of the Nazis, and many of her early enemies were connected to the Axis Powers.
This was a prevalent piece of Wonder Woman's history for the following decades. It was even a major aspect in the Wonder Woman 1976 television series. The first season of the show was set during World War II, with Diana joining the US Army to help combat the Nazi influence. While the second and third seasons of the show would take place in the then-current 1970s, it was still made a serious part of the show going forward.
THE CRISIS
However, Wonder Woman's connection to the global conflict was altered over the years. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Universe was largely rebooted for that era. This included altering the histories of many of its characters, including Wonder Woman and shifting her origins away from the World War II era she'd been initially introduced in. Diana was altered to have been more of an emissary and ambassador to man's world in the present day, and not connected to the earlier decades of conflict.
Her stories became more rooted in Greek Mythology, tying her closer to the various deities of that pantheon. However, the World War II connection was kept in continuity by moving that aspect to Diana's mother, Hippolyta. During a time-traveling adventure, Hippolyta became the Wonder Woman of the Golden Age, working alongside the Justice Society. She remained in the era for the rest of the decade, only returning to the present day in 1950 thanks to the help of Jay Garrick, the Flash of that era.
BOMBSHELLS
The connection between Wonder Woman and World War II was reestablished (and even expanded upon) in the pages of DC Bombshells. The series centers around a version of the DC Universe that is deep in the second World War and almost every version of a hero is a woman and from a different country. Diana and the other Amazons are drawn into the conflict when a German and American battle broke out in the skies above the island.
Working with her best friend Mera, Diana saves Trevor and the pair join up with the rest of the war effort. She eventually ends up as a member of the Bombshells, an organization led by Amanda Waller that uses the superpowered women in the conflict. She became a major leader of the group. She fights in many fields of the war, facing against the Germans overseas while also trying to fight against discrimination back in the United States against forces like Clayface. The series ends with Diana becoming a nomad after the death of Steve Trevor, continuing to protect the world outside of the conflict.