The tease of the famous winged armor in the trailers for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 has brought many people's attention to the question of whether Wonder Woman can fly. Many people simply assume that, as the female counterpart to Superman, Wonder Woman can fly just as he does. But it's not that simple. Over her 75-year history, Wonder Woman has changed dramatically in her origin story, character, and, of course, her powers.
One of the most variable powers has been her ability to fly, with her sometimes gaining an innate flight ability, and other times using different magical or technical means to get airborne. Here are all the different ways that Wonder Woman has used to fly.
9 The Invisible Plane/Jet
Wonder Woman's first means of flight was her (in)famous Invisible Plane. It first appeared in Sensation Comics # 1, just a few months after Wonder Woman herself. Although jets had been deployed by both the Allies and the Germans in WWII, they were not yet well-known, so Wonder Woman's first invisible plane was propelled by a prop.
Despite that, the Invisible Plane had amazing flight characteristics, such as the ability to fly at speeds of up to 2000 mph. It was not until the 1950s that the plane became a jet. In some versions, Wonder Woman has other invisible vehicles, such as a helicopter. By the 2000s, the Invisible Pane is actually a shape-changing entity, until it sacrifices itself to protect Themyscira, reverting to its jet form. Apparently, the Invisible Jet is going to appear (sort of) in her new movie, too!
8 Gliding on Air Currents
During the Silver Age, Wonder Woman gained a sort of limited flight ability. In Wonder Woman #98, dated May 1958, Wonder Woman glides on air currents to save Steve Trevor. In this early reboot, Wonder Woman's powers were expanded in other ways beyond this flight ability.
She also gained super cold breath (like Superman), mental telepathy, microscopic vision, and the ability to vibrate into other dimensions (like The Flash). These powers were used inconsistently, as with many Silver Age heroes' powers, so her powers of flight would sometimes fail her whenever it was convenient for the story.
7 Gift of Hermes
When George Perez took over the series and rebooted Wonder Woman in the Post-Crisis continuity in 1987, Wonder Woman was granted the ability to fly by Hermes as part of her creation. Hermes also tutors her on her ability, and they fly together often in the early comics.
Perez also makes flight a significant character point for Wonder Woman, who often talks about how much she loves to fly. She often takes even the slightest excuse to take to the air for fun.
6 The Sandals of Hermes
Wonder Woman also sometimes relied on the Sandals of Hermes, the Telaria, to fly. Sometimes Diana is depicted as wearing Hermes' sandals, although she had been gifted with the power of flight by Hermes himself. The sandals were also used by Artemis when she won the contest to become the emissary to man's world. Artemis also received the Gauntlets of Atlas, which increased her strength tenfold.
Artemis also wore Wonder Woman's traditional outfit of red and blue, while Diana sported black biker shorts (presumably part of what made her attractive to The Punisher in the Marvel crossover event during this period).
5 The Lasso of Truth
Typically, the Lasso of Truth (sometimes called the Golden Perfect or the Lasso of Hestia) gives Wonder Woman many powers, such as the ability to bind most anyone. Most famously, it compels anyone bound with it to tell the truth, and even forces them to follow her instructions. However, at one time, it even gave Diana the power of flight.
This was during the confusing Odyssey arc between the end of Gail Simone's run and the Flashpoint reboot. Helmed by J. Michael Straczynski, Wonder Woman has been stripped of many of her powers, including the power of flight, which she regains after the wrests control of the Lasso from an ageless killer who murdered her mother.
4 Pegasus
Wonder Woman's comics often borrow heavily from Greek mythology. Among her recurring foes are Circe the witch from Homer's Odyssey, and the mythological creature Medusa. She also counts several mythological creatures among her allies, including a minotaur and the winged horse Pegasus.
Pegasus helps her in her battle with Briareos, one of the hundred-handed giants that helped the gods of Olympus defeat their predecessors, the titans. Diana, still blind from her fight with Medusa, relies on the help of Pegasus to defeat the giant. Pegasus also helps her find her brother in the recent plot arc Children of the Gods.
3 Lantern Rings
Wonder Woman has also been able to fly as a member of three different Lantern Corps. First, during the Blackest Night series, Wonder woman was killed and became a Black Lantern, along with many other heroes. As a Black Lantern, she used its powers as she fought for Nekron, the leader of the Black Lanterns.
However, Wonder Woman's great love allowed her to overpower the Black Lantern ring and join the Star Sapphires. Finally, in order to defeat the Black Lanterns, Hal Jordan resurrected the White Lantern Corps, and Wonder Woman joined.
2 Hermes' Feather
In the New 52, Wonder Woman reinvented the image of all the Greek Gods. Perez and many earlier writers utilized a traditional representation of old men and beautiful women in Greek garb. But when resurrected in this continuity, the pantheon have different and often peculiar appearances.
Hermes, in particular, has one of the strangest new forms. Instead of having winged shoes, he has birds' talons with feathers for feet. He cannot give Diana the ability to fly by giving her his sandals. Instead, he throws one of her feathers, and when this scratches her, it gives her the ability to fly.
1 Golden Eagle Armor
Wonder Woman can also fly using the gold armor featured in the hotly anticipated Wonder Woman 1984. The Golden Eagle Armor first shows up in an alternate dimension, but was shifted over to become part of the main Wonder Woman continuity. It has appeared several times over the years, always when Diana needed maximum protection to face off against some of her most dangerous foes.
Sometimes, she has been joined by allies who have different versions of the armor, including her mother Hippolyta, Donna Troy, and Cassie (Wonder Girl). This association promises high excitement for the new movie, which opens in June of this year.