Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. Along with Batman and Superman, Wonder Woman is part of the DC ‘trinity’ due to the three characters’ extreme popularity and iconic status. However, despite being one of the most well-known and easily recognizable comic book characters of all time, Wonder Woman has gone through several changes throughout the years.
One of the most pivotal changes to the Wonder Woman mythos came during the New 52 reboot of the DC Universe. Fans continue to discuss if it is indeed the best iteration of Wonder Woman yet.
10 Best: Backstory
Changing an origin story could be sacrilegious. Imagine if a new comic reboot altered Batman or Spider-Man’s past, making it so that Aunt May died instead of Uncle Ben. The origin story of a character is so rooted in how that character is seen that it is incredibly risky.
Fortunately, the New 52 did incredibly well with it’s altering of Diana’s origin story. The New 52 changed her initial origin, that she had been molded by clay, and made it that Wonder Woman was a demi god.
9 Not: Wonder Woman’s Past Adventures
Despite the fact that Wonder Woman’s run in the New 52 is generally considered to be great, it would be difficult to claim it as the definitive version of the character due to the fact that the New 52 cut out so many of her past adventures.
These past adventures were fundamental to many fans of the character and it is for this reason that the New 52 wasn’t universally loved by fans.
8 Best: Wonder Woman’s Friends
While it is always important to get the nature of the main character right in any story, it is always important to have a strong cast of supporting characters. Without this, a story may feel lacking and devoid of interaction.
Fortunately for the New 52, the supporting cast that featured in the New 52 was fantastic and helped show a new side to the Wonder Woman character.
7 Not: Lost Powers
Wonder Woman is one of the oldest comic book characters of all time. As a result, the Amazonian superhero has changed an incredible amount over this vast number of years. One of the most interesting ways the character has changed is her powers.
Wonder Woman has always possessed super strength, but several of her powers have changed consistently over the years, with the most notable being flight. In some versions, Diana has the power to fly, in others she doesn’t. In past versions, Wonder Woman had magical powers including the ability to astrally project herself.
6 Best: The Gods
Due to Wonder Woman’s mythological origins, the Ancient Greek gods have always been important in Wonder Woman’s stories. However, the Ancient Greek gods took a more central role during the New 52 run.
The New 52 made the Ancient Greek gods look like a crime family, showing the struggles for internal power and the betrayals.
5 Not: Rebirth Powers
As said earlier, the New 52 made some monumental differences to Diana Prince’s backstory, with the changes to her origin and the nature of her powers being the most notable of the changes made.
However, a change by the Rebirth reboot of DC Comics is a very interesting addition to the Wonder Woman mythology. Rather than having her powers come directly from her demigod status, Rebirth showed that Diana Prince received her powers from the gods directly, with each god giving her a different power.
4 Best: Themyscira’s Dark Past
The island of Themyscira is the home of the Amazons and one of the most intriguing places in the DC Universe. Only women live on the island, with men forbidden from setting foot on its shores.
While the explanation as to why only women lived on the island had been a mystery, Rebirth showed the dark past of Themyscira. The New 52 revealed that the Amazonians sleep with sailors to become pregnant, killing the sailors after the deed is done. What happened to the children born on Themyscira depended upon their gender; the girls are trained on Themyscira, whereas the boys are traded with Hephaestus for weaponry.
3 Not: Justice League Version
The DC Animated Universe is one of the most critically acclaimed adaptations of all time, with Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited still being rewatched and enjoyed by fans to this day.
For many Wonder Woman fans, the version of the Amazonian princess in Justice League was their first introduction to the character and, as such, would remain the definitive version for many fans.
2 Best: Armor
The New 52 changed a lot. Perhaps the most notable change was in costumes, with the ‘underpants’ being removed from both Superman and Batman’s costumes, leading to some complaints from fans.
One of the more popular costume changes, however, came from Wonder Woman’s New 52 reboot. In the New 52, Wonder Woman was given a costume that looked far more like armor than her previous version, giving her a more warrior look than she previously had.
1 Not: Greg Rucka’s Run
Some comic book writers become synonymous with a certain comic book character. The most recent example of this is Scott Snyder, who has written iconic and classic Batman stories that are certain to change the character forever.
For Wonder Woman, Greg Rucka is the writer most associate with incredible Wonder Woman stories. While the New 52 Wonder Woman run was good, many would still say that Greg Rucka’s stories will always be the best.