Timeline Confusion
There may have been several Wonder Women, but Diana came first, right? Actually, it depends on your perspective...
When World War II pilot Steve Trevor crash-landed near Paradise Island, the Amazons' matron goddesses instructed Hippolyte (as the queen's name was then spelled) to convene a tournament, the victor of which would return the pilot to his homeland and assist America in fighting the Nazi evil which threatened the globe. Against her mother's wishes, Diana entered and won this tournament. She went to Man's World, adopted the civilian identity of Diana Prince, and joined the ranks of the JSA (the Justice Society of America) as Wonder Woman: costumed superhero, crimefighter, and defender of democracy.
Over time, the writers at DC Comics created alternate worlds to represent different periods in history. Crossovers among these worlds were extremely popular, letting modern-day heroes meet up with their WWII counterparts, but with so many alternate earths (each with alternate versions of the same characters), DC Comics felt that their universe was getting too complicated. So in 1985, every title in the DCU took part in Crisis on Alternate Earths, a sweeping event in which timelines converged and all of the alternate earths merged into one. It was effectively a company-wide reboot, a place for many of their heroes' stories to start over. During this Crisis, Diana was devolved back into the clay from which she was formed, and history was rewritten as if she had never existed.
Diana's story began again in 1987. Given supernatural gifts by the Amazons' goddesses in this incarnation, Diana again won the tournament and returned the injured Steve Trevor to Man's World, but this time the global threat to be faced wasn't Nazis. It was Ares, the God of War, who sought to remake the world in his image. Through strength and cunning, Diana thwarted his efforts and remained in Man's World as Wonder Woman.
Fast-forwarding through ten years of stories... including the short time when Diana lost the title of Wonder Woman to Artemis... Diana died and was raised to Olympus, joining the pantheon as the Goddess of Truth. And as pennance for her part in her Artemis' and Diana's deaths, Hippolyta took up the mantle of Wonder Woman. So far, so good? Well, here's where it goes kind of crazy.
Since Crisis, all Diana's WWII stories were no longer in continuity, meaning that "officially", they never really happened. So after he made Hippolyta the next Wonder Woman, John Byrne sent her back in time to assist the JSA. She spent several years there fighting alongside them, and so when she returned to the present, all of Diana's old stories were declared "real" again. Only now, they belonged to her mother, who was the first Wonder Woman in the eyes of the folks living inside the comic books. So despite the fact that Diana bequeathed the title to her mother, when she first arrived in Man's World, Diana was called Wonder Woman by a public that remembered the "first" WW's adventures.
Confused yet? Wait, there's more! While Hippolyta was in the past, she was an inspiration to a woman named Diana Trevor, who became a pilot during WWII and crash-landed near Paradise Island. As their island was protected from the passage of time, the Amazons had yet to send an ambassador to Man's World, but Trevor came from that outside world, which was living out a timeline where Diana had already fought, died, and been replaced by her time-traveling mother.
So while Diana Trevor was recovering from her injuries, Paradise Island was attacked. Without hesitation, she grabbed her gun and fought alongside the Amazons. She was killed in the battle, leaving behind a son in the outside world who would one day follow in his mother's footsteps and become a pilot. But back to Paradise Island. Diana Trevor was given a place of honour among the Amazon dead, the flight insignia and flag on her uniform crafted into the garb of the Amazonian champion known as Wonder Woman. And when Hippolyta created a daughter from the clay of Themyscira, she named the child Diana, after the fallen hero.
Years later, Diana Trevor's son Steve would also crash near Paradise Island, prompting the tournament to name the champion who would return him to America. The final challenge of this tournament was "Bullets and Bracelets", which was contested with the revolver Diana Trevor had used to defend the island. Young Diana won the contest, became Wonder Woman, fought, died, was followed by her mother, who inspired Diana Trevor, whose son Steve...
And that's the simple version. Phew!
Because I skipped right over the part where Diana returned to earth, mortal again after her time on Olympus, and she and Hippolyta were both Wonder Woman... (^_-)
There may have been several Wonder Women, but Diana came first, right? Actually, it depends on your perspective...
When World War II pilot Steve Trevor crash-landed near Paradise Island, the Amazons' matron goddesses instructed Hippolyte (as the queen's name was then spelled) to convene a tournament, the victor of which would return the pilot to his homeland and assist America in fighting the Nazi evil which threatened the globe. Against her mother's wishes, Diana entered and won this tournament. She went to Man's World, adopted the civilian identity of Diana Prince, and joined the ranks of the JSA (the Justice Society of America) as Wonder Woman: costumed superhero, crimefighter, and defender of democracy.
Over time, the writers at DC Comics created alternate worlds to represent different periods in history. Crossovers among these worlds were extremely popular, letting modern-day heroes meet up with their WWII counterparts, but with so many alternate earths (each with alternate versions of the same characters), DC Comics felt that their universe was getting too complicated. So in 1985, every title in the DCU took part in Crisis on Alternate Earths, a sweeping event in which timelines converged and all of the alternate earths merged into one. It was effectively a company-wide reboot, a place for many of their heroes' stories to start over. During this Crisis, Diana was devolved back into the clay from which she was formed, and history was rewritten as if she had never existed.
Diana's story began again in 1987. Given supernatural gifts by the Amazons' goddesses in this incarnation, Diana again won the tournament and returned the injured Steve Trevor to Man's World, but this time the global threat to be faced wasn't Nazis. It was Ares, the God of War, who sought to remake the world in his image. Through strength and cunning, Diana thwarted his efforts and remained in Man's World as Wonder Woman.
Fast-forwarding through ten years of stories... including the short time when Diana lost the title of Wonder Woman to Artemis... Diana died and was raised to Olympus, joining the pantheon as the Goddess of Truth. And as pennance for her part in her Artemis' and Diana's deaths, Hippolyta took up the mantle of Wonder Woman. So far, so good? Well, here's where it goes kind of crazy.
Since Crisis, all Diana's WWII stories were no longer in continuity, meaning that "officially", they never really happened. So after he made Hippolyta the next Wonder Woman, John Byrne sent her back in time to assist the JSA. She spent several years there fighting alongside them, and so when she returned to the present, all of Diana's old stories were declared "real" again. Only now, they belonged to her mother, who was the first Wonder Woman in the eyes of the folks living inside the comic books. So despite the fact that Diana bequeathed the title to her mother, when she first arrived in Man's World, Diana was called Wonder Woman by a public that remembered the "first" WW's adventures.
Confused yet? Wait, there's more! While Hippolyta was in the past, she was an inspiration to a woman named Diana Trevor, who became a pilot during WWII and crash-landed near Paradise Island. As their island was protected from the passage of time, the Amazons had yet to send an ambassador to Man's World, but Trevor came from that outside world, which was living out a timeline where Diana had already fought, died, and been replaced by her time-traveling mother.
So while Diana Trevor was recovering from her injuries, Paradise Island was attacked. Without hesitation, she grabbed her gun and fought alongside the Amazons. She was killed in the battle, leaving behind a son in the outside world who would one day follow in his mother's footsteps and become a pilot. But back to Paradise Island. Diana Trevor was given a place of honour among the Amazon dead, the flight insignia and flag on her uniform crafted into the garb of the Amazonian champion known as Wonder Woman. And when Hippolyta created a daughter from the clay of Themyscira, she named the child Diana, after the fallen hero.
Years later, Diana Trevor's son Steve would also crash near Paradise Island, prompting the tournament to name the champion who would return him to America. The final challenge of this tournament was "Bullets and Bracelets", which was contested with the revolver Diana Trevor had used to defend the island. Young Diana won the contest, became Wonder Woman, fought, died, was followed by her mother, who inspired Diana Trevor, whose son Steve...
And that's the simple version. Phew!
Because I skipped right over the part where Diana returned to earth, mortal again after her time on Olympus, and she and Hippolyta were both Wonder Woman... (^_-)
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