Wonder Women
The names Diana and Wonder Woman are practically synonymous, but she isn't the only Amazon to bear the title...
Diana
First and foremost among the Wonder Women is Diana. Formed from the clay of Paradise Island by her mother, Hippolyta, this princess of the Amazons defied her mother's wishes, entering and winning the tournament which would give her the title of Wonder Woman. She went to Man's World to spread the Amazonian ideals of peace, strength, and equality. Amid fighting Nazis in the '40s, membership in the JSA and JLA, losing her powers, regaining them, devolving back into clay during Crisis, being reinvented by George Perez, dying, becoming the Goddess of Truth, and coming back to life, Diana has reigned for decades as DC's preeminent female superhero.
Nubia/Nu'Bia
Also formed from clay as a twin to Diana, Nubia was kidnapped by Ares, who raised her, controlling her mind so that she would help him bring down the Amazons. As Wonder Woman of her floating island home, Nubia challenged Diana for the Amazonian title. But when Nubia was freed from Ares' mind control, Diana embraced her as a sister. After Crisis, she was presented as Nu'Bia, an Amazon who had won a previous tournament like the one that gave Diana the title of Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, this honour meant she was elected to guard Doom's Doorway (essentially the entrance to hell) from the inside for millennia, alone. Diana encountered her while Nu'Bia was on a mission to slay her lover's killer.
(Visit Carol A Strickland's WW Site for more info on Nu'Bia)
Artemis
When Hippolyta had a vision of Wonder Woman's death, she orchestrated a new tournament so that someone else would bear the mantle when her vision came to pass. Artemis won the tournament, proudly and brashly demanding that the world recognize her as the new Wonder Woman, the title she had rightly won. But before she could grow into her role, she was brutally killed. She died a hero's death, and the title was Diana's once again. But in comics, the dead don't always stay that way. Artemis literally clawed her way out of her own grave to rejoin the living. She fought at Diana's side for a time, training Cassie Sandsmark, the new Wonder Girl, and she bears a new title: Shim'Tar, chief warrior of the Lost Tribe of Amazons. Following the recent upheavals on the island - including the upheaval of the island itself - Artemis continues to be a leader to both Amazon groups and is one of the few who can go toe-to-toe with Diana herself.
Hippolyta
After misuse of her royal authority contributed to the deaths of both Artemis and Diana, Hippolyta took up the mantle of Wonder Woman as pennance, traveling back in time to fight alongside the JSA during WWII. Returning to the present, she stayed on as a reserve member of the group, even after Diana's return from Olympus. Diana insisted that her mother's continuing adventures detracted from Hippolyta's duties as Queen of the Amazons. This caused a rift between mother and daughter, and the queen's frequent absences from Themyscira left the island vulnerable to internal conflict. In an effort to bring peace to the island, Hippolyta stepped down and dissolved the monarchy, moving to Man's World permanently to continue her role as Wonder Woman. When Imperiex attacked the earth, threatening the planet's very survival, Hippolyta sacrificed herself in order to save the lives of thousands. It was an heroic, tragic, and gruesome death that stood out as one of the sole poignant moments in an otherwise muddled crossover event, and she will be very sorely missed.
The names Diana and Wonder Woman are practically synonymous, but she isn't the only Amazon to bear the title...
Diana
First and foremost among the Wonder Women is Diana. Formed from the clay of Paradise Island by her mother, Hippolyta, this princess of the Amazons defied her mother's wishes, entering and winning the tournament which would give her the title of Wonder Woman. She went to Man's World to spread the Amazonian ideals of peace, strength, and equality. Amid fighting Nazis in the '40s, membership in the JSA and JLA, losing her powers, regaining them, devolving back into clay during Crisis, being reinvented by George Perez, dying, becoming the Goddess of Truth, and coming back to life, Diana has reigned for decades as DC's preeminent female superhero.
Nubia/Nu'Bia
Also formed from clay as a twin to Diana, Nubia was kidnapped by Ares, who raised her, controlling her mind so that she would help him bring down the Amazons. As Wonder Woman of her floating island home, Nubia challenged Diana for the Amazonian title. But when Nubia was freed from Ares' mind control, Diana embraced her as a sister. After Crisis, she was presented as Nu'Bia, an Amazon who had won a previous tournament like the one that gave Diana the title of Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, this honour meant she was elected to guard Doom's Doorway (essentially the entrance to hell) from the inside for millennia, alone. Diana encountered her while Nu'Bia was on a mission to slay her lover's killer.
(Visit Carol A Strickland's WW Site for more info on Nu'Bia)
Artemis
When Hippolyta had a vision of Wonder Woman's death, she orchestrated a new tournament so that someone else would bear the mantle when her vision came to pass. Artemis won the tournament, proudly and brashly demanding that the world recognize her as the new Wonder Woman, the title she had rightly won. But before she could grow into her role, she was brutally killed. She died a hero's death, and the title was Diana's once again. But in comics, the dead don't always stay that way. Artemis literally clawed her way out of her own grave to rejoin the living. She fought at Diana's side for a time, training Cassie Sandsmark, the new Wonder Girl, and she bears a new title: Shim'Tar, chief warrior of the Lost Tribe of Amazons. Following the recent upheavals on the island - including the upheaval of the island itself - Artemis continues to be a leader to both Amazon groups and is one of the few who can go toe-to-toe with Diana herself.
Hippolyta
After misuse of her royal authority contributed to the deaths of both Artemis and Diana, Hippolyta took up the mantle of Wonder Woman as pennance, traveling back in time to fight alongside the JSA during WWII. Returning to the present, she stayed on as a reserve member of the group, even after Diana's return from Olympus. Diana insisted that her mother's continuing adventures detracted from Hippolyta's duties as Queen of the Amazons. This caused a rift between mother and daughter, and the queen's frequent absences from Themyscira left the island vulnerable to internal conflict. In an effort to bring peace to the island, Hippolyta stepped down and dissolved the monarchy, moving to Man's World permanently to continue her role as Wonder Woman. When Imperiex attacked the earth, threatening the planet's very survival, Hippolyta sacrificed herself in order to save the lives of thousands. It was an heroic, tragic, and gruesome death that stood out as one of the sole poignant moments in an otherwise muddled crossover event, and she will be very sorely missed.
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