u/TurboRedLightning

Wonder Woman's age is a subject of constant debate in pop culture. Because Queen Hippolyta is an ancient and immortal Amazon, many people assume that her millennia-long lifespan also applies to her daughter. As a result, it is common to confuse the millennia-old history of Themyscira with Diana's own age. Since Hippolyta and the other Amazons are immortal warriors who have lived in isolation since antiquity, some also assume that Diana was born at the beginning of that isolation. In reality, depending on the era, Hippolyta spent centuries or millennia longing for a daughter before finally receiving the blessing of having one, whether by molding her from clay or giving birth to her. Thus, in many of the major comic book continuities, Diana begins her journey as a young adult.

GOLDEN AGE (19 YEARS OLD): Contrary to the idea that the Golden Age does not establish an age for Diana, the comics themselves present a chronological progression of her youth. Wonder Woman #1 indicates that Diana met Steve Trevor years after reaching the age of 15. Sensation Comics #70 (1947) shows Hippolyta receiving, in 1812, a vision of her future daughter, establishing a chronological limit for Diana's existence in this version. Wonder Woman #45 (1951) reinforces this progression, maintaining the idea that Diana was still young when she met Steve. Finally, Wonder Woman #159 retells her origin and explicitly establishes Diana as 19 years old when she leaves Paradise Island to enter Man's World.

SILVER AGE (2,000 YEARS OLD): Wonder Woman #105 (1959) presents Diana as the biological daughter of Hippolyta and Prince Theno, born in Ancient Greece. Since she remained on the island until the modern era, this version of Diana would have been around two thousand years old.

BRONZE AGE (20+ YEARS OLD): Wonder Woman #206 reveals that Diana and Nubia were created from clay just over two decades before their confrontation, placing both of them in their early twenties.

POST-CRISIS (20 YEARS OLD): Wonder Woman Secret Files and Origins #1 establishes Diana as 20 years old when she wins the contest and becomes Wonder Woman.

THE NEW 52 (18 → 23 YEARS OLD): Wonder Woman #11 confirms Diana is 23 years old in the present. Since the New 52 chronology places the formation of the Justice League and the heroes' arrival in Man's World 5 years earlier, Diana was 18 years old when she left Themyscira.

DC REBIRTH (18 → 28 YEARS OLD): As revealed by creators Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott in interviews around the launch of the era in 2016, Year One presents Diana as 18 years old. The story of The Lies, 10 years after Year One. Thus, the timeline defined by the creators places the two periods exactly ten years apart.

WONDER WOMAN (2023–) / CURRENT: Wonder Woman #35 shows Hippolyta fighting alongside the Justice Society of America during World War II, long before Diana's contemporary career. Hippolyta's presence during this period, however, does not in itself determine her daughter's age. Since we don't know how long the Queen acted in the World of Men, what is clear is that Diana is well under 80 years old.

This young-adult approach to Diana also extends to the new Absolute Universe, which presents her alongside heroes such as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent during the early stages of their adult careers. In contrast, various adaptations and Elseworlds universes depict Diana as a woman who has lived for centuries while maintaining a youthful appearance. One of the more interesting approaches appears in Wonder Woman: Warbringer, which establishes Diana as 16 years old according to Themyscira's own timeline. The story explores the fact that weeks lived in Man's World equal only a few hours in Themyscira, revealing that time passes much slower on the island.

In the end, Diana's story is essentially a journey of coming of age. This is one of the reasons her mythology is repeatedly reinvented, with Wonder Woman presented as a young woman leaving her home and beginning her journey into the wider world. Although her chronological age varies dramatically between different continuities, many versions preserve the same central idea: Diana discovers Man's World, grows through her experiences, and transforms from Princess Diana into Wonder Woman.

Contrary to popular belief, Xena: Warrior Princess was never inspired by Wonder Woman, the Amazon Princess. Although the public often associates Xena with Wonder Woman—given that the DC heroine predates her—pop culture history reveals the exact opposite: it was Diana Prince who underwent a process of becoming increasingly like Xena in order to modernize.

Xena’s resounding success in the 1990s revolutionized television and proved to the industry that audiences loved an armed female protagonist who faced gods and monsters on equal footing. The impact was so profound that DC Comics began redefining Wonder Woman herself. A character who had historically prioritized dialogue, her bracelets, and the Lasso of Truth began adopting a much more aggressive, ruthless, and pragmatic stance in combat.

With the DCEU, this transformation became even more evident. Wonder Woman’s initial costume in Batman v Superman (2016)—an aged metal armor, invariably accompanied by a sword and shield—visually solidifies Diana’s definitive transition into the gladiator archetype. Should Wonder Woman continue down this path of the relentless warrior, or should she reclaim her diplomatic roots, taking on the role of ambassador and even a model for a future president?

The journey of Wonder Woman—Princess Diana of Themyscira, or Paradise Island—is also a coming-of-age story, which explains why she is constantly reinvented to reflect the young woman in tune with the times that she represents. Her companions are her sisters, not daughters—a dynamic interestingly portrayed in the post-Crisis era. She left the island at twenty; by the time she was twenty-four or twenty-five, she had died and ascended as the Goddess of Truth; and by twenty-six, she had already completed much of the journey known to us from the post-Crisis continuity.

In the continuity also known as New Earth, various issues provide information that allows for the reconstruction of the age relationships among the key members of the Wonder Family.

 In Wonder Woman #47, the first meeting between Diana and Donna Troy takes place. The story establishes that the two are relatively close in age, with Diana referring to her two decades of life. In the following issue, Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #49, it is confirmed that Diana emerged while Donna was still using the mantle of Wonder Girl; just a few months later, Donna adopted the identity of Troia.

Subsequently, Wonder Woman Secret Files and Origins #1 (1997) provides a more precise detail regarding Diana: she was 20 years old when she won the Themyscira tournament and became Wonder Woman. The 1998 issue of the same title also notes that Diana had already been operating as Wonder Woman for six years, placing her at age 26. Around the same time, Titans #5 (1999) reveals that Donna Troy was 23 years old. Thus, there is a difference of approximately three years between Diana and Donna, with Diana being the older of the two.

Regarding Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity #3 (2003) depicts the Trinity's meeting during "Year One"—which corresponds to Year 0 of Diana's career in this reconstruction. Artemis reveals she is 14 years old. Although she is 14, her physique can make her appear considerably older—a point explored earlier in the miniseries in Trinity #1, where she is presented as a young woman who could easily be mistaken for someone around 18. Since Diana was 20 in Year 0, this establishes a six-year age gap between Diana and Artemis.

As for Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Woman #105 establishes that she was 14 years old when she debuted as Wonder Girl. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman Secret Files and Origins #1 (1998) reveals that Cassie had already been active as Wonder Girl for two years, and during that period, Diana was 26 years old. Consequently, Cassie was approximately 16, while Diana was 26. This establishes a 10-year age gap between Diana and Cassie.

Additionally, Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #47 establishes that Vanessa Kapatelis was nearly 14 years old when Diana and Donna met. Therefore, Vanessa was still 13 at that time. Given that Diana was 20 in Year 0, this places Vanessa 7 years younger than Diana.

After reading a good portion of the material, this is the information I found regarding the ages of the Wonder Women. Does anyone know of any other publication that reveals more details?

I really like it when artists create a "cat-eye" or "fox-eye" look, with the outer corner slightly lifted. High, defined cheekbones that give the impression of a sculpted face. A firm, well-defined jawline. And a nose that directly evokes the aesthetic of Ancient Greek sculptures. And, living on a paradise island with stunning beaches, she would have a warm, olive skin tone.

Even though artists have their own distinct styles—and many suffer from "same-face syndrome"—I feel those characteristics should be preserved in some way. However, I understand that with so many versions out there, everyone has their own favorite depiction.

Jack Byrne, editor-in-chief and co-president of the publishing house Fiction House, was responsible for overseeing and approving the stories scheduled for publication. He was the brother of Olive Byrne—the secret polyamorous partner of William Marston and Elizabeth Marston.

It is incredible to note that in November 1939, under Jack's direction, the debut issue of the pulp magazine Planet Stories featured the novella The Golden Amazons of Venus, by John Murray Reynolds, as its lead story. Capitalizing on the superhero craze, Jack rapidly expanded his business by launching a line of comic books that included landmark titles such as Jumbo Comics (the home that popularized Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in the US) and Planet Comics. Elements of the concept behind The Golden Amazons of Venus were later adapted into the pages of Planet Comics #8, published in September 1940.

All of this happened shortly before his sister published a famous interview with her own partner—titled "Don't Laugh at the Comics"—on October 25, 1940. Writing for Family Circle magazine, she used the pseudonym "Olive Richard." It was precisely this article by Olive that caught the attention of Max Gaines. Gaines hired Marston as a strategic consultant; he desperately needed an educational hero to save his publishing company from public moral panic and censorship. William, for his part, wanted to create a hero grounded in love and psychology, and his wife, Elizabeth, gave the directive that would change pop culture forever: "Fine. But make her a woman."

Thus was born the concept of Wonder Woman, a gear that meshes literature and real life. Drawing inspiration from the personalities of his two partners, Elizabeth and Olive, Marston built the background plot of Paradise Island based on the utopian literary context of three suffragist classics from the 1910s: Child of the Amazons and Other Poems (1913) by Max Eastman; Angel Island (1914) by Inez Haynes Irwin; and Herland (1915) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Interestingly, the story approved by his brother-in-law two years earlier at Fiction House featured a utopian society of beautiful, strong female warriors—equipped with advanced technology—who ruled the hidden city of Larr while clad in scarlet loincloths and golden breastplates; it starred Princess Closana as their leader alongside the brave officer Steve Brent—a sub-lieutenant on the starship Viking and an ally of Commander Gerry Norton—who eventually encounters the Amazons. While no source explicitly states that these comic books served as the official inspiration for the Wonder Woman mythos, the intrinsic combination of factors makes for a fascinating curiosity.

Although the MCU and DCU are distinct franchises, they compete for the same audience. Therefore, the strategy of one can influence the other.

The MCU has just announced a young cast for the X-Men, targeting a new generation of powerful mutant heroines. With the Paradise Lost project possibly shelved, the responsibility of representing the Amazons falls entirely on the next Wonder Woman solo film.

Should the DCU follow the same youthful path with the Amazons to compete? Film and television have portrayed Diana as centuries old, but the comics also present versions that tell a different story within the main timelines: in the Golden Age, she is a young woman (meeting Steve a few years—not decades—after turning 15); in the Bronze Age, Nubia was abducted when Diana was around 20, marking her entry into adulthood; and in the Post-Crisis and New 52 eras, she invariably begins her journey between the ages of 18 and 23. Diana is neither an ancient Amazon nor part of the original generation; she belongs to the island's new generation.

After Secret Wars, the MCU will undergo a planned reboot, and this casting choice is part of the structure of that new universe. And now they are introducing Jean Grey, Storm, Emma Frost, Rogue, and later, Polaris, Selene Gallio, and others. For many years, Wonder Woman held the status of the greatest female hero. However, film adaptations exert a strong influence on new generations, capable of transforming Iron Man into one of the most popular heroes, while poor adaptations of the Hulk have diminished the character's status.

If the DCU insists on a dated, distant portrayal while Marvel presents young, vibrant mutant heroines, Wonder Woman risks appearing old-fashioned to new fans. A generation of young Amazons (alongside ancient) might be exactly the key for the DCU. What do you think? This would not only retain established fans but also win over a broader audience, including more women and young people.

When she was created, Giganta was an allusion to Primal Brutality—a gorilla who had lost her offspring and attempted to adopt Dotsie Trevor (Steve Trevor’s niece, named in honor of Olive Byrne, who was known as Dotsie).

Olive Byrne was the daughter of activist Ethel Byrne and the niece of Margaret Sanger—women who opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. However, Ethel abandoned her daughter during childhood, and—along with her sister—publicly debated birth control within the context of social Darwinism and eugenics as means to prevent criminality.

Giganta serves as something of a critique. She is a gorilla who evolved into a human—a mother who had lost her baby and was nearly irrational. Since the DC Universe already features Gorilla Grodd, what do you think about connecting her to Gorilla City?

She could be a gorilla who transferred her mind into the human Olga—much like the Post-Crisis origin story.

The Wonder Woman movie will not be released in 2027, for the obvious reason that it is not in production. Lynda Carter was 24 years old when she was cast in the role, and Wonder Woman hails from an island of immortal women. With a long-term project in mind, Wonder Woman needs to be part of the DC Universe for at least 10 years. And when casting Donna Troy or Cassie, they should look like sisters, not Wonder Woman's daughters.

The Golden Age Wonder Woman was 18 years old. In the post-Crisis era, she was 20 when she left Themyscira, and in the New 52, ​​she was 23 when she formed the Justice League.

While revisiting the Silver Age, I noticed that Prince Theno is mentioned in issue #149. In the Silver Age, he was Diana's posthumous father, and that scene directly reminded me of issue #17 of the current series.

The general consensus is that people want Tom King to step down. I’ve seen comments calling for Stephanie Williams (who is moving to Vixen), others asking for the return of Greg Rucka or Gail Simone, and even suggestions to bring Kelly Thompson onto the main title. The only name I haven't seen suggested is Renae De Liz.

Honestly, I think Renae De Liz did an excellent job on The Legend of Wonder Woman; she blended Golden Age elements with various storylines—Hippolyta as the Golden Warrior, former Champion of the Gods, and vessel for Zeus; one of the best versions of Etta Candy; and a world teeming with creatures such as mermaids, Pegasi, cetus, and others. She knows how to combine various elements and respects Diana as a foreigner—and as a warrior fighting for peace.

Seeing Zendaya wearing a Schiaparelli corset dress at the London premiere of Nolan's The Odyssey makes me wonder: what if Themyscira had its own distinct identity, inspired by haute couture?

Wonder Woman doesn't need a uniform like those worn by Supergirl, Superman, or Green Lantern—which all look alike within the DCU—or those of Marvel heroines, She-Ra, or Xena. Films tend to approach different heroes using the same visual style. However, productions that highlight fashion—such as The Devil Wears Prada, Cruella, and even Barbie—seem to appeal to female audiences and achieve great success. She is a warrior, but she is also a princess from a utopian world.

Inspired by the post "Wonder Woman's Family Tree (across the multiverse)", I decided to create a multiversal version of the members of the Themysciran royal family, including members of the same generation as Princess Diana of Themyscira and previous generations.

I really like that, in the post-Crisis era, Queen Hippolyta is considered the spiritual daughter of the god of war, Ares. His daughter in a past life. The families of Greek mythology have always been complex, like Oedipus. At the same time, the tragedy of Myrrha would work to explain Thrax.

On the other hand, even if Ares and Mars are the same figure in the past, I prefer Mars as an isolated Roman god, still as Nubia's grandfather. Something like Prince Theno being the son of the Roman god of war, a creation in the style of Lizzie Prince.

I know that the origin story of Donna Troy, rescued from the fire and adopted, is very popular. But personally, I prefer the version of her as the magical sister raised by Magala or even Derinoe. For me, she will always be the adopted biological daughter, just as Cable is biologically Jean Grey's son, but Jean is his adoptive mother.

Artwork by: Carlo Pagulaya, Jason Paz, Sean Parsons and Rômulo Fajardo Jr. (Zeus), Terry Dodson (Wonder Woman), Chris Marrinan (Phthia), Goran Sudžuka (Queen Alcippe), Skylar Patridge and Romulo Fajardo Jr.(Queen Atalanta), Nicola Scott and Travis Moore (Captain Astarte and Theana), Xermanico and Romulo Fajardo, Jr. (Antiope), Nicola Scott (Queen Hippolyte), Maurice Whitman and Mario Sen (Diana), Vicente Cifuentes (Penthesilea), Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon (Glauce and Priestess Melanippe), Andrew Bistak (Jason), Olivier Coipel (Nubia), Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn (Donna Troy). Thrax (Wonder Woman 2009 Movie), Aresia (DCAU), Debra Winger (Drusilla, Wonder Woman '77‎) and Dorrie Thomson (Evadne, Wonder Woman '77‎).

Empress Hippolyta of the Chi Dimension and Queen Hippolyta practically coexisted, but, thinking about a new universe that would reunite/rescue the versions to coexist on a single Earth, which characters do you think could coexist with the Rebirth versions?

For example, in my opinion, Stephanie Williams brought Queen Nubia (Princess Zahavah) to life in a way that doesn't even resemble her 1970s version inspired by Princess Nubia. They are basically characters who share the same name and skin tone, and apart from that, they are nothing alike. Therefore, nothing would prevent the two from coexisting.