Every Version of Wonder Woman, Ranked

Wonder Woman is the title given to the champion of the Amazons, the woman who will leave Paradise behind and spread their message of peace to Man’s World. The archetypal superheroine, Wonder Woman has stood as the champion of truth, love, and peace in a world that would much rather throw those concepts to the side in favor of greed and rage. While Diana is easily the most well known and longest lasting hero to serve in the role, there have been quite a few who put on the tiara and star-spangled uniform in an effort to carry on that mission. With over an eighty year history, sharing the name is inevitable, so why don’t we take a look at every main hero who’s taken up the title of Wonder Woman and rank them all?

9) Artemis

Not the red-headed warrior we all think of when we hear this name, but the original Artemis and first ever Wonder Woman, bearing the name 3000 years before Diana left for Man’s World and first appearing in Wonder Woman #298. She was Hippolyta’s best friend, and when the contest was held to determine who would be the next queen of the Amazons, she only just lost to Hippolyta. Soon after, the goddesses Aprhodite and Athena appeared and said that one Amazon must leave for Man’s World to spread their message of love and wisdom, and since she came in second in the contest, Artemis was selected. She roamed across the ancient world of man, with the poets taking to calling her Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, she was far from the embodiment of wisdom and compassion. She fell in love with a warrior named Cleon, and together they conquered all of Greece, even turning their eyes to Themyscira after Ares’s interference. Hippolyta discovered how Artemis was manipulated by Ares and the first Wonder Woman was exiled from Paradise Island. She died very soon after, challenging Athena herself to a duel. Even though she technically invented the title, Artemis definitely didn’t give a good showing of what it means to be Wonder Woman.

8) Orana

First appearing in Wonder Woman #250, Orana was an Amazon who was jealous of Diana, and challenged her for the right to be Wonder Woman. She was ruthless and brutally effective, and instead of trying to match her, Diana was constantly forced to take the time to save lives that Orana put in danger, letting Orana get the upper hand and win the tournament. However, her tenure as the Amazing Amazon was short lived, because in her drive to prove herself the better Wonder Woman to a world that loved Diana, she was killed in a fight with the villain Warhead. Diana, who secretly followed her back to New York City, returned Orana’s body to Themyscira and reclaimed her title. Orana only lasted about an issue and a half as Wonder Woman, so it’s hard to really say she was notable in the role. Still, even if Diana was handicapped in trying to save the innocents Orana endangered, beating Diana at anything is certainly an accomplishment.

7) Cassie Sandsmark

The second Wonder Girl, Cassie is a beloved character in the Wonder Woman mythos. However, she ranks so low on this list because she only served as Wonder Woman for a single story, and only as a technicality. In the “Sins of Youth” crossover event, Klarion the Witch Boy transforms the majority of DC’s adult heroes into teenagers and vice versa. So, Diana became Wonder Girl and Cassie became Wonder Woman, but only until they managed to reverse the effects of the spell. This story was meant to focus on the nature of adults mistreating teenagers and offer a view of the then expected next generation of sidekicks who would eventually succeed their mentors. It’s a cool possible future for Cassie to become Wonder Woman, but not one we’ve seen explored in any other meaningful way.

6) Nubia

Before she was the Queen of the Amazons that we know her as today, Nubia’s first appearance in Wonder Woman #204 presented her as Diana’s long-lost twin sister and rival Wonder Woman. The pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Nubia was Diana’s twin, but she was kidnapped by Mars and raised to be his ultimate warrior on his Floating Island, also called Slaughter Island, whose inhabitants are dedicated to war in the counter to Paradise Island’s dedication to love and peace. Nubia called herself the Wonder Woman of the Floating Island, but wanted to defeat Diana to prove who the one true Wonder Woman was, but unfortunately their climactic battle never occurred before the Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot wiped her from existence. A shame that we never got to see the two truly have their final battle, but Nubia is an awesome character, and to see her take up the title was interesting for sure.

5) Donna Troy

Let’s not try and unpack the unmatchably convoluted layers of Donna’s origin and just refer to her as Diana’s sister, the original Wonder Girl. She briefly took over as Wonder Woman during the “One Year Later” event, which immediately followed Infinite Crisis and Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman’s year long retirement to rediscover who they are and why they’re heroes. Donna stood as the champion of peace in her sister’s place, but by the end of the event relinquished the title back to Diana, saying that she never felt like the name suited her. It was certainly interesting to see her fill in, and I would love to see their relationship to each other and the Wonder Woman title explored more in present day comics, but as it stands Donna’s only time as Wonder Woman was short, brief, and to the point.

4) Peng Deilan

Technically, Peng isn’t Wonder Woman, but Wonder-Woman, the legally distinct version that is a member of the Justice League of China. Despite not being related to the Amazons in any way, this version of the character is still a very interesting take on the idea of Wonder Woman. Peng Deilan is actually the Green Snake from the Chinese story Legend of the White Snake, who was a mystical snake that fell in love with a man, and sacrificed herself to save the White Snake and the man she loved, being turned to stone. Revived in the present day by Doctor Omen, Peng takes on her human form to fight crime and first appeared in New Super-Man #1. She’s nothing like the Wonder Woman we know and love, but she’s a very intriguing reinvention of her, working as a character who is both meant to be juxtaposed with Diana and someone whose arc follows her becoming more like Diana in terms of love and care. She definitely deserves to be explored more thoroughly in some future comics.

3) Artemis of Bana-Mighdall

This is the Artemis that everyone knows and loves, and her first appearance was in Wonder Woman volume two #90. After Hippolyta had a vision of Wonder Woman dying, she held another tournament to see who was worthy of the position, hoping to see her daughter lose and be spared her fate. Through magical manipulation, Artemis won and was gifted mystical artifacts to enhance her abilities to match Diana’s, and reigned as Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, much like when everyone else steals the position from Diana, nobody in Man’s World saw her as who she said. Despite being a member of the JLA and working her hardest to prove herself, nobody trusted her as they would Diana, with Batman even refusing to let her sit in Diana’s JLA chair. She worked with a public relations company to improve her image, but she cut ties with them when she learned they staged fights for her to win. Brash, angry, and desperate to prove herself, Artemis sought to crush the White Magician on her own, but was killed, bringing Hippolyta’s prophecy to an end. Artemis feels like she was never given a fair chance to be Wonder Woman, and that’s a shame. Yes, she is far more gruff and hard than Diana, who is practically the living embodiment of compassion, but she did always try to be the best hero she could be. I would love to see her make a return to the title some day, even though Diana is far better fit to be Wonder Woman.

2) Hippolyta

Diana’s mother has taken over as Wonder Woman twice over the years. The first was in Wonder Woman volume two #130 as a form of penance after the death of Artemis and Diana, taking the Wonder Woman title to make up for her condemning Artemis to try and save Diana’s life. She joined the Justice Society of America and quite enjoyed the freedom being a hero brought, but was eventually killed. Much, much later, she would briefly become Wonder Woman again following Diana’s ascension at the end of Dark Knights: Death Metal. However, once Diana returned, she willingly gave up the title, and soon after ascended to godhood herself. What makes Hippolyta as Wonder Woman so interesting is how she uses her own daughter as a role model, trying to emulate her infinite care while at the same time fighting with a regal and duty of an immortal queen. It’s a great way to elevate the Wonder Woman legacy in a unique way, since most legacy characters are much younger than their predecessors. It makes the important theme of motherhood and sisterhood all the more prominent in Wonder Woman comics, and it is always a treat to watch her bounce off the various characters she so rarely interacts with.

1) Diana

Of course, there can only be one best Wonder Woman, and who else could it be but Diana Price, Princess of Themyscira herself. Ever since her first appearance in All-Star Comics #8, she rocked the world as its premier superheroine. Every other person who has worn the Wonder Woman costume tries to embody what Diana so effortlessly represents; love, peace, and the endless seeking of truth. She is one of the greatest superheroes ever made, and is well and truly timeless. There’s nothing else to say other than she is Wonder Woman, and she always will be.

So there we have every version of Wonder Woman so far. There have been plenty, but I don’t think any can stand up to the original just yet. But what do you think, who’s your favorite Woman of Wonder? Let us know in the comments below!

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