History
Diana is an Amazon princess, the daughter of Hippolyta.
Born of clay and given life by the Gods of Olympus, Diana grew up at court, sheltered from the rest of the island. Unlike her mother, she was not immortal; only twelve Amazons were.[1] Her aunts Antiope and Menalippe did not like her, as she was not exactly family, while others, like Alcippe, feared she would bring down her mother. Hippolyta's biggest fear was seeing her daughter grow old and die whilst she remained ever-young. As her heir, Diana would have to petition the Gods for immortality and one day rule the queendom.[2]
Feeling a darkness growing over the island, Diana trained for combat under Alcippe, something her mother never allowed. She befriended Pegasus and rescued the stranded airman Steve Trevor. In doing so, she discovered evil machinations by her aunts Antiope and Menalippe, who were devotees of Ares and Hades, respectively. They could not kill the immortal Alcippe, but put her in a slumber from which no-one could wake her.[2]
She sheltered Steve for some time, but soon enough he was discovered. She pleaded for him, but could not dissuade Antiope. Zeus interfered (using Hippolyta), and ordered for a contest. The champion would decide the outsider's fate. Hippolyta forbade her daughter, though egged on by Alcippe's spirit, Diana competed in secret. The tournament had strict rules - fighting was to be done individually and no incapacitations were allowed - but Antiope sent her Ares cultists in with clear intent to cheat and win. The tournament was shrouded in fog so no-one could see the foul play... no-one but Zeus. He steered Hippolyta to intervene, and declare the last non-cheater champion: Diana. Antiope was outraged, accusing Hippolyta of nepotism, while Hippolyta herself was dismayed, as she did not want a heavy burden on her daughter.
Diana's choice of what to do with Steve Trevor was clear: she would not kill or imprison him, but return him. To that end, Hippolyta gave her the Golden Girdle of Gaea, the Lasso of Truth and the Sandals of Hermes. She set out on a small boat with Steve, but on the way, they were attacked by a sea-monster. Diana was rescued from the depths by Poseidon, but she could find no trace of Steve. She ended up in the harbor of Boston.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
- Multilingualism: she learned Themysciran, Satyr, Atlantean, Centaurian and Gorgon, and to a lesser degree Mandarin and English.[1]
- Swordsmanship[2]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Related
- 10 Appearances of Diana of Themyscira (The Legend of Wonder Woman)
- 14 Images featuring Diana of Themyscira (The Legend of Wonder Woman)
- Quotations by or about Diana of Themyscira (The Legend of Wonder Woman)
- Character Gallery: Diana of Themyscira (The Legend of Wonder Woman)
Footnotes