Wonder Woman’s Origin Gets Another Wild Retcon in Latest Issue

DC Comics just can't make up its mind about Wonder Woman's past, and now Stephanie Williams has thrown another wrench into the timeline! Her new story in Wonder Woman #35, with art by Clayton Henry, tackles the hero's ever-shifting origin directly. And let me tell you, it's a clever bit of retconning that attempts to satisfy competing versions of the Amazonian's debut.

For years, Diana's entry into "Man's World" and her role as a Golden Age hero has been a revolving door. Was she the original? Was her mother, Hippolyta, the WWII Wonder Woman? DC's 5G initiative even briefly posited Diana as the first public superhero, predating Superman and Batman. But then 5G died, Hippolyta was back as the Golden Age Wonder Woman, and Diana's debut pushed later. It's enough to give a continuity hawk a headache.

Williams' solution? Hippolyta did fight alongside the Justice Society of America during WWII. But here's the kicker: she did it unnamed. No "Wonder Woman" title, no Themysciran identity revealed. She was a masked hero, a shadow figure. This ingenious tweak allows Diana to still claim the title of the first official Wonder Woman, emerging later, while acknowledging Hippolyta's wartime contributions. It even offers a fresh take on Diana's motivation for leaving Paradise Island – she had to win a contest against her mother's wishes, even donning a mask to participate. This issue is no mere fill-in; it's a significant re-shaping of DC's flagship heroine.