Photo: CBS/Getty
ThoughGal Gadottook her to the big screen in 2017’sWonder Woman, until then, the best-known depiction wasLynda Carter’s iteration of the titular warrior in the pilot movieThe New Original Wonder Woman, which premiered on ABC on Nov. 7, 1975. The film segued into the series titledWonder Woman— beginning on April 21, 1976 — and ran for three seasons. However, Carter wasn’t actually the original Wonder Woman.
Here are the notable incarnations of the superheroine so far — and some of the more famous actresses associated with the Princess of the Amazons and her golden lasso.
01of 11Gal Gadot, ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017)Gal Gadot/Warner Bros.By the time theMan of Steelsequel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,hit theaters in 2016, it had taken nearly 36 years for Wonder Woman to be realized on the big screen again in live action. The film also marked the first time Wonder Woman appeared in an official theatrical movie, albeit in a supporting role.Thanks to Gadot and directorPatty Jenkins, the demigoddess got her turn in the spotlight in 2017’s wildly successfulWonder Woman, with Gadot reprising the role later that year inJustice Leagueand again in 2020’sWonder Woman 1984. Gadot reunited with the crew once more for 2021’sZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueand is on deck for the upcomingthird installment of the Wonder Woman feature.
01of 11
Gal Gadot, ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017)
Gal Gadot/Warner Bros.
By the time theMan of Steelsequel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,hit theaters in 2016, it had taken nearly 36 years for Wonder Woman to be realized on the big screen again in live action. The film also marked the first time Wonder Woman appeared in an official theatrical movie, albeit in a supporting role.
Thanks to Gadot and directorPatty Jenkins, the demigoddess got her turn in the spotlight in 2017’s wildly successfulWonder Woman, with Gadot reprising the role later that year inJustice Leagueand again in 2020’sWonder Woman 1984. Gadot reunited with the crew once more for 2021’sZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueand is on deck for the upcomingthird installment of the Wonder Woman feature.
02of 11Rosario Dawson, ‘Justice League: Throne of Atlantis’ (2015)Warner Bros.; Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesAfter voicing Artemis in the 2009 animated filmWonder Woman,Rosario Dawsonfound a home in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the warrior princess herself in the sequel to 2014’sJustice League: War.She would go on to voice the character in subsequent animated films, includingJustice League vs. Teen Titans(2016),Justice League Dark(2017),Reign of the Supermen(2019),The Death and Return of Superman(2019),Wonder Woman: Bloodlines(2019) andJustice League Dark: Apokolips War(2020). Dawson also voiced Wonder Woman in 2021’sSpace Jam: A New Legacy(2021).At New York Comic-Con 2019, Dawson discussed representing Wonder Woman while honoring Carter as the first Latina to play the iconic character.“I … feel that Wonder Woman has been pushed in a lot of different spaces that I will never put down,” Dawson said, perComic Book Resources. “I remember when I began voicing Wonder Woman, and people were like, ‘Finally, we’re getting a Latina Wonder Woman.’ And I was like, ‘Lynda Carter was Latina.’ I grew up with her, and I thought that was super awesome. It was a different iteration of her, but it was very inspiring, and it meant a lot to my grandmother, my mother and me.”
02of 11
Rosario Dawson, ‘Justice League: Throne of Atlantis’ (2015)
Warner Bros.; Cindy Ord/Getty Images
After voicing Artemis in the 2009 animated filmWonder Woman,Rosario Dawsonfound a home in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the warrior princess herself in the sequel to 2014’sJustice League: War.
She would go on to voice the character in subsequent animated films, includingJustice League vs. Teen Titans(2016),Justice League Dark(2017),Reign of the Supermen(2019),The Death and Return of Superman(2019),Wonder Woman: Bloodlines(2019) andJustice League Dark: Apokolips War(2020). Dawson also voiced Wonder Woman in 2021’sSpace Jam: A New Legacy(2021).
At New York Comic-Con 2019, Dawson discussed representing Wonder Woman while honoring Carter as the first Latina to play the iconic character.
“I … feel that Wonder Woman has been pushed in a lot of different spaces that I will never put down,” Dawson said, perComic Book Resources. “I remember when I began voicing Wonder Woman, and people were like, ‘Finally, we’re getting a Latina Wonder Woman.’ And I was like, ‘Lynda Carter was Latina.’ I grew up with her, and I thought that was super awesome. It was a different iteration of her, but it was very inspiring, and it meant a lot to my grandmother, my mother and me.”
03of 11Cobie Smulders, ‘The LEGO Movie’ (2014)Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock; Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesWhile there isn’t a handy clip of the Lego version of Wonder Woman talking,How I Met Your MotheractressCobie Smuldersvoiced the superhero in the 2014 animated filmThe LEGO Movie. The casting wasn’t arbitrary, either. For a period,Joss Whedonconsidered making a live-action Wonder Woman movie and casting Smulders in the role, according toVulture. This role was a small way of making good on that idea, which Smulders reprised in the 2019 sequelThe LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.
03of 11
Cobie Smulders, ‘The LEGO Movie’ (2014)
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
While there isn’t a handy clip of the Lego version of Wonder Woman talking,How I Met Your MotheractressCobie Smuldersvoiced the superhero in the 2014 animated filmThe LEGO Movie. The casting wasn’t arbitrary, either. For a period,Joss Whedonconsidered making a live-action Wonder Woman movie and casting Smulders in the role, according toVulture. This role was a small way of making good on that idea, which Smulders reprised in the 2019 sequelThe LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.
04of 11Michelle Monaghan, ‘Justice League: War’ (2014)Warner Bros.; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicMission: Impossible IIIstarMichelle Monaghanlent her voice to the character in 2014, leaving a lasting impression on fans. She sounded every bit as strong and battle-ready as audiences had hoped.It’s as if the producers of these animated movies were working from a list of actresses who could have played Wonder Woman in real life, almost like they’d been pushing for a live-action version all along.Hmm…
04of 11
Michelle Monaghan, ‘Justice League: War’ (2014)
Warner Bros.; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Mission: Impossible IIIstarMichelle Monaghanlent her voice to the character in 2014, leaving a lasting impression on fans. She sounded every bit as strong and battle-ready as audiences had hoped.
It’s as if the producers of these animated movies were working from a list of actresses who could have played Wonder Woman in real life, almost like they’d been pushing for a live-action version all along.
Hmm…
05of 11
Adrianne Palicki, ‘Wonder Woman’ (2011)
Justin Lubin
Previously, Palicki flexed her superpowers on an episode of the WB seriesSmallvillein 2004, where she played Lindsay Harrison — a teenager who went missing during a meteor shower and later turned up as the Kryptonian girl named Kara.
06of 11Maggie Q, ‘Young Justice’ (2010)Warner Bros.; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesThis Cartoon Network series focused on the younger counterparts of the Justice League, but Wonder Woman was a prominent character nonetheless. In 2012,NikitaandDivergentactressMaggie Qvoiced the princess warrior on seasons 1 and 2. She returned to the role in 2019 on season 3.Prior to Q lending her voice, her formerMission: Impossible IIIcostarKeri Russellstepped into the boots of the immortal Amazon in the 2009 self-titled film.
06of 11
Maggie Q, ‘Young Justice’ (2010)
Warner Bros.; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
This Cartoon Network series focused on the younger counterparts of the Justice League, but Wonder Woman was a prominent character nonetheless. In 2012,NikitaandDivergentactressMaggie Qvoiced the princess warrior on seasons 1 and 2. She returned to the role in 2019 on season 3.
Prior to Q lending her voice, her formerMission: Impossible IIIcostarKeri Russellstepped into the boots of the immortal Amazon in the 2009 self-titled film.
07of 11
Keri Russell, ‘Wonder Woman’ (2009)
Warner Bros.; Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Years before playing a Soviet agent onThe Americans, Russell honed her tough-girl voice as the titular character in 2009’sWonder Woman— her first animated debut. (For the record, fans approved of Russell playing a live-action Wonder Woman too.)
TheFelicitystar opened up toMovieWebin 2009 on what it meant to voice the character behind the Lasso of Truth.
Russell continued, “I just think Wonder Woman is cool. She’s got her invisible jet and her armbands. There is something to be said about the gender issue, but I think more than anything Wonder Woman was just a good, cool comic, and that’s why people read it. It wasn’t, like, just throwing one to the ladies. She was tough and smart, and her superpowers were cool, so that’s why I think Wonder Woman has staying power.”
08of 11
Lucy Lawless, ‘Justice League: The New Frontier’ (2008)
Warner Bros.; Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.
Fitting, considering Lawless was already known for portraying a warrior princess on the adventure seriesXena.
09of 11Lynda Carter, ‘Wonder Woman’ (1975)CBS/GettyCarter’s performance as Wonder Woman was everything a ’70s superhero should be. Since her acclaimed performance on the series, she appeared on an episode ofSmallvillein 2007 and on seasons 2 and 4 ofSupergirl.In 2020, she made a cameo as golden warrior Asteria inWonder Woman 1984. Director Jenkins alsoteased Carter’s returnin the thirdWonder Womaninstallment.Despite playing the role decades ago, Carter has continued to field questions about the character. AtDC FanDome 2021, Carter spoke about how she adapted Wonder Woman and the significance of appearing in the franchise.“I know what it was like from the inside out,” she said. “I know what the legacy meant to me, and when I created the character, it wasn’t on the comic book page — her kindness and her goodness. Her strength was her Lasso of Truth … and that meant something to me.“Carter added, “Who would have thought in my life — at this time in my life — that this gift would just present itself to me, and that’s so cool. And that’s what I’m hoping for all of the fans ofWonder Woman… to know that your life is full of surprises, and the Wonder Woman in you is alive and well.”
09of 11
Lynda Carter, ‘Wonder Woman’ (1975)
CBS/Getty
Carter’s performance as Wonder Woman was everything a ’70s superhero should be. Since her acclaimed performance on the series, she appeared on an episode ofSmallvillein 2007 and on seasons 2 and 4 ofSupergirl.In 2020, she made a cameo as golden warrior Asteria inWonder Woman 1984. Director Jenkins alsoteased Carter’s returnin the thirdWonder Womaninstallment.
Despite playing the role decades ago, Carter has continued to field questions about the character. AtDC FanDome 2021, Carter spoke about how she adapted Wonder Woman and the significance of appearing in the franchise.
“I know what it was like from the inside out,” she said. “I know what the legacy meant to me, and when I created the character, it wasn’t on the comic book page — her kindness and her goodness. Her strength was her Lasso of Truth … and that meant something to me.”
Carter added, “Who would have thought in my life — at this time in my life — that this gift would just present itself to me, and that’s so cool. And that’s what I’m hoping for all of the fans ofWonder Woman… to know that your life is full of surprises, and the Wonder Woman in you is alive and well.”
10of 11
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Surprisingly, Carter wasn’t the first live-action Wonder Woman. An unaired 1967 pilot titledWonder Woman: Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince?had Ellie Wood Walker playing the titular character andPlanet of the Apesstar Linda Harrison as Diana’s alter ego and reflection.
11of 11
Jane Webb, ‘The Brady Kids’ (1972)
CBS via Getty Images; ABC
Believe it or not, this story begins withThe Brady Bunch— specificallyThe Brady Kids, an animated spinoff of the sitcom that followed the siblings on magical adventures with talking animal characters.
source: people.com
