Today I was looking through the DC Encyclopedia looking at the dates and reading some old histories of the characters. When I was reading the Wonder Woman pages they made note of the fact that Hippolyta went back in time and was Wonder Woman during the Golden Age of comics. I guess I just wanted to discuss it. Like how do many of you feel about the idea of Wonder Woman's history actually being done by Hippolyta.

Personally I think this was a clever idea on DC's part to keep much of the Wonder Woman history from the Golden Age around while also not making it totally age Wonder Woman. Though I also understand (or think I do) that this change made Steve Trevor much older than Wondie and makes Wonder Woman almost like a legacy character. Something that I don't honestly like. I always viewed the Trinity as the heroes that aren't exactly legacy. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman always were there own thing. They were never part of some bigger identity like the Flash, Green Lantern, or Atom mantles. So I feel kinda mixed about it. Its stupid I do though I do.

Any other opinions?

I must admit that I never liked the idea of having any other Wonder Woman apart from Diana. Superman and Batman were also Golden age characters; nevertheless, when their golden age adventures were deleted in the crisis, there was never a need for filling the gap in their stories.

On the other hand, Diana is immortal and has been granted by Aphrodite with great beauty, that is to say that, she could have taken part in the golden age , silver age, bronze age and modern age adventures, looking the same without ageing.

Well it's true that Batman and Superman have been around for decades, but at the same time their golden age selves could practically be considered different characters, so I don't see it being as big of a deal. It certainly is weird though, until now I never knew that.

With the progress of age and the gradual disappearance of Superman and Batman from specific golden age settings like the JSA, I haven't been bothered with Diana going the same route.

While I don't like they way Byrne went around it, I wouldn't have minded if Hippolyta just one day revealed that she took a few years off and went off to be Wonder Woman during the war and then came back again when she felt her vacation was over.

Actually, I wouldn't mind if Hippolyta could be used as a gateway into DC's past, like if Black Adam tried to lay siege to old Themyscira, she would have been there to face him. She might have crossed swords with Ra's al Ghul and Vandal Savage and who knows what other immortals are running around.

I'd rather Wonder Woman have remained as the only person to have held the title. The whole thing about her leaving the island and mixing it up in the world of men is part of the allure, in my opinion.

Couldn't they technically work around that by having 'Wonder Woman' being a name the media in Man's World gave Diana, while Hippolyta was out under another?

I totally agree here ... I've never loved the idea that there was a different Wonder Woman who held the title first. That took more away from Diana's origin story (to me) than making Zeus her father did under Azzarello. Winning the contest and being the first Amazon to leave the island in 3000 years are IMO defining elements, especially for Perez's origin.

That might work with the current Wonder Woman being portrayed in the New52, but not so much before that. It would undermine the character's long history and entry into the comics world if they did, I think.

And I agree with you, too.

How would it undermine her?

From my perspective I have always felt it took away from Diana's accomplishments within the Amazon community. She won the tournament and was the first to be sent to man's world where she brought back a lot of information, redeemed Paula and others. In effect the move to make Hippolyta as the original WW removed those feats from Diana and to me, that took away from the character. I prefer Hippolyta as the Queen and mentor of Diana rather than an adventurer herself.

Hmm, I suppose I see it from a different angle. Going by Perez, Hippolyta was against the idea Diana even competing for the chance to leave the island, I could imagine that if Hippolyta had seen the horrors of WWII, then she would have a very good reason for not wanting Diana to be exposed to that.

While I get that the ties of motherhood, I just like to see Hippolyta as a bit more professional about these kinds of things. Like deciding that Diana the subject should not venture into Man's World because she's the least experienced and unprepared for what she will find. Rather than Diana her daughter should not leave because she might get hurt (as we saw under WML, Hippolyta is willing to do quite alot to assure Diana's safety).

I never loved that side of Hippolyta either to be honest. The whole overprotective thing seemed silly to me since Diana has always essentially been as powerful as a god (even before she was one). Generally speaking I liked the Marston Era Amazon's and Hippolyta better than Perez and post-Perez versions.

Well, making Hippolyta the Wonder Woman of the Golden Age as a means to make the history of "Wonder Woman" easier to digest from the Golden Age to now is giving a divisive answer to a question that hasn't been asked. From my perspective, making Hippolyta the first Wonder Woman and first super-heroine or the first super-heroine who did in the 40's what Diana does now but under a different name really takes away from Diana's importance.

I liked Hippolyta as Wonder Woman, because it validated one of the reasons I fell in love with the character. I always liked how there were different versions of Wonder Woman that were so visually distinct from each other. I can remember being about 8 in a restaurant with my mom's co-workers and asking whether they wanted me to draw the modern WW, or the one from the Golden Age. They laughed at the finished picture because it had massive cleavage. lol I still draw her the same way, that's partly why I hate Gal Gadot.

Anyway, you can't really divorce WW from the 40's without doing her a grave disservice. It's as much a part of her as it is with Black Canary and Silk Spectre, they're two mother/daughter concepts I enjoy almost as much as Hippolyta and Diana and WW and Fury.