She's Wonder

STARBURST takes a look at the version of the Goddess of Truth that many people of a certain age will relate most to - the 1970s TV series!

- Joel Harley

Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman: the DC Universe’s Trinity. The billionaire mortal genius, the benevolent alien with godlike superpowers, and the no-nonsense Amazon Princess. But in spite of being a vital part of the Trinity (a whole third of it!), Justice League and DC Universe as a whole, Wonder Woman is a character infuriatingly underrepresented in TV and the movies. Other than crossover stories and team movies, the Warrior Princess of the DC Universe hasn’t had a great deal to do outside of the comic books since her creation in 1942. She may be one of the Trinity, but that hasn’t stopped Batman and Superman from hogging most of the limelight. See their exclusive, clique-y nickname, for example: the Big Two.

While all of that is about to change with the imminent feature film by Patty Jenkins (and fresh from her stealing the show as the only good character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), there have been some bright spots of activity on the superhero CV of Diana Prince. Most notably, her 2009 animated movie (which was one of the most popular DC animated features to date) and appearances on several Justice League cartoons and Batman/Superman crossover episodes through the years.

But Wonder Woman’s most successful and iconic venture came in the form of her live action television series, starring one Lynda Carter as the Amazon Princess. Mention the name Wonder Woman and many people (granted, over a certain age or within a Saturday morning Horror Channel TV bracket) and you’re likely to get a Trinity of responses: Lynda Carter, the theme tune, and that ballet spin transformation sequence. Running from 1975 to 1979, the Wonder Woman TV series is the character’s longest running and most widely-seen adventure to date. And, arguably, her best.