THE WONDER WOMAN GADGETS AND GEAR TOUR

Over the years, and through various incarnations, Wonder Woman has employed some fantastic and amazing tools and weapons in her fight against injustice.  In this tour, we'll take a look at the Gadgets and Gear that she has employed, both in comics and media.

This tour will be in no specific order with regard to when each piece of equipment debuted.  Some will date back to the character's Golden Age, and others will be from more modern interpretations of Wonder Woman. 

Wonder Woman's debut in the pages of DC Comics was quite unique at the time she was created.  She originally debuts in two separate comic books, both with the same cover date of January 1942.  Because of publication schedules, All-Star Comics #8 hit the stands first, in October of 1941.  The other title in which she would debut was Sensation Comics #1. Sensation Comics was a newly created anthology title that featured Wonder Woman as its primary star in 106 of its total 109-issue publication run. 

Many of Wonder Woman's tools would make their debut with her, and others would be added (or taken away) over her 80 years of publication.




WONDER WOMAN'S TIARA

Wonder Woman's tiara has been a part of her costume since her initial appearance. Originally golden with only one upward point, the shape and color have been altered several times throughout her existence.

Originally Diana earned the tiara just as she earned other items she uses, by completing a task/challenge. It was referred to as the linguagraph tiara and it allowed her to understand any language. It had to be surrendered and re-earned annually. As with most things related to Wonder Woman, there would be subsequent differing origin tales for the tiara. One had it formed on another planet and given to her as a gift.

Like her bracelets, the tiara is made of Amazonium, the hardest metal on Earth. It can also function as a boomerang. The tiara also has telepathic abilities that allow her to use it to summon her invisible plane. The tiara also interfaces with her mental radio. More on the invisible plane and the mental radio ahead! WONDER WOMAN'S INVISIBLE PLANE

Next, we have one of Wonder Woman's most iconic devices... her Invisible Plane. The Invisible Plane first appears in Sensation Comics #1 (Jan. 1942). Because Wonder Woman originally couldn't fly, or glide on air currents, the plane was very important as her means of transport. And oh... the many origins!!!

In the Golden Age, it is first revealed that Diana created the plane in her youth. A later story would tell the tale of how the plane was earned in 3 pieces through the successful completion of incredible tasks after Diana was already Wonder Woman. Once the pieces were attached to each other, the plane would only respond to the one that assembled it. Later still, in the Silver Age, readers are told the invisible plane was actually Pegasus, transformed by the goddess Athena into a plane to assist Wonder Woman. Over time, the Invisible Plane would become referred to as the Invisible Jet.

In the post-Crisis retelling of Wonder Woman, she was able to take flight so there was no need for an Invisible Plane. But eventually, she would be gifted with an equivalent (most likely out of nostalgia) anyway. Wonder Woman is gifted with a Lansinarian Morphing Disc which could morph into numerous devices, one of them being a transparent plane which both Diana and Hippolyta would utilize when they served as Wonder Woman. After it became inert, Batman would give Wonder Woman a jet, though not an invisible one.

WONDER WOMAN'S SHIELD

Wonder Woman's Shield is a fairly recent addition to her tools of fighting evil, beginning in 1987 with the post-Crisis reboot of her character.

The shield became commercially associated with Wonder Woman when Gal Gadot first appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. But it was the first Wonder Woman motion picture debuting in 2017 that secured the shield's place in Wonder Woman lore. It has appeared in the comics as a permanent part of her armor since then.

The shield has had numerous variations, usually embellished with the colors of Wonder Woman's costumes or with ancient inscriptions

WONDER WOMAN'S LASSO OF TRUTH

As is common with many of Wonder Woman's original tools, her Lasso of Truth has several varying origins. It was first seen in 1942 and was given to Wonder Woman by her mother on a return visit to Paradise Island. Just a month later, when Wonder Woman was awarded her own self-titled series, the first issue retells her origin, and the lasso is retroactively said to have been given to her at the same time as her costume, before leaving the island to return Steve Trevor to America.

In the golden age, an Amazon created the lasso using links from the magic girdle worn by Hippolyta. It was imbued with the ability to force those bound by it to tell the truth, this ability bestowed by the goddess Aphrodite. In modern times, the lasso is said to have been forged by Hephaestus from the Golden Girdle of Gaea.

With very rare exceptions, the lasso is considered unbreakable. For a time, the Lasso of Truth was also used to help transform Diana Prince from her street clothing to her Wonder Woman costume.

WONDER WOMAN'S GAUNTLET OF ATLAS

 

The Gauntlet of Atlas is a seldom utilized item that increases the wearer's strength by tenfold. As powerful as Wonder Woman already, wearing it makes her powers difficult to control, thus her apprehension about wearing it on a regular basis. The gauntlet has also been worn by Artemis, Cassie Sandsmark, and Hippolyta.

WONDER WOMAN'S MENTAL RADIO

Wonder Woman's Mental Radio was a device she would use to communicate with her mother on Paradise Island and with others who also had one (Etta Candy for example). It was sort of FaceTime of the golden age! She would use a cord that connected the device itself to the jewel in her tiara. There was also a form of the mental radio built into her invisible plane's instrument panel.

On the Wonder Woman television series, Wonder Woman had a similar device. By rubbing the jewel in her tiara, the center mirror in her apartment became a way for Diana and her mother to talk in person.

WONDER WOMAN'S SWORD

Wonder Woman has been seen occasionally employing a Sword since the Golden Age. She also utilized one on occasion during her "mod" de-powered era. But it hasn't been until recent times that a sword has been considered part of her regular apparel.

From the Kingdom Come mini-series, we learn that her sword is capable of severing electrons and is capable of cutting Superman. Her sword was created by Hephaestus.

Hippolyta also used a sword when operating as Wonder Woman with the Justice Society, and Donna Troy has also recently taken to carrying a sword in modern versions of her character.

WONDER WOMAN'S BRACELETS OF SUBMISSION

Wonder Woman has worn her Bracelets of Submission since she was first published. The bracelets are originally made of Amazonium, which makes them indestructible. The television series in the 1970s would claim they were forged from Feminum. In the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era, they would be formed from the Aegis (the shield of Zeus). Later still they would be formed from the Aegis of Athena, with Wonder Woman's being modified by the blacksmith god Hephaestus, allowing her to call upon other weapons crafted by him.

During her "mod" era, when Diana had no powers, she had bracelets created that could be converted to grappling hooks.

The bracelets were worn as reminders of the period in which the Amazons were subjugated under the will of Hercules. In the golden age, if the bracelets were removed, the Amazon losing them would go into a "berzerker"[sic] rage. A more recent New 52 take on this idea would claim that the bracelets held back Wonder Woman's power, preventing her from becoming "too strong".

The Golden Age stories also noted that if her bracelets were bound by man, she would lose her powers. This would happen a lot back in those days!

Throughout her original run, the bracelets were always dark in color and remained the same size. Lynda Carter's TV Wonder Woman's bracelets were originally silver with red stars and later gold with red stars. Post-Crisis (1987), the bracelets in the comic tales would be silver. When the character was taken over by John Byrne in 1995, the size of the bracelets was increased so that they went further up her arm. The size increase has remained, but their design and ornateness have varied since. WONDER WOMAN'S GOLD ARMOR

Wonder Woman's Gold Armor first appeared in the future-set limited series, Kingdom Come (#3, July 1996). It eventually found its way into modern-day stories. There is a silver version that is employed by Donna Troy, and a bronze version worn by Cassie Sandsmark.

Wonder Woman dons this eagle-inspired armor whenever she is facing extremely powerful villains. It has been revealed that the armor was made by an Amazon named Pallas.

WONDER WOMAN'S EARRINGS

Wonder Woman's Earrings have been worn since her inception. Typically they are red and round, though they have often been portrayed in animation as white and star-shaped. As of this posting, she is currently featured with red star-shaped earrings.

One golden age story states that Wonder Woman formed the earrings from two small portions of her tiara. Then she used her bracelets to "oxygenate" the earrings... allowing her to breathe in outer space and underwater. Later this containment of oxygen was chalked up to a magical origin.

The earrings were also noted as being magnetized by the Queen of Venus, who could then use them to communicate with Wonder Woman.

When Diana lost her powers and entered her "mod" phase, she had special earrings created for her that could function as mini-explosives.

WONDER WOMAN'S SANDLES OF HERMES

Introduced in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #1 in 1987, the Sandles of Hermes (also called the Talaria) grant those who wear them the ability to fly and enhanced speed. The sandals also make passage through the Air of Chaos (the barrier that separates Themyscira from Man's World) much easier.

These sandals provided Wonder Woman with the ability to fly in her new incarnation after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Though typically worn by Diana, the Sandals of Hermes have also been employed by Cassie Sandsmark, Artemis, and Hippolyta at various times.

Noteworthy is that in the golden age, Wonder Woman's original sandals became hers through winning challenges! The original sandals are tiny in size and grow with each feat she accomplishes. Readers are told the sandals were the final part of her new costume (contradicting other stories... and contradicting the fact that when she debuted she wore boots... not sandals!).

WONDER WOMAN'S PURPLE RAY

The Purple Healing Ray is first seen in Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #1. It is a device that assists with healing sickness and injuries. It was used on Steve Trevor to assist with his recovery after crash landing on Paradise Island.

Wonder Woman once used the ray to bring six members of the JSA back to life after they had been killed. The purple rays were also credited for being the source of Donna Troy's powers after she was rescued by Wonder Woman and given residence on Paradise Island.

Like so many of Wonder Woman's gadgets and gear, the inventor of the purple healing ray is based on what year it is and who's writing the story! Paula von Gunther is typically the one operating it, but in Wonder Girl's origin, she is credited with inventing it. Since the PHR existed prior to Paula living on Paradise Island that would seem to be an error. Wonder Woman was credited with inventing it in most texts. In the post-Crisis DC universe, the Purple Healing Ray is said to have been invented by Io, Themyscira's chief blacksmith.

Wonder Woman and all related characters, names, and elements and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.

Wonder Woman is the creation of William Moultan Marston and H. G. Peter (uncredited).