The top 8 Wonder Women from television and the movies
Lynda Carter was born in 1951, ten years after the Wonder Woman character, the role she would come to embody. The iconic superhero was created in 1941 by psychologist William Moulton Marston, and in the three quarters of a century since, she has gone through several personality tweaks, origin story reboots and costume designs.
Still, when you think Wonder Woman, one image comes to mind. She wears big bulletproof bracelets, a gold lasso and tiara, and a star-spangled swimsuit. And she is probably Lynda Carter. So, spoiler alert: Lynda Carter was, is and forever will be the greatest Wonder Woman. But we bet you weren't aware of the others in our top eight.
8) Cathy Lee Crosby in Wonder Woman (1974)
While this tv movie and hopeful pilot took the character more seriously than past depictions, the ABC production also took liberties with Wonder Woman. She was a government agent with nifty gadgets and a zip-up sports suit. Crosby looked more like Evel Knievel's assistant.
7) Ellie Wood Walker and Linda Harrison in Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince (1967)
With the success of the Adam West Batman series, another attempt was made at turning a DC Comics icon into a half hour of frothy 1960s fun. The sitcom would focus more on Wonder Woman's alter-ego, Diana Prince, who is portrayed as a wallflower living with her mother. Only a five minute demo was produced. Walker starred as Diana, but when she looked in a mirror she saw her perfect Amazonian self, played by Harrison (Nova in Planet of the Apes).
6) Adrianne Palicki in Wonder Woman (2011)
Television hitmaker David E. Kelley created this pilot for NBC. The knee-jerk Internet loathed Wonder Woman's shiny blue pants. Honestly, the costume did look cheap, but pants are more practical. Ol' Double W wears them in modern comics. Adrianne Palicki was delightful in Friday Night Lights, and we trust she would have done the character justice.
5) Animated in The Brady Kids (1972)
Wonder Woman's first television appearance was in… a Brady Bunch cartoon! Go figure! The Brady kids travel back in time to ancient Greece. This was surprisingly true to her character and origin story. She even looks torn from the pages of an early Wonder Woman comic.
4) Animated in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited (2001–2006)
Smart, noble, powerful — this Wonder Woman was done right. Bonus points: The cartoon even had her spin to transform from Diana to goddess.
3) Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Wonder Woman (2017)
Gadot was a saving grace in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, lightening the mood as she took a punch with a smile. Still, the dark blockbuster did not give her much screen time. We have hope she'll deliver in her own film next year.
2) Animated in Super Friends (1973–1986)
So much of what we equate with the character was popularized by this Hanna-Barbera classic — the long, swooping hair, the Invisible Jet, etc.
1) Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman (1975–1979)
The greatest! It was Carter's idea to have Diana Prince spin to become Wonder Woman. In the first season on ABC, the show was set during World War II. CBS picked up the series for season two and onward, putting the princess back in her modern era — complete with discos, skateboarders, computers and trained dolphins.