Wonder Woman Over the Years: See All the Stars Who've Played the Action Icon

Ellie Wood Walker's Wonder Woman debuted on TV in the '60s, but many other actresses have played the superhero since her iconic turn

Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman (1975)

She's easily the most famous female superhero of all time, and she's doing it on her own. She's Wonder Woman, and she's been a solo superhero since her first DC Comics appearance in 1941. Though Gal Gadot took her to the big screen in 2017's Wonder Woman, until then, the best-known depiction of Wonder Woman was Lynda Carter's TV depiction, which premiered on Nov. 7, 1975.

That theme song! It's enough to make you want to spin around and see if maybe this time you'll magically change into her very same star-spangled costume. Carter's performance as Wonder Woman was everything a '70s superhero should be, and years later, she's still fielding questions about the character. In 2014, shortly after Gadot invited her to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Carter spoke to Nerdist about what made the TV show version so beloved.

"It wasn't about brawn. It was about brains. And yes, she happened to be beautiful, she happened to be kind of extraordinary in some way, but she wasn't a guy," Carter said. "And I think that, often times, they try to put out a female hero, and all they are doing is changing the costume from a man to a woman. It's really a man who could be doing the same part; they're not showcasing any of the tremendous dichotomies than women possess in term of softness and toughness, sweetness and grit, and inner and outer strength."

A TV movie titled The New Original Wonder Woman segued into the TV series titled Wonder Woman, which ran for three seasons, beginning April 21, 1976. However, Carter wasn't actually the original Wonder Woman. Today, we're looking at her notable incarnations so far — and some of the more famous actresses associated with the character.

Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman (2017)

By the time the Man of Steel sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, hit theaters, 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 Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins, the demigoddess got her turn in the spotlight in 2017's wildly successful Wonder Woman, with Gadot reprising the role later that year in Justice League and again in 2020's Wonder Woman 1984. Gadot reunited with the crew once more for 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League and is on deck for a third Wonder Woman feature in the near future.

Rosario Dawson, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015)

And wouldn't you know it? Just like Smulders, Rosario Dawson managed to find a home in the live-action Marvel Universe, depicting Claire Temple in the Netflix series Daredevil.

Cobie Smulders, The LEGO Movie (2014)

While there isn't a handy clip of the Lego version of Wonder Woman talking, How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders voiced the superhero in the 2014 animated film The LEGO Movie. The casting wasn't arbitrary, either. For a period, Joss Whedon considered making a live-action Wonder Woman movie and casting Smulders in the role. (Can't you picture it?) This role was a small way of making good on that idea. Smulders, meanwhile, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Maria Hill in the Avengers movies.

Michelle Monaghan, Justice League: War (2014)

Mission: Impossible III star Michelle Monaghan lent her voice to the iconic character in 2014, leaving a lasting impression on fans. She sounded every bit as strong and battle-ready as audiences had hoped, and you know what? It wouldn't be a bad idea to give her the tiara and bracelets too.

It seems like 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 this whole time. Hmm…

Adrianne Palicki, Wonder Woman (2011)

Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley filmed a 2011 Wonder Woman pilot for NBC, but the network ultimately ditched the project. It leaked online, and fans were pretty puzzled by how much the pilot departed from the traditional Wonder Woman backstory. However, most agreed Adrianne Palicki had the chops for the role.

Years later, it was Supergirl who eventually got her own show on a major broadcast network. Even so, Palicki joined the Marvel Universe with a recurring role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Bobbi Morse.

Maggie Q, Young Justice (2010)

This 2010 Cartoon Network series focused on the younger counterparts of the Justice League, but Wonder Woman was a prominent character nonetheless. And in 2010, she was voiced by Keri Russell's Mission: Impossible III co-star Maggie Q, of Nikita fame.

Keri Russell, Wonder Woman (2009)

Years before she played a Soviet agent on The Americans, Keri Russell honed her tough-girl voice as Wonder Woman in a 2009 animated movie — her first feature-length solo adventure in years. (For the record, fans would have been cool with Russell playing a live-action Wonder Woman too.)

Lucy Lawless, Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Wonder Woman, voiced by Susan Eisenberg, persisted as a character on the Justice League animated series for years. Still, it wasn't until 2008 when a household name played the character again: Lucy Lawless. And it's funny, because if anyone could have played a live-action Wonder Woman in the meantime, it would have been Xena herself. Still, fans had to settle for Lawless voicing the character, even if she was awesome at it.

Cathy Lee Crosby, Wonder Woman (1974)

This may come as a surprise, but Lynda Carter wasn't the first live-action Wonder Woman. A brief 1967 pilot titled Wonder Woman: Who's Afraid of Diana Prince? had Ellie Wood Walker playing the title character, who would, in her imagination, turn into Planet of the Apes star Linda Harrison to become the Amazon.

In 1974, Crosby, best known today for hosting That's Incredible!, played a blonde Wonder Woman in an ABC TV movie that ultimately helped bring about the Carter TV series.

Jane Webb, The Brady Kids (1972)

Believe it or not, this story begins with The Brady Bunch — specifically The Brady Kids, an animated spinoff of the sitcom that followed the siblings on magical adventures with talking animal characters. (No, really. Just watch that intro in the clip above.)

It was here that Wonder Woman appeared for the first time off the comic page in 1972, voiced by Jane Webb, who'd already voiced Batgirl on The Batman/Superman Hour. Shortly thereafter, Wonder Woman appeared on the Saturday-morning series Super Friends and subsequent cartoons, where she was voiced by a series of actresses. Still, it's just too weird not to mention that Wonder Woman got her showbiz start on The Brady Kids.

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