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

Gal Gadot, 'Wonder Woman' (2017)

By the time the Man of Steel sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, hit theaters in 2016, 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 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 the upcoming third installment of the Wonder Woman feature.

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

After voicing Artemis in the 2009 animated film Wonder Woman, Rosario Dawson found a home in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) as the warrior princess herself in the sequel to 2014's Justice League: War. 

She would go on to voice the character in subsequent animated films, including Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Justice League Dark (2017), Reign of the Supermen (2019), The Death and Return of Superman (2019), Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019) and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020). Dawson also voiced Wonder Woman in 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).

At New York Comic-Con 2019, Dawson discussed representing Wonder Woman while honoring Carter as the first Latina to play the iconic character. 

"I … feel that Wonder Woman has been pushed in a lot of different spaces that I will never put down," Dawson said, per Comic Book Resources. "I remember when I began voicing Wonder Woman, and people were like, 'Finally, we're getting a Latina Wonder Woman.' And I was like, 'Lynda Carter was Latina.' I grew up with her, and I thought that was super awesome. It was a different iteration of her, but it was very inspiring, and it meant a lot to my grandmother, my mother and me."

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 actress 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, according to Vulture. This role was a small way of making good on that idea, which Smulders reprised in the 2019 sequel The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. 

Michelle Monaghan, 'Justice League: War' (2014)

Mission: Impossible III star Michelle Monaghan lent her voice to the character in 2014, leaving a lasting impression on fans. She sounded every bit as strong and battle-ready as audiences had hoped.

It's as if 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 all along. 

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 puzzled by how much the pilot departed from the traditional Wonder Woman backstory. However, most agreed Adrianne Palicki had the chops for the role. 

Previously, Palicki flexed her superpowers on an episode of the WB series Smallville in 2004, where she played Lindsay Harrison — a teenager who went missing during a meteor shower and later turned up as the Kryptonian girl named Kara. 

Maggie Q, 'Young Justice' (2010)

This Cartoon Network series focused on the younger counterparts of the Justice League, but Wonder Woman was a prominent character nonetheless. In 2012, Nikita and Divergent actress Maggie Q voiced the princess warrior on seasons 1 and 2. She returned to the role in 2019 on season 3. 

Prior to Q lending her voice, her former Mission: Impossible III costar Keri Russell stepped into the boots of the immortal Amazon in the 2009 self-titled film.

Keri Russell, 'Wonder Woman' (2009)

Years before playing a Soviet agent on The Americans, Russell honed her tough-girl voice as the titular character in 2009's Wonder Woman — her first animated debut. (For the record, fans approved of Russell playing a live-action Wonder Woman too.)

The Felicity star opened up to MovieWeb in 2009 on what it meant to voice the character behind the Lasso of Truth.

"Obviously, growing up, I knew of the show," she told the outlet. "I can remember folding laundry with my mom while watching Lynda Carter on TV. So I knew a little bit, but I didn't know all the depths of the story we discover in this film. Ultimately, she's a very cool, strong, female warrior."

Russell continued, "I just think Wonder Woman is cool. She's got her invisible jet and her armbands. There is something to be said about the gender issue, but I think more than anything Wonder Woman was just a good, cool comic, and that's why people read it. It wasn't, like, just throwing one to the ladies. She was tough and smart, and her superpowers were cool, so that's why I think Wonder Woman has staying power."

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 that a household name voiced the character again: Lucy Lawless.

Fitting, considering Lawless was already known for portraying a warrior princess on the adventure series Xena.

Lynda Carter, 'Wonder Woman' (1975)

Carter's performance as Wonder Woman was everything a '70s superhero should be. Since her acclaimed performance on the series, she appeared on an episode of Smallville in 2007 and on seasons 2 and 4 of Supergirl. In 2020, she made a cameo as golden warrior Asteria in Wonder Woman 1984. Director Jenkins also teased Carter's return in the third Wonder Woman installment. 

Despite playing the role decades ago, Carter has continued to field questions about the character. At DC FanDome 2021, Carter spoke about how she adapted Wonder Woman and the significance of appearing in the franchise. 

"I know what it was like from the inside out," she said. "I know what the legacy meant to me, and when I created the character, it wasn't on the comic book page — her kindness and her goodness. Her strength was her Lasso of Truth ... and that meant something to me."

Carter added, "Who would have thought in my life — at this time in my life — that this gift would just present itself to me, and that's so cool. And that's what I'm hoping for all of the fans of Wonder Woman ... to know that your life is full of surprises, and the Wonder Woman in you is alive and well."

Cathy Lee Crosby, 'Wonder Woman' (1974)

Surprisingly, Carter wasn't the first live-action Wonder Woman. An unaired 1967 pilot titled Wonder Woman: Who's Afraid of Diana Prince? had Ellie Wood Walker playing the titular character and Planet of the Apes star Linda Harrison as Diana's alter ego and reflection.

In 1974, Cathy Lee Crosby, best known for hosting That's Incredible!, donned the star-spangled costume (and blonde hair!) in the ABC TV movie that ultimately spawned the Carter-led 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. 

It was here that Wonder Woman appeared for the first time beyond the comic page in 1972, voiced by Jane Webb, who'd already lent her voice talents to Batgirl on The Batman/Superman Hour. 

Following Webb's iteration, Wonder Woman began appearing on animated series like Super Friends, with different actresses voicing the character. Still, it's just too weird not to mention that the beloved superhero got her showbiz start on The Brady Kids.