Introduced in 1973 in Wonder Woman #204, Nubia was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Don Heck. She is an Amazon, and DC Comics’ first Black woman superhero.
At first, Nubia was Wonder Woman‘s long-lost fraternal twin–she was raised by Mars the god of war as his weapon of destruction against the Amazons. Mars’ plan failed and Nubia only made a few appearances after that, then disappeared for 20 years!
When reintroduced during the Post-Crisis/Modern Age era of the DC Universe in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #8 in 1999, she was renamed Nu’Bia and was charged to guard “Doom’s Doorway” a very long time ago. So long in fact that the Themyscirian Amazons assumed she had perished. It was a short comeback.
But now in the Infinite Frontier era, after appearing in Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman, Nubia is fully back. Reintroduced as an Amazonian champion tasked with guarding Doom’s Doorway, Nubia shortly became Queen of Amazons and started sharing the title of Wonder Woman with Diana.
Nubia Reading Order
The introduction of Nubia in the DC Comics Universe
For her first adventures, Nubia only appeared in a few issues of the Wonder Woman comics and other series:
- Wonder Woman #204–206 – Collected in Wonder Woman Through the Years.
- Supergirl #9 – not collected
- Super Friends #25 – Collected in The Super Friends: Saturday Morning Comics Vol. 1.
Nu’Bia during the Post-Crisis/Modern Age era
After two decades, Nubia is back in the DC Universe. Now called Nu’Bia, she once again only appeared in a few issues of the Wonder Woman comic books:
- Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #8 – part of the JLApe: Gorilla Warfare crossover, not collected yet.
- Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #154-155 – not collected yet.
Nubia during the Infinite Frontier/Dawn of DC era
After the events of the Dark Nights: Death Metal event, the DC Universe went through another soft reboot. But first, came Future State, a “possible future” of the DC Universe (go here for more information) marked by the introduction of the new Amazon Yara Flor and, of course, by the reintroduction of Nubia.
- Future State: Wonder Woman
Collects Future State: Wonder Woman #1-2, Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1-2, and Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1-2.
The new Infinite Frontier comics era finally put Nubia under the spotlight. In the Wonder Woman comics series, Nubia becomes queen of Themyscira, but the new title also brings challenges. With the unexpected arrival of new Amazons, she is forced to reckon with her past and forge a new path forward for her sisters. Little does she know, a great evil grows beneath the island and it’s up to this former guardian of Doom’s Doorway to unite her tribe before paradise is lost forever!
- Wonder Woman #780
- Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
Collecting Tales of the Amazons - Nubia & The Amazons
Collects Infinite Frontier #0 and Nubia & the Amazons #1-6.
The Trial of the Amazons starts here! For more details about this event, see our guide to read Trial of the Amazons comics in order.
- Trial of the Amazons
Collects Trial of the Amazons #1-2; Nubia and the Amazons #6; Wonder Woman #785-786; and Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl #1-2. - Nubia: Queen of the Amazons
Collects tales from Nubia & the Amazons #1; Nubia: Coronation Special #1; and Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1-4. - DC Pride 2022 #1 (contains a short Nubia story)
- Nubia & the Justice League Special – A Special Nubia 50th Anniversary
Following the events of Lazarus Planet, the gods of the Multiverse have decided to take down the heroes they once called champions and the world they’ve sworn to protect. Only Wonder Woman and Shazam stand in their way, but will their combined powers be enough?
- Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods
Collects Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods #1, Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1-4, and Wonder Woman #797-798. - DC Power: A Celebration (contains a short Nubia story)
- DC Pride 2023 #1 (contains a short Nubia story)
During the summer of 2023, now in the Dawn of DC era, the heroes and villains of the DC Universe were victims of Knight Terrors! Visit our guide to learn more about it.
- Knight Terrors: Knightmare League
Collects Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1-2, Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1-2, Knight Terrors: Superman #1-2, Knight Terrors: The Flash #1-2, and Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #1-2.
As part of the Dawn of DC publication initiative, writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere took over the Wonder Woman series and it started when the U.S. Congress passed The Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from American soil. To carry out its new law, the government set up the Amazon Extradition Entity (AXE) task force to remove those who don’t comply by any means necessary.
- Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Outlaw
Collects Wonder Woman #1-6. - Amazons Attack
Collects Amazons Attack #1-6. - DC Power 2024 (contains a short Nubia story)
The Dawn of DC era concluded with the Absolute Power event. Like everybody else in the DCU, Nubia appeared in a few issues. Her role is not a major one though. She’s in the following issues:
- Absolute Power #3
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #6
- Absolute Power: Super Son #1
more to come…
The first appearance of Nubia in contemporary comics isn’t the story in Wonder Woman Future State TPB 2021. Before that Nubia has a story in Wonder Woman #750 in March 2020. She also has stories in Wonder Woman #800 Dec 2021, & DC Pride 2022 & 2023. She comes in at the end of the Dark Crisis 2022-23, & is featured in the one-shot Nubia And The Justice League Special #1 Jan 2023. Nubia is also in Lazarus Planet Revenge Of The Gods 2023, Knight Terrors Wonder Woman 1 & 2 Oct 2023, & Absolute Power 2024.
Thanks for your comment. I updated the guide with what came out since the previous publication. I’d have to check out WW #750 & 800 because I don’t remember that Nubia has stories in them. We are trying to put at best in our guides the stories the characters have more than a cameo, so I may have excluded them originally because they were not consequent enough for Nubia. I’ll look into it.
In WW #750 Nubia is in a story that takes place right before Diana leaves Paradise Island. She’s curious about Man’s World, and asks various Amazons what its like, including Nubia, each discussion is 2 pages, & of course each story is tragic. Despite the shortness of Nubia’s appearance, it’s significant, as we learn what her life was like in Man’s World.
I mistakenly wrote Nubia is in WW #800, actually but she’s in the “WW 80th Anniversary 100 Page Super Spectacular.” Nubia is in 2 different stories, the first is an 8 page “Young Diana” story, of which Nubia is in all but 3 pages. Swimming with a shark friend Diana finds a previously unknown underwater passage to Doom’s Doorway. The story takes place when Nubia is The Guardian of Doom’s Doorway. Nubia and Diana speak about what it means to be an Amazon. In the 2nd story Nubia is having a meal with Diana, Artemis & Hippolyta, they are talking about the invasion from Saturn which happens whenever its moon, Titan, aligns with Earth. Artemis, Hippolyta & Diana each tell a story about their encounter with the Saturnians. While Nubia hasn’t much dialogue, the art of Laura Braga keeps Nubia an important character with her facial expressions and reactions to the other three.