Everybody is familiar with Batman’s Rogues Gallery. With villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, Bane, and Two-Face, it’s considered the most iconic in DC Comics. What about Wonder Woman‘s own Rogues Gallery, then?
While far less well-known, Wonder Woman’s enemies are no less powerful and dangerous. After all, not everybody can claim to confront mythic gods, ancient sorceresses, monstrous creatures, and even some corrupt and powerful humans! Over the decades, this eclectic gallery has challenged her philosophy and mission for peace, putting her ideals and identity to the test.
To help you discover more of Princess Diana’s universe, what could be better than learning about her enemies? Follow our guide as we introduce you to Wonder Woman’s Greatest Foes!
Wonder Woman’s Rogues Gallery
Cheetah
Created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, Cheetah made her first appearance in Wonder Woman #6 (1943). But it wasn’t the Cheetah you might imagine as the first woman to take the codename was Priscilla Rich, a socialite with an inferiority complex and a fractured psyche. Her insecurities led her to put on a Cheetah costume. She resented Wonder Woman’s fame and tried to kill her because of it. Priscilla Rich was then the first but not the last to use this alias. She was followed by Deborah Domaine in the Bronze Age, and by Barbara Ann Minerva, who became the most famous Cheetah.
Created by Len Wein and George Perez, Barbara Ann Minerva was a famed archaeologist specializing in Greek mythology and a friend of Wonder Woman until her encounter with Urzkartaga, a plant god who cursed her with the spirit of the Cheetah. Transformed into a powerful feline predator, she became one of Wonder Woman’s most iconic villains and a member of several villain organizations such as the Legion of Doom, the Injustice League and the Secret Society of Super-Villains.
Lastly, Phil Jimenez and Joe Kelly introduced a male Cheetah in Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #170. His real name was Sebastian Ballesteros, an Argentine business tycoon who usurped the title and the powers of Cheetah for a short time.
Circe
Introduced by Robert Kanigher and Harry G. Peter in Wonder Woman #37 (1949), Circe made quite a debut by transforming Wonder Woman into a doe! Naturally, the Princess would defeat her and take the sorceress to Paradise Island, where she could be taught Amazon ways of love and discipline. You guessed it, it will not work, although Circe would not find herself in the spotlight until George Pérez relaunched Wonder Woman and made her into one of Diana’s greatest foes.
Inspired by the Greek mythological character of the same name, Circe is a powerful sorceress, gifted in illusion and transformation spells, who is famous for turning objects and people alike into animals. Over the years, she has created a War of the Gods, made herself the Goddess of Magic, and worked to remake the world in her image.
Ares
Mostly referred to by his Roman name, Mars, the Olympian God of War is Wonder Woman’s first and most persistent villain during most of the Pre-Crisis period. He schemed against the Amazons and the Warrior Princess and acted as a corrupting influence to manipulate others and spread violence.
George Pérez and Greg Potter restored the use of his Greek name and, similar to Circe, built the modern version of the character who plotted to start World War III, and one of the reasons that Diana becomes Wonder Woman. As the son of Zeus, Ares is one of the most powerful Olympian gods, a master of weaponry and a genius tactician.
Doctor Psycho
Doctor Psycho aka Edgar Cizko, stood out early as one of Wonder Woman’s most disturbing enemies. First appearing in Wonder Woman #5 (1943), he was originally presented as the stereotype of the “mad scientist,” but this portrayal was dropped post-Crisis in favor of the violently sadistic and deeply misogynistic character known today.
A founding member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, Doctor Psycho represents everything opposed to Diana’s core values. He is driven by bitterness, hatred, and a desire to dominate others, something his psionic powers unfortunately make easier. His talent for illusion, mind control, and manipulation makes him a dangerous enemy.
Giganta
Another of William Moulton Marston’s creations, Giganta is one of Wonder Woman’s most recognisable and long-standing enemies. First appearing in Wonder Woman #9, she was originally a gorilla who was super-evolved into a woman by Professor Zool. The character has since undergone several revisions, with influences from the 1978 Challenge of the Superfriends cartoon.
The modern version of Giganta is the alias of Doris Zeul, who was introduced in Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #126 — an issue written by John Byrne. A medical doctor suffering from a fatal disease, she planned to transfer her life essence into Wonder Woman. However, her experiment was interrupted by Wonder Girl. Her essence was then transferred into a gorilla and then into Olga, a circus strongwoman. Having acquired the magical ability to increase her size and mass, Zeul set out to defeat Wonder Woman and joined the supervillain team Villainy Inc.
Veronica Cale
Who could be more dangerous than a god or a metahuman? In the world of DC Comics, the answer is a genius capitalist! Veronica Cale is Wonder Woman’s equivalent of Lex Luthor: a brilliant, ruthless businesswoman who uses her intelligence and wealth to serve her own agenda.
Created by Greg Rucka and Drew Johnson, she is a modern addition to Wonder Woman’s rogues’ gallery and first appeared in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #196 in 2003. A self-made millionaire, Cale worked her way up from poverty to become one of the richest people in the world. She loathes Wonder Woman, believing that she made it too easily and is therefore an undeserving symbol of women’s empowerment.
Silver Swan
Similar to Cheetah, there have been more than one Silver Swan. Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, the original Silver Swan was ballet dancer Helen Alexandros, who struck a deal with Mars to gain beauty and strength in exchange for threatening Wonder Woman.
In Post-Crisis continuity, Len Wein and George Pérez introduced a new Silver Swan in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #15. Deformed by radiation at birth, Valerie Beaudry participated in an experiment that made her physically beautiful and gave her sonic powers. However, she needed artificial wings to fly.
The third and current Silver Swan is Vanessa Kapatelis, also a creation of George Pérez and Len Wein. She first appeared in Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #3 as a friend of Wonder Woman before being transformed many years later into the Silver Swan by Phil Jimenez, following some manipulation by Sebastian Ballesteros and Doctor Psycho over her resentment and jealousy towards Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl.
Medusa
A mythical creature in Greek mythology, Medusa is a Gorgon with living snakes in place of hair and a petrifying gaze that turns anyone who meets her eyes to stone.
Beheaded by the hero Perseus, she was restored to life in the Post-Crisis continuity, returned with all her mythic powers and a renewed hunger for chaos that brought her into direct conflict with Wonder Woman. Her brutal clash with the Amazon solidified her place among the most formidable mythological threats in Diana’s rogues gallery, an adversary driven by rage and destructive power.
Doctor Poison
Another creation of William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, Doctor Poison is a bioterrorist who made her first appearance in Sensation Comics #2 (1942). Initially disguised as a male supervillain, she was revealed to be the Japanese Princess Maru, a scientific genius in the fields of poisons, toxins, and chemical weapons.
In the Post-Crisis era, she was followed by Marina Maru, often described as her granddaughter. Also skilled in toxins and chemical warfare, she is driven by a cruelty that made her eager to inflict pain, and to destroy Wonder Woman.
Doctor Cyber
A product of the Mod era, Doctor Cyber was the brilliant head of a vast global criminal network who was disfigured in an accident. Technological elements were incorporated in her design with a muzzle mask and an exoskeleton that increases her physical strength, absorbs energy, and permits her to fire blasts from her hands.
Doctor Cyber was updated for our current times as a powerful and dangerous artificial intelligence with the memory of Dr. Adrianna Anderson, the deceased research and business partner of Veronica Cale. She uses her intellect and technokinesis to help Cale in her plans against Wonder Woman.
Duke of Deception
Another character created by the one and only William Moulton Marston, the Duke of Deception has been officially connected to Dolos in recent years, the Roman god of lies and trickery. His original purpose was to represent the power of duplicity, especially in relation to misogyny and patriarchal control.
As one of Wonder Woman’s early antagonists, first appearing in Wonder Woman #2, The Duke of Deception is the clear opposition to the values of truth and justice that the Amazonian stands for. Acting as the Mysterio of the Wonder Woman universe, he creates illusions, changes his physical appearance, spreads lies, and insinuates doubt to manipulate others, create conflicts, and push his enemy to question reality itself.
Bonus: Villainy, Inc.
The Legion of Doom is maybe the most famous group of supervillains in the DC Universe. But no one should underestimate Villainy Inc., an alliance of Wonder Woman’s greatest enemies that was founded during the Golden Age and has undergone multiple incarnations since. The core members of the 1940s version included Eviless, Cheetah, Giganta, Doctor Poison, Queen Clea, Blue Snowman, Zara, and Hypnota. Doctor Psycho and the Duke of Deception were part of the Rebirth incarnation of the group.
Read some comics featuring Wonder Woman’s Rogues Gallery with our Wonder Woman Comics Reading Guide!