Wonder Woman may not have appeared on the big screen until 2017, but she appeared in many movies prior to that, though they were all animated. In fact, she’s made a number of appearances in animation over the years, from solo movies to group series. Her first big appearance was in the Hanna-Barbera Super Friends (1973) series and most recently appearing in the finale of the DC Animated Movie Universe, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. She has a long history of being featured in animation over the course of 42 years, so let’s take a look at the highlights. 

Animated Features
Her first animated movie appearance was in Wonder Woman, (2009) a movie based on the Gods and Mortals comic. Keri Russell (Felicity) provides the voice for Wonder Woman in this movie. It is a good origin movie, explaining her general story, character and supporting cast including Steve Trevor, voiced by Nathan Fillion. Hippolyta is played by VIrginia Madsen and her enemy Ares is voiced by Alfred Molina. The story follows Diana on her journey from leaving Themyscira and her first time in the human world. Wonder Woman thwarts a plot by Ares and explores the outside world for the first time, so it is a good origin movie for those wishing to get a grasp on the character of Wonder Woman. 

Her next notable appearance comes in the movie, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, (2013) a movie based on the Flashpoint comic storyline. Wonder Woman is voiced by Vanessa Marshall and appears in this film as an antagonist. The story follows The Flash as he goes back in time and inadvertently alters events in history, resulting in many changes to the world he previously knew. One such change resulted in Atlantis and Themyscira being at war after an attempted alliance between the two fails when Aquaman’s wife Mera discovers an affair between Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman murders Mera and both parties to begin a war, a war that The Flash finds himself in the midst of. Wonder Woman herself has some good moments even if she isn’t the main focus of this movie. 

She next appears in Justice League: War (2014), a film based on the events of the New 52 Justice League comic run. This movie is the beginning of a long stretch of connected animated movies, commonly referred to as the DC Animated Movie Universe. Michelle Monaghan portrays Diana in this movie. This movie begins with the not yet formed Justice League, each individually dealing with an alien problem. Wonder Woman appears in Washington D.C, working alongside the government and living as a human. With her origin has established, she now she finds herself entangled with other superheroes trying to protect the earth.

Her most recent big appearance is in the movie Wonder Woman: Bloodlines (2019), a film also among the DCAMU, but it’s mainly a solo story for Diana. Rosario Dawson provides the voice for Wonder Woman, alongside Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Trevor. This movie follows Diana as she meets and befriends a geologist Julia Kapatellis and her daughter Vanessa. After a five year jump following their first meeting, Diana discovers that Vanessa has become jealous of the time her mother spends with Wonder Woman, so she puts herself in danger that Diana must rescue her from. Diana is faced by a couple of her main villains, Dr. Poison and most notably Cheetah. Struggling against a combination of science and magic, Diana faces a tough challenge in this movie. 

Animated TV Series
Wonder Woman appears as a major character in the Justice League (2001-2004) animated series. Susan Eisenburg provides the voice for Diana. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman act as the primary superhero trio for the show, resulting in many fun character interactions between the three over the run of the show. Her unique plot lines and supporting cast appear in a number of episodes, connecting her personal stories and ties to the larger universe of the Justice League.

Justice League: Unlimited (2004-2006) is the sequel series to Justice League. Wonder Woman occupies a similar role, but an increased cast meant the screen time was divided up among more heroes, leaving less time for Wonder Woman among all the other characters.

Wonder Woman has appeared in a large number of other works, but was not as relevant in those stories. Justice League: New Frontier, Justice League: Doom and Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths all are films in which she occupies a supporting role. She also appears in a large number of DCAMU films, but is not the focus as she is in the the films mentioned in this story. Among the animated series, she makes appearances in Young Justice, Justice League Action and DC Superhero Girls.

She may have taken way to long to star in a live-action movie, but Wonder Woman has long been a star.