.gif)
Queen Hippolyta (comics)
Encyclopedia
Queen Hippolyta is a fictional character
and DC Comics
superhero
, based on Hippolyta
, queen of the Amazons
in Greek mythology
. She is also the mother of Wonder Woman
and Donna Troy
.
. This original version of the character possessed black hair. According to this story, Hippolyte and the Amazons
once resided in "Amazonia" in the days of ancient Greece, until they were beguiled and bested by the demi-god Hercules
, who had been sent after her by the Wargod Ares, now named Mars. She was able to beat him using the girdle, but he seduced her, and tricked her into allowing him to see the girdle, allowing him to steal it. This caused them to lose the favor of their patron goddess, Aphrodite
. Eventually she and the other Amazons were forgiven, but had to wear bracelets to remind them of the chains which once bound them. To regain their status, the Amazons were forced to leave the mortal world and relocate to Paradise Island. There they established their own society, free from the evils of man's world. So long as they remained there and Hippolyte retained possession of her magic girdle, the Amazons would be immortal. Much of this history was adapted and expanded upon in the modern version of the Wonder Woman comics.
For the most part, Hippolyte remained on Paradise Island during the Golden Age era, rarely interacting with the modern world to which her daughter had journeyed. Her role was that of the Amazon Queen and mentor to Wonder Woman. She was devoted to the Olympian goddesses, particularly the Amazons' patron Aphrodite, and was adamant that man never be allowed to set foot on Paradise Island. Although she remained mainly on the island, in one memorable story from Sensation Comics #26 (reprinted in Wonder Woman: The Complete History), Hippolyte travels to Man's World and briefly assumes the role of Wonder Woman. In the first appearance of Villany inc she is kidnapped to lure Wonder Woman into a trap.
In the 1960s when DC Comics introduced the concept of the Multiverse, this Hippolyte was established as existing on the world known as Earth-2. This incarnation of Hippolyte was phased out around issue #97 of the original Wonder Woman comic when the focus shifted from Earth-2 to the more modern versions of the characters on Earth-1.
The Silver Age Hippolyte continued thereafter and had blonde hair. Her history was largely identical to the Golden Age version, though a few significant Silver Age stories diverge from the original. For example, it was established that Hippolyta had crafted a second daughter from clay, a dark-skinned Amazon named Nubia
who was to be Wonder Woman's twin sister before she was spirited away by the god Mars. She was also the adoptive mother of Donna Troy
, who had been rescued from a fire and brought to Paradise Island. As before, Hippolyta's role in the Silver Age era was primarily that of Paradise Island's queen and mentor to Wonder Woman. She was frequently shown interacting with her daughter as well as supporting characters of the era such as Wonder Girl
and Wonder Tot. According to the DC Comics 1976 calendar, Hippolyta was born on January 8.
Hippolyta was also instrumental in several of the continuity shake-ups for the Earth-One Wonder Woman. Enraged that her daughter, recovering from amnesia, had submitted to trials by the Justice League to prove her worth to rejoin, she created her own test which involved resurrecting Steve Trevor
to lead an assault on Paradise Island. The goddess Aphrodite granted Diana's wish to allow the resurrected Trevor to continue living (although he was later revealed to be Eros animating Trevor's body). After Trevor had again been killed and a grief-stricken Diana returned home, Hippolyta erased Diana's memories of him; when a Trevor from a parallel universe burst through the barriers between worlds and crashed off Paradise Island, Hippolyta asked Aphrodite to alter the memories of the entire world to allow the new Trevor to embark upon a life on Earth-One.
The Hippolytas of both universes used a Magic Sphere, which could peer into the past and future.
In 1985, the Crisis on Infinite Earths
miniseries revised DC Comics history and combined the multiple Earths into one world. The modern version of Hippolyta would combine elements of her earlier incarnations and take on greater importance in the series.
's revamp of Wonder Woman in 1987. In current continuity, Hippolyta and the rest of the Themyscirian
Amazons were first created by a select few of the Olympian gods
, which included Artemis
, Athena
, Hestia
, Demeter
and Aphrodite
. They took the souls of women slain throughout time by the hands of men and sent them to the bottom of the Aegean Sea
. Hippolyta was slain 32000 years ago while carrying a child. The souls then began to form bodies with the clay on the sea bed. Once they reached the surface the clay bodies became living flesh and blood Amazons. The first one to break surface was Hippolyta and thus she was titled as Queen of the new race; in this version Hippolyta stood 5'9", weighed approximately 130 lbs, had curly black hair and more or less looked like the spitting image of her future daughter. The second Amazon to break surface was her sister Antiope
and she ruled as a second to Hippolyta in all affairs. Each of the goddesses that created the Amazons blessed them with personalized gifts: hunting skills (Artemis'), wisdom (Athena's), warm homes (Hestia's), plentiful harvests (Demeter's), and beauty inside and out (Aphrodite's). As a symbol of their leadership titles, the gods gave Hippolyta and Antiope each a Golden Girdle of Gaea
which enhanced their strength and abilities significantly. The Amazons eventually founded the city of Themyscira
in Anatolia
and became known as fierce warriors of peace in Turkey
, Greece
and Rome
.
The jealous and vengeful god Ares
soon after tried to discredit their name by having his half-brother demi-god Heracles
invade the Amazons and demean their standing by stealing their Golden Girdles of Gaea. When Heracles first approached the Amazons seeking battle, Hippolyta met him outside the city gates and tried to reason with him for peaceful negotiations. When this did not work Heracles attacked the Amazon Queen using his strength to his advantage. Hippolyta easily turned the tables on him by using her wisdom and battle skills to subdue him. Still wishing peace, Hippolyta invited Heracles and his men into their city to celebrate a potential friendship with a feast. Hiding his anger, Heracles accepted the invitation.
Once in their stronghold, Heracles and his men drugged the wine the Amazons were drinking and took them prisoner. After the theft of Hippolyta's Golden Girdle and abuse and rape of the Amazons, Hippolyta cried out to Athena to help them escape their bonds. Athena said that she would only aid them on the condition that the Amazons not seek retribution against Heracles and his men as that would be beneath the ideals the Amazons were created to stand for. Hippolyta hastily agreed and the Amazon's bonds were broken and the drugs given wore off. Once out of their drugged state the Amazons were filled with hate and revenge. Breaking Hippolyta's oath to Athena, the Amazons began slaughtering their captors but were upset to find that Heracles and his general Theseus
had returned to their homelands.
After the slaughter Athena reprimanded the Amazons for disobeying her orders. She demanded the Amazons serve penance for their actions. Though Hippolyta agreed to the goddess' wishes, her sister Antiope
scoffed at Athena for being angered at them for killing their rapist captors. Antiope then denounced all ties to the Olympian gods and said goodbye to her sister Hippolyta, giving Hippolyta her Golden Girdle of Gaea to replace the one stolen by Heracles. She left for Greece, along with half of the Amazon Nation who supported Antiope in her new quest to battle Heracles and Theseus out of vengeance and to replace Antiope's girdle with Hippolyta's. Antiope's tribe later became the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall.
told them their punishment for going against their ideals. They were to be given immortality so that they would forever safeguard a doorway to the underworld called Doom's Doorway. Not only must they prevent anyone from entering, but they must also vanquish any evils that try to escape. The doorway was on a far-off isolated island and it would take some time to get there. To guide their way, the god Poseidon
cleared a pathway for them across the seas. Once they arrived at the island the Amazons created a new city and named their new home Themyscira, after their previous fallen city. Hippolyta then held a contest of trials to determine which Amazon was the most skilled among her people. The victor, Nu'Bia
, was then sent into Doom's Doorway to better safeguard the entryway from within the Underworld while the remaining Amazons protected the entrance in the mortal world. The Amazons continued to live on the island guarding Doom's Doorway, and paying homage to their gods, for three-thousand years.
It was into this period of living on the island for millennia that Hippolyta began to ache for a child of her own. She prayed to her gods her secret wish and they responded. She was told to go to the sea shore and form the figure of a baby with the island's clay, which she did. The original goddesses again united to create a new Amazon for Queen Hippolyta. It was revealed that in her previous life Hippolyta was a pregnant cavewoman who was killed by her mate, thus her longing was for the child she had been denied. The goddesses used the soul of this unborn child to fall into the clay body of the infant and, just as with the previous Amazons, the clay was changed into flesh and blood. Hippolyta named the child Diana, after a stranger who was washed ashore on the island and helped the Amazons defeat a creature escaping Doom's Doorway with her life. This Diana was later revealed to be the mother to Steve Trevor
. When she reached adulthood, Princess Diana became the hero Wonder Woman
. To aid her in her mission, the Olympian gods transformed the Golden Girdle of Gaea that Antiope gave to Hippolyta into the Lasso of Truth
.
The Amazon Queen raised Diana on the island as the princess of the Amazon Nation. Her love of Diana at times though proved to take precedence over the welfare of her people. For example, when the god Zeus intended to rape Diana (after she had become Wonder Woman) as a "reward" for thwarting Ares's plot, an enraged Hippolyta was willing to put the entire island in peril by confronting the god outright in order to protect Diana. Later still when Diana was told that she was to enter Doom's Doorway alone in order to answer a challenge by her gods, Hippolyta again placed the island in peril by disobeying the gods and entering Doom's Doorway to save her daughter. Though her motherly love was proven in these instances and more, it also showed that she was beginning to lose interest in the rule of her people.
storyline, she discovered that Heracles was transformed into a colossal stone pilar within Doom's Doorway, and was supporting Themyscira's weight for several millennia. In this stone state he was tormented and scarred by various mythological creatures, feeling the pain inflicted by them but not being able to do anything about it. This was the punishment given to him by his Olympian family for his past transgressions. Gaining his original form back, he begged the Amazons for forgiveness. Though some of the Amazons still harbored hatred for their past rapes and humiliation, most of them were moved by Heracles' newfound humility, and Queen Hippolyta asked her people to search their hearts for the strength to forgive, which they eventually did. Doing so herself, Hippolyta not only forgave Heracles, but shared a brief romance with him before he left the mortal realm to return to his father in Olympus.
was met with mixed impressions. Some saw the Amazons as lowly savages, unworthy of U.N. entry. Others still saw Hippolyta and her people as beacons of hope. Diana became Themyscira's ambassador, relaying all of Hippolyta's wishes to the U.N.
Alas, as Wonder Woman Diana made a powerful enemy in the witch Circe
. One attack made by Circe to Diana was the brainwashing of Queen Hippolyta in becoming the Shim'Tar
, or chief warrior, of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. In this persona Hippolyta mindlessly attacked her own daughter at the whim of Circe. This tarnished the outside world's view of the newly discovered nation somewhat. The magic used on Hippolyta eventually wore off but Hippolyta never forgave Circe for the mental rape given, nor the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall for aiding Circe in her plot to kill her daughter.
Due to this event Circe considered all Amazons to be her enemy and made a new plan for revenge. In time she teleported the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall to Themyscira on the pretense that they were to take the island as their own. While the two tribes fought, Circe teleported the island to a dimension of demons. There the two tribes of Amazons were forced to put aside their rivalry temporarily in order to stave off the demons who sought to destroy the entire Amazon race. The Amazons were eventually successful but they remained in the demon dimension until Diana discovered what had happened and forced Circe to return the island back to its rightful dimension. After this was done they found out that although their time in the demon dimension lasted several years, the time passed in their normal dimension was only a few months.
In this time the Themyscirian and Bana-Mighdallian Amazons made an uneasy truce. The Themyscirians would live in the city while the Bana-Mighdallians would form their own settlement on the opposite side of the island. In Hippolyta's mind she still served as Queen over all Amazons on the island, but the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons did not see it as such and tensions between the two tribes remained.
. Hippolyta then in secret went to the Themyscirian Amazon mystic Magala. She had Magala transfer half of Diana's gods-given powers over to Artemis in order for Artemis' victory to be better equipped. Hippolyta also provided many additional obstacles for Diana to encounter during her Contest trials in order for her to become sidetracked from the goal of winning. Due to her actions, Artemis became the Contest's winner and the new champion Wonder Woman. Later when Diana began to receive visions of the past she confronted her mother on why she really called for a new Contest. When Hippolyta told her she and Diana's relationship became scarred as Diana never truly forgave her mother for knowingly sending another Amazon to her death.
_as_ww_-_from_ww_v2_i130.png)
After Artemis was killed in battle the title of Wonder Woman was returned to Diana. This sent Hippolyta into a deep depression as she realized she was the cause of an innocent's death. Hippolyta gave command to the Amazon General Philippus
and went into self-imposed banishment.
Hippolyta boarded a small boat and let it cast adrift. She eventually landed in Louisiana where she met a psychic named Angela. After becoming friends with Angela and her family, Angela informed Hippolyta that her daughter was in serious danger. Rushing to her aid, Hippolyta arrived too late to save Diana from the demon Neron
, as Diana was still suffering from the spell that had reduced her strength. Thus, Hippolyta's vision of her daughter dying as Wonder Woman came true.
Diana, after her death, was granted divinity as the Goddess
of Truth by her gods for such faithful devotion. During her brief time as a god of Olympus
, Diana was replaced in the role of Wonder Woman by her mother. As opposed to Diana receiving the title in honor, Hippolyta's role as Wonder Woman was meant to be a punishment for her betrayal in Artemis' death as well as for unintentionally killing her own daughter. However, Hippolyta eventually grew to enjoy the freedom and adventure the title came with. Whereas Diana used the Lasso of Truth as her primary weapon, Hippolyta favored a broad sword.
John Byrne, the writer that introduced the concept of Hippolyta as the first Wonder Woman, has explained his intentions in a post in his message board:
As Wonder Woman, Queen Hippolyta immediately got involved in a time travel mission back to the 1940s with Jay Garrick
. After this mission, she elected to join the Justice Society of America
and remained in that era for eight years, where her teammates nicknamed her "Polly". During that time she had a relationship with Ted Grant
. Hippolyta also made visits into the past to see her godchild Lyta
, daughter of Hippolyta's protege Helena, the Golden Age Fury. These visits happened yearly from young Lyta's perspective and also accounted for Hippolyta's participation in the JSA/JLA team ups. When she returned from the past, Hippolyta took Diana's place in the JLA
as well.
Eventually Diana gave up her godhood and returned to her role as Wonder Woman. Still clinging to her newfound sense of freedom, Hippolyta did not wish to relinquish her title as Wonder Woman (even though she admitted her daughter looked "better in a bathing suit" than she did), leaving two different Wonder Women acting in the same role at the same time. Diana was often unhappy with Hippolyta's continued role as Wonder Woman as she felt Hippolyta was ignoring her true duties as ruler of Themyscira, thus further inciting the antagonism between mother and daughter.
Around this time Hippolyta discovered that the hero Donna Troy
was actually a mirror image of her daughter Diana, brought to life through Themyscirian sorceries. Though Hippolyta had met Donna on previous adventures, when the two women met again after learning this fact, Hippolyta accepted Donna as a second daughter and held a coronation on the island, proclaiming Donna to be the second Amazon princess and an heir to the Themyscirian throne.
On one visit to the island, Diana discovered that the two tribes of Amazons were on the verge of a civil war due to unresolved issues and mysterious acts of sabotage made on the Bana-Mighdallian's construction of their city. When both Diana and Donna confronted Hippolyta about her inaction of rule at such a dangerous time, Hippolyta became very upset with her two daughters and told them that she intended to continue her role as Wonder Woman in the outside world and that Diana and Donna were to rule the island in her absence. Unfortunately the civil war took place after all and many Amazons on both sides were killed. Returning to the island, Hippolyta and Diana agreed to denounce their royal titles in order for both Amazon tribes to have an opportunity for peace, having both tribes gain equal footing in united rule.
as Wonder Woman. The Queen enjoyed her role in the Justice Society and became accustomed to life in the United States
. Mother and daughter fought on several occasions over Hippolyta's past expected roles — hero or queen — and their differences were unresolved when the queen sacrificed herself to save the Earth
from Imperiex
during the Imperiex War featured in Our Worlds at War
. Ironically Hippolyta died at the birthplace of the Amazons, near the Aegean Sea
in Greece
. However she was allowed to see her daughter one last time and say goodbye. She, the spirit of her sister Antiope, and Steve Trevor
's mother Diana Rockwell Trevor became ghostly guardians of the island watching over both tribes as their distant and former queens.
storyline, the witch Circe
revived Hippolyta and showed her that the U.S. government illegally kidnapped her daughter Diana. She was being tortured until she gave over the plans on how the U.S. government could create their own Purple Ray
to be used as a weapon. Angered over this, Hippolyta resumed leadership of the Amazons and had them attack the city of Washington, D.C.
in the hopes of rescuing Diana and serving their own form of justice against the world for their actions. They are shown using winged steeds, and other mythical creatures. During battle Hippolyta discovered that Circe had secretly planned to detonate a nuclear weapon
on Themyscira and gained her revenge on the traitor by impaling the sorceress with a battle spear through the chest. Wonder Woman has an opportunity to kill her mother but does not take it, instead giving the knife to Hippolyta, who will not kill her daughter. Despite the fact that Circe is supposedly dead, Hippolyta seems fully intent on continuing her assault on the United States, even issuing an attack on other locations, including Kansas. Her more chaotic and malicious actions start to concern her Amazon generals. It is later learned that Circe used a portion of her own soul to revive Hippolyta from death. Because of this Hippolyta's persona was tainted by the witch's evil and thus Hippolyta is now a more blood-thirsty being than before.
At the conclusion of the war all of the Amazons are given false identities and scattered throughout the world. Hippolyta is spared but is banished to live alone on Themyscira, by what appears to be Athena but is later revealed to be the villainous Granny Goodness
, who along with the other New Gods
of Apokolips
have imprisoned the Greek deities. In Countdown to Final Crisis
, Hippolyta lives in hiding from Granny Goodness and her new brand of Amazons, human recruits being trained as a new generation of her Female Furies
. With the help of island castaways Holly Robinson
(briefly known as Catwoman), Harley Quinn
and a powerless Mary Marvel
, Hippolyta is able to drive Granny out of Thermiscyra and back to Apokolips. After the Greek Gods are freed by Mary, Granny is murdered by the mysterious Godkiller
, leaving Hippolyta once more as the Queen of Themyscira.
Alkyone's past reveals her to have been a member of Hippolyta's Royal Guard along with three other Amazons—Myrto, Charis and Philomela, charged with her personal protection. They were viewed as too brutal-minded and overzealous by General Philippus
, captain of the General Amazon Guard, a viewpoint that was later proven when Alkyone learned that Hippolyta desired a child. This came to a head when Alkyone learned from the Amazon sorceress, Magala that another Amazon named Gennes had supposedly given birth to a daughter. But it turned out the baby was nothing more than a clay doll carved in the image of a child. Concluding Gennes had gone mad, Alkyone ordered that no such dolls were ever to be crafted on Themyscira again. After that, she ordered Gennes to be killed. In the present day, the army of Captain Nazi
lands on Themyscira, intending to claim it for themselves. Alerted to their arrival, Hippolyta cuts her hair and readies herself for battle and vows to redeem herself for all the mistakes she has made since her resurrection. Elsewhere on the island, Alkyone offers her help and the rest of the former Royal Guard to the soldiers in hunting down Hippolyta in exchange for their release.
Flashpoint
However, following a new reset of the DCU continuity
, Hippolyta receives another major change. Now looking like the Silver Age Hippolyta, youthful and blonde, she retains her edgy, warrior woman
attidude. Furthermore, this incarnation of Hippolyta didn't fashion Diana from clay: instead, she bore her daughter from a relationship with Zeus, concocting a lie to protect Diana from Hera's rage.
Hippolyta, also in addition to all the Themyscirian Amazons, possesses the ability to relieve her body of physical injury and toxins by becoming one with the Earth's soil and then reforming her body whole again. The first time Diana does this she prays to her god Gaea saying: "Gaea, I pray to you. Grant me your strength. You are the Earth who suckled me, who nurtured and bred me. Through you all life is renewed. The circle which never ends. I pray you, mother Gaea, take me into your bosom. Please, let me be worthy." During writer John Byrne's time on the comic it was stated that this is a very sacred ritual to the Themyscirians, only to be used in the most dire of circumstances.
event, Hippolyta encourages Aquaman
of Atlantis
to marry her daughter, Wonder Woman
, after she had been poisoned by a Kraken
. On the wedding day; however, Hippolyta was murdered by Artemis
in disguise as an Atlantean, who in an act of betrayal, was working with Ocean Master
. Diana was actually the target, but Hippolyta took the arrow. This leads to war between the Amazons and Atlanteans.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, based on Hippolyta
Hippolyta
In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle she was given by her father Ares, the god of war. The girdle was a waist belt that signified her authority as queen of the Amazons....
, queen of the Amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. She is also the mother of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
.
Golden and Silver Age versions
The character Hippolyta (then spelled "Hippolyte," although the spelling changed to "Hippolyta" during the 1960s) first appeared in All Star Comics #8 (1941), the same comic book that introduced her daughter, Wonder WomanWonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. This original version of the character possessed black hair. According to this story, Hippolyte and the Amazons
Amazons (comics)
The Amazons of DC Comics are a fictional all-female society of superhumans, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology. There have been three major incarnations of these Amazons, one before the Crisis, and two after. What two of these groups have in common is that they are the race which produced...
once resided in "Amazonia" in the days of ancient Greece, until they were beguiled and bested by the demi-god Hercules
Hercules (DC Comics)
Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name....
, who had been sent after her by the Wargod Ares, now named Mars. She was able to beat him using the girdle, but he seduced her, and tricked her into allowing him to see the girdle, allowing him to steal it. This caused them to lose the favor of their patron goddess, Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
. Eventually she and the other Amazons were forgiven, but had to wear bracelets to remind them of the chains which once bound them. To regain their status, the Amazons were forced to leave the mortal world and relocate to Paradise Island. There they established their own society, free from the evils of man's world. So long as they remained there and Hippolyte retained possession of her magic girdle, the Amazons would be immortal. Much of this history was adapted and expanded upon in the modern version of the Wonder Woman comics.
For the most part, Hippolyte remained on Paradise Island during the Golden Age era, rarely interacting with the modern world to which her daughter had journeyed. Her role was that of the Amazon Queen and mentor to Wonder Woman. She was devoted to the Olympian goddesses, particularly the Amazons' patron Aphrodite, and was adamant that man never be allowed to set foot on Paradise Island. Although she remained mainly on the island, in one memorable story from Sensation Comics #26 (reprinted in Wonder Woman: The Complete History), Hippolyte travels to Man's World and briefly assumes the role of Wonder Woman. In the first appearance of Villany inc she is kidnapped to lure Wonder Woman into a trap.
In the 1960s when DC Comics introduced the concept of the Multiverse, this Hippolyte was established as existing on the world known as Earth-2. This incarnation of Hippolyte was phased out around issue #97 of the original Wonder Woman comic when the focus shifted from Earth-2 to the more modern versions of the characters on Earth-1.
The Silver Age Hippolyte continued thereafter and had blonde hair. Her history was largely identical to the Golden Age version, though a few significant Silver Age stories diverge from the original. For example, it was established that Hippolyta had crafted a second daughter from clay, a dark-skinned Amazon named Nubia
Nu'Bia
Nubia is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. The original Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck, she debuted in Wonder Woman #204, . The modern character named Nu'Bia was created by Doselle Young and Brian Denham, she debuted in Wonder Woman Annual...
who was to be Wonder Woman's twin sister before she was spirited away by the god Mars. She was also the adoptive mother of Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
, who had been rescued from a fire and brought to Paradise Island. As before, Hippolyta's role in the Silver Age era was primarily that of Paradise Island's queen and mentor to Wonder Woman. She was frequently shown interacting with her daughter as well as supporting characters of the era such as Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...
and Wonder Tot. According to the DC Comics 1976 calendar, Hippolyta was born on January 8.
Hippolyta was also instrumental in several of the continuity shake-ups for the Earth-One Wonder Woman. Enraged that her daughter, recovering from amnesia, had submitted to trials by the Justice League to prove her worth to rejoin, she created her own test which involved resurrecting Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
to lead an assault on Paradise Island. The goddess Aphrodite granted Diana's wish to allow the resurrected Trevor to continue living (although he was later revealed to be Eros animating Trevor's body). After Trevor had again been killed and a grief-stricken Diana returned home, Hippolyta erased Diana's memories of him; when a Trevor from a parallel universe burst through the barriers between worlds and crashed off Paradise Island, Hippolyta asked Aphrodite to alter the memories of the entire world to allow the new Trevor to embark upon a life on Earth-One.
The Hippolytas of both universes used a Magic Sphere, which could peer into the past and future.
In 1985, the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
miniseries revised DC Comics history and combined the multiple Earths into one world. The modern version of Hippolyta would combine elements of her earlier incarnations and take on greater importance in the series.
Origin
Hippolyta's origins underwent a revision after writer George PérezGeorge Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
's revamp of Wonder Woman in 1987. In current continuity, Hippolyta and the rest of the Themyscirian
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
Amazons were first created by a select few of the Olympian gods
Olympian Gods (comics)
The Olympian Gods are mythological deities who appear in the Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Aquaman comics.-Ancient Times:When a Godwave spilled forth from the creation of the Fourth World, the Earth was seeded with great power. It first manifested in the form of old gods, then of metahumans...
, which included Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, Hestia
Hestia
In Greek mythology Hestia , first daughter of Cronus and Rhea , is the virgin goddess of the hearth, architecture, and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. In the public domain, the hearth of the prytaneum...
, Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
and Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
. They took the souls of women slain throughout time by the hands of men and sent them to the bottom of the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. Hippolyta was slain 32000 years ago while carrying a child. The souls then began to form bodies with the clay on the sea bed. Once they reached the surface the clay bodies became living flesh and blood Amazons. The first one to break surface was Hippolyta and thus she was titled as Queen of the new race; in this version Hippolyta stood 5'9", weighed approximately 130 lbs, had curly black hair and more or less looked like the spitting image of her future daughter. The second Amazon to break surface was her sister Antiope
Antiope (comics)
Antiope, is a fictional character owned by DC Comics and is based on the mythological character Antiope. In the comics she was the Amazon sister of Queen Hippolyta, and aunt to Wonder Woman...
and she ruled as a second to Hippolyta in all affairs. Each of the goddesses that created the Amazons blessed them with personalized gifts: hunting skills (Artemis'), wisdom (Athena's), warm homes (Hestia's), plentiful harvests (Demeter's), and beauty inside and out (Aphrodite's). As a symbol of their leadership titles, the gods gave Hippolyta and Antiope each a Golden Girdle of Gaea
Golden Girdle of Gaea
The Golden Girdle of Gaea is a fictional object depicted in the DC Comics book Wonder Woman. It is based on the mythological girdle stolen by Heracles as part of his Twelve Labors.-Comic book history:...
which enhanced their strength and abilities significantly. The Amazons eventually founded the city of Themyscira
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and became known as fierce warriors of peace in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Rape
Ares (DC Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a supervillainous God appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological figure of the same name, he is the god of War and one of the major adversaries of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, volume 1, published in...
soon after tried to discredit their name by having his half-brother demi-god Heracles
Hercules (DC Comics)
Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name....
invade the Amazons and demean their standing by stealing their Golden Girdles of Gaea. When Heracles first approached the Amazons seeking battle, Hippolyta met him outside the city gates and tried to reason with him for peaceful negotiations. When this did not work Heracles attacked the Amazon Queen using his strength to his advantage. Hippolyta easily turned the tables on him by using her wisdom and battle skills to subdue him. Still wishing peace, Hippolyta invited Heracles and his men into their city to celebrate a potential friendship with a feast. Hiding his anger, Heracles accepted the invitation.
Once in their stronghold, Heracles and his men drugged the wine the Amazons were drinking and took them prisoner. After the theft of Hippolyta's Golden Girdle and abuse and rape of the Amazons, Hippolyta cried out to Athena to help them escape their bonds. Athena said that she would only aid them on the condition that the Amazons not seek retribution against Heracles and his men as that would be beneath the ideals the Amazons were created to stand for. Hippolyta hastily agreed and the Amazon's bonds were broken and the drugs given wore off. Once out of their drugged state the Amazons were filled with hate and revenge. Breaking Hippolyta's oath to Athena, the Amazons began slaughtering their captors but were upset to find that Heracles and his general Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
had returned to their homelands.
After the slaughter Athena reprimanded the Amazons for disobeying her orders. She demanded the Amazons serve penance for their actions. Though Hippolyta agreed to the goddess' wishes, her sister Antiope
Antiope (comics)
Antiope, is a fictional character owned by DC Comics and is based on the mythological character Antiope. In the comics she was the Amazon sister of Queen Hippolyta, and aunt to Wonder Woman...
scoffed at Athena for being angered at them for killing their rapist captors. Antiope then denounced all ties to the Olympian gods and said goodbye to her sister Hippolyta, giving Hippolyta her Golden Girdle of Gaea to replace the one stolen by Heracles. She left for Greece, along with half of the Amazon Nation who supported Antiope in her new quest to battle Heracles and Theseus out of vengeance and to replace Antiope's girdle with Hippolyta's. Antiope's tribe later became the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall.
Godly penance
Hippolyta and her remaining faithful Amazons then went to the sea shore where the Olympian GodsOlympian Gods (comics)
The Olympian Gods are mythological deities who appear in the Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Aquaman comics.-Ancient Times:When a Godwave spilled forth from the creation of the Fourth World, the Earth was seeded with great power. It first manifested in the form of old gods, then of metahumans...
told them their punishment for going against their ideals. They were to be given immortality so that they would forever safeguard a doorway to the underworld called Doom's Doorway. Not only must they prevent anyone from entering, but they must also vanquish any evils that try to escape. The doorway was on a far-off isolated island and it would take some time to get there. To guide their way, the god Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
cleared a pathway for them across the seas. Once they arrived at the island the Amazons created a new city and named their new home Themyscira, after their previous fallen city. Hippolyta then held a contest of trials to determine which Amazon was the most skilled among her people. The victor, Nu'Bia
Nu'Bia
Nubia is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. The original Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck, she debuted in Wonder Woman #204, . The modern character named Nu'Bia was created by Doselle Young and Brian Denham, she debuted in Wonder Woman Annual...
, was then sent into Doom's Doorway to better safeguard the entryway from within the Underworld while the remaining Amazons protected the entrance in the mortal world. The Amazons continued to live on the island guarding Doom's Doorway, and paying homage to their gods, for three-thousand years.
Diana's birth
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
. When she reached adulthood, Princess Diana became the hero Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. To aid her in her mission, the Olympian gods transformed the Golden Girdle of Gaea that Antiope gave to Hippolyta into the Lasso of Truth
Lasso of Truth
The Lasso of Truth is a fictional weapon wielded by DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscira. It is usually referred to as the Magic Lasso or Golden Lasso and forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth....
.
The Amazon Queen raised Diana on the island as the princess of the Amazon Nation. Her love of Diana at times though proved to take precedence over the welfare of her people. For example, when the god Zeus intended to rape Diana (after she had become Wonder Woman) as a "reward" for thwarting Ares's plot, an enraged Hippolyta was willing to put the entire island in peril by confronting the god outright in order to protect Diana. Later still when Diana was told that she was to enter Doom's Doorway alone in order to answer a challenge by her gods, Hippolyta again placed the island in peril by disobeying the gods and entering Doom's Doorway to save her daughter. Though her motherly love was proven in these instances and more, it also showed that she was beginning to lose interest in the rule of her people.
Return of Heracles
During Diana's Challenge of the GodsChallenge of the Gods (comics)
"Challenge of the Gods" was a seven issue comic book story arc written and drawn by George Pérez, with co-writing by Len Wein. It is the second arc of the Wonder Woman "Challenge of the Gods" was a seven issue comic book story arc written and drawn by George Pérez, with co-writing by Len Wein. It...
storyline, she discovered that Heracles was transformed into a colossal stone pilar within Doom's Doorway, and was supporting Themyscira's weight for several millennia. In this stone state he was tormented and scarred by various mythological creatures, feeling the pain inflicted by them but not being able to do anything about it. This was the punishment given to him by his Olympian family for his past transgressions. Gaining his original form back, he begged the Amazons for forgiveness. Though some of the Amazons still harbored hatred for their past rapes and humiliation, most of them were moved by Heracles' newfound humility, and Queen Hippolyta asked her people to search their hearts for the strength to forgive, which they eventually did. Doing so herself, Hippolyta not only forgave Heracles, but shared a brief romance with him before he left the mortal realm to return to his father in Olympus.
Return to the outside world
After Diana's completion of her challenge, the Amazons were released from their punishment by the Olympian gods. They were free to live out their lives any way and where they saw fit while retaining their immortality as a blessing from the gods for their faithful devotion. To celebrate, Hippolyta declared that Themyscira would finally create exchange with outside countries. Unfortunately their interaction with the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
was met with mixed impressions. Some saw the Amazons as lowly savages, unworthy of U.N. entry. Others still saw Hippolyta and her people as beacons of hope. Diana became Themyscira's ambassador, relaying all of Hippolyta's wishes to the U.N.
Alas, as Wonder Woman Diana made a powerful enemy in the witch Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
. One attack made by Circe to Diana was the brainwashing of Queen Hippolyta in becoming the Shim'Tar
Shim'Tar
Shim'Tar is a fictional character owned by DC Comics and was created by writer George Pérez. According to the Wonder Woman comic book, the name Shim'Tar can also be a title given to the chief warrior of the fictional Bana-Mighdall tribe of Amazons....
, or chief warrior, of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall. In this persona Hippolyta mindlessly attacked her own daughter at the whim of Circe. This tarnished the outside world's view of the newly discovered nation somewhat. The magic used on Hippolyta eventually wore off but Hippolyta never forgave Circe for the mental rape given, nor the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall for aiding Circe in her plot to kill her daughter.
Due to this event Circe considered all Amazons to be her enemy and made a new plan for revenge. In time she teleported the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall to Themyscira on the pretense that they were to take the island as their own. While the two tribes fought, Circe teleported the island to a dimension of demons. There the two tribes of Amazons were forced to put aside their rivalry temporarily in order to stave off the demons who sought to destroy the entire Amazon race. The Amazons were eventually successful but they remained in the demon dimension until Diana discovered what had happened and forced Circe to return the island back to its rightful dimension. After this was done they found out that although their time in the demon dimension lasted several years, the time passed in their normal dimension was only a few months.
In this time the Themyscirian and Bana-Mighdallian Amazons made an uneasy truce. The Themyscirians would live in the city while the Bana-Mighdallians would form their own settlement on the opposite side of the island. In Hippolyta's mind she still served as Queen over all Amazons on the island, but the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons did not see it as such and tensions between the two tribes remained.
Motherly deception
Because the demon dimension they were in was magic based, Hippolyta began to receive dreams and visions of the future. In one such dream she foresaw Wonder Woman's death. Fearful for her daughter's welfare, she put into motion a plan to remove Diana from her role as Wonder Woman and replace the title of Themyscira's Champion to another Amazon. Thus a new Contest for the title was made though she kept her true reasons for calling the new Contest to herself alone. Initially Hippolyta thought the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall were not worthy to enter the Contest but once Diana, angered at her mother's treatment of the new Amazons, called a vote on the whole to see if her people also agreed that they should be allowed to participate. The answer was yes. Suddenly inspired, Hippolyta noticed that the Bana-Mighdallian's most likely warrior to win was the Amazon ArtemisArtemis of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is...
. Hippolyta then in secret went to the Themyscirian Amazon mystic Magala. She had Magala transfer half of Diana's gods-given powers over to Artemis in order for Artemis' victory to be better equipped. Hippolyta also provided many additional obstacles for Diana to encounter during her Contest trials in order for her to become sidetracked from the goal of winning. Due to her actions, Artemis became the Contest's winner and the new champion Wonder Woman. Later when Diana began to receive visions of the past she confronted her mother on why she really called for a new Contest. When Hippolyta told her she and Diana's relationship became scarred as Diana never truly forgave her mother for knowingly sending another Amazon to her death.
Wonder Woman
Philippus
Philippus is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. She made her first appearance in February 1987 as an Amazon character in the Wonder Woman comic book...
and went into self-imposed banishment.
Hippolyta boarded a small boat and let it cast adrift. She eventually landed in Louisiana where she met a psychic named Angela. After becoming friends with Angela and her family, Angela informed Hippolyta that her daughter was in serious danger. Rushing to her aid, Hippolyta arrived too late to save Diana from the demon Neron
Neron
Neron is a fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in the DC Comics cross-over event Underworld Unleashed #1, , and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.- Publication history :...
, as Diana was still suffering from the spell that had reduced her strength. Thus, Hippolyta's vision of her daughter dying as Wonder Woman came true.
Diana, after her death, was granted divinity as the Goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of Truth by her gods for such faithful devotion. During her brief time as a god of Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
, Diana was replaced in the role of Wonder Woman by her mother. As opposed to Diana receiving the title in honor, Hippolyta's role as Wonder Woman was meant to be a punishment for her betrayal in Artemis' death as well as for unintentionally killing her own daughter. However, Hippolyta eventually grew to enjoy the freedom and adventure the title came with. Whereas Diana used the Lasso of Truth as her primary weapon, Hippolyta favored a broad sword.
John Byrne, the writer that introduced the concept of Hippolyta as the first Wonder Woman, has explained his intentions in a post in his message board:
I thought George's one "mistake" in rebooting Wonder Woman was making her only 25 years old when she left Paradise Island. I preferred the idea of a Diana who was thousands of years old (as, if I recall correctly, she was in the TV series). From that angle, I would have liked to have seen Diana having been Wonder Woman in WW2, and be returning to our world in the reboot.
Not having that option, I took the next best course, and had Hippolyta fill that role.
Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe and the first to use the name Flash.-The Flash:...
. After this mission, she elected to join the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
and remained in that era for eight years, where her teammates nicknamed her "Polly". During that time she had a relationship with Ted Grant
Wildcat (comics)
Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes. The first and most famous of these is Ted Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America...
. Hippolyta also made visits into the past to see her godchild Lyta
Fury (DC Comics)
Fury is the codename shared by three DC Comics superheroes, two of whom are mother and daughter, both of whom directly connected with the Furies of mythology, and the third who is an altogether different character.-Pre-Crisis:...
, daughter of Hippolyta's protege Helena, the Golden Age Fury. These visits happened yearly from young Lyta's perspective and also accounted for Hippolyta's participation in the JSA/JLA team ups. When she returned from the past, Hippolyta took Diana's place in the JLA
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
as well.
Eventually Diana gave up her godhood and returned to her role as Wonder Woman. Still clinging to her newfound sense of freedom, Hippolyta did not wish to relinquish her title as Wonder Woman (even though she admitted her daughter looked "better in a bathing suit" than she did), leaving two different Wonder Women acting in the same role at the same time. Diana was often unhappy with Hippolyta's continued role as Wonder Woman as she felt Hippolyta was ignoring her true duties as ruler of Themyscira, thus further inciting the antagonism between mother and daughter.
Around this time Hippolyta discovered that the hero Donna Troy
Donna Troy
Donna Troy is a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #60 , and was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani...
was actually a mirror image of her daughter Diana, brought to life through Themyscirian sorceries. Though Hippolyta had met Donna on previous adventures, when the two women met again after learning this fact, Hippolyta accepted Donna as a second daughter and held a coronation on the island, proclaiming Donna to be the second Amazon princess and an heir to the Themyscirian throne.
On one visit to the island, Diana discovered that the two tribes of Amazons were on the verge of a civil war due to unresolved issues and mysterious acts of sabotage made on the Bana-Mighdallian's construction of their city. When both Diana and Donna confronted Hippolyta about her inaction of rule at such a dangerous time, Hippolyta became very upset with her two daughters and told them that she intended to continue her role as Wonder Woman in the outside world and that Diana and Donna were to rule the island in her absence. Unfortunately the civil war took place after all and many Amazons on both sides were killed. Returning to the island, Hippolyta and Diana agreed to denounce their royal titles in order for both Amazon tribes to have an opportunity for peace, having both tribes gain equal footing in united rule.
Death
Hippolyta continued to establish a distinguished careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
as Wonder Woman. The Queen enjoyed her role in the Justice Society and became accustomed to life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Mother and daughter fought on several occasions over Hippolyta's past expected roles — hero or queen — and their differences were unresolved when the queen sacrificed herself to save the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from Imperiex
Imperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
during the Imperiex War featured in Our Worlds at War
Our Worlds at War
"Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David...
. Ironically Hippolyta died at the birthplace of the Amazons, near the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. However she was allowed to see her daughter one last time and say goodbye. She, the spirit of her sister Antiope, and Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
's mother Diana Rockwell Trevor became ghostly guardians of the island watching over both tribes as their distant and former queens.
One Year Later
As part of the Amazons AttackAmazons Attack!
Amazons Attack! is a six-issue comic book limited series that was published by DC Comics. Written by Will Pfeifer and pencilled by Pete Woods, the first issue was released April 25, 2007.-Development:...
storyline, the witch Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
revived Hippolyta and showed her that the U.S. government illegally kidnapped her daughter Diana. She was being tortured until she gave over the plans on how the U.S. government could create their own Purple Ray
Purple Ray
The Purple Ray is a fictional healing device featured in the Wonder Woman comics.-Pre-Crisis:Prior to the comic book storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Diana invented the Purple Ray in order to heal Steve Trevor from injuries he sustained when his plane was shot down and he was left adrift in the...
to be used as a weapon. Angered over this, Hippolyta resumed leadership of the Amazons and had them attack the city of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the hopes of rescuing Diana and serving their own form of justice against the world for their actions. They are shown using winged steeds, and other mythical creatures. During battle Hippolyta discovered that Circe had secretly planned to detonate a nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
on Themyscira and gained her revenge on the traitor by impaling the sorceress with a battle spear through the chest. Wonder Woman has an opportunity to kill her mother but does not take it, instead giving the knife to Hippolyta, who will not kill her daughter. Despite the fact that Circe is supposedly dead, Hippolyta seems fully intent on continuing her assault on the United States, even issuing an attack on other locations, including Kansas. Her more chaotic and malicious actions start to concern her Amazon generals. It is later learned that Circe used a portion of her own soul to revive Hippolyta from death. Because of this Hippolyta's persona was tainted by the witch's evil and thus Hippolyta is now a more blood-thirsty being than before.
At the conclusion of the war all of the Amazons are given false identities and scattered throughout the world. Hippolyta is spared but is banished to live alone on Themyscira, by what appears to be Athena but is later revealed to be the villainous Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
, who along with the other New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
of Apokolips
Apokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
have imprisoned the Greek deities. In Countdown to Final Crisis
Countdown to Final Crisis
Countdown, known as Countdown to Final Crisis for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52...
, Hippolyta lives in hiding from Granny Goodness and her new brand of Amazons, human recruits being trained as a new generation of her Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
. With the help of island castaways Holly Robinson
Holly Robinson (comics)
Holly Robinson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller's Batman: Year One story arc.Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman...
(briefly known as Catwoman), Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
and a powerless Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
, Hippolyta is able to drive Granny out of Thermiscyra and back to Apokolips. After the Greek Gods are freed by Mary, Granny is murdered by the mysterious Godkiller
Death of the New Gods
Death of the New Gods was an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2007 and 2008 by DC Comics. It was written and pencilled by Jim Starlin.The series follows the final days of the New Gods as they are stalked by a mysterious killer....
, leaving Hippolyta once more as the Queen of Themyscira.
The Circle
During her isolation Hippolyta travels to the four corners of Themyscira, speaking to an Amazon prisoner at each point, asking them if they repent, to which each prisoner replies, "Never". However, the fourth and last prisoner, whom Hippolyta identifies as Alkyone, presents her with a wooden tiara with the words "Our Queen" across it similar to the one she and Diana both wore as Wonder Woman. Alkyone tells Hippolyta since she denied her the use of any blades, she gnawed in the inscription with her teeth. She goes on to accuse Hippolyta of betrayal for birthing "The Dragon", which clearly is a reference to Diana. Alkyone begs her to kill Diana and let them be a tribe again, but Hippolyta adamantly refuses. Alkyone then tells Hippolyta to tell Diana the truth, but again Hippolyta refuses and breaks the wooden tiara in half. As she leaves, Alkyone vows to save Hippolyta and make them a tribe again by killing Diana.Alkyone's past reveals her to have been a member of Hippolyta's Royal Guard along with three other Amazons—Myrto, Charis and Philomela, charged with her personal protection. They were viewed as too brutal-minded and overzealous by General Philippus
Philippus
Philippus is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. She made her first appearance in February 1987 as an Amazon character in the Wonder Woman comic book...
, captain of the General Amazon Guard, a viewpoint that was later proven when Alkyone learned that Hippolyta desired a child. This came to a head when Alkyone learned from the Amazon sorceress, Magala that another Amazon named Gennes had supposedly given birth to a daughter. But it turned out the baby was nothing more than a clay doll carved in the image of a child. Concluding Gennes had gone mad, Alkyone ordered that no such dolls were ever to be crafted on Themyscira again. After that, she ordered Gennes to be killed. In the present day, the army of Captain Nazi
Captain Nazi
Captain Nazi is a Fawcett Comics and DC Comics supervillain, a rival of Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. He was created by William Woolfolk and Mac Raboy.-Fawcett Comics:...
lands on Themyscira, intending to claim it for themselves. Alerted to their arrival, Hippolyta cuts her hair and readies herself for battle and vows to redeem herself for all the mistakes she has made since her resurrection. Elsewhere on the island, Alkyone offers her help and the rest of the former Royal Guard to the soldiers in hunting down Hippolyta in exchange for their release.
Wonder Woman – The Movie
In Wonder Woman issues 24 and 25, there is a movie being made about Diana. In the beginning of issue 24, Diana brings Thomas Andrew Tresser home to meet her mother, Queen Hippolyta. Hippolyta takes Tresser and leaves Diana alone on the beach. This is her opportunity to get to know the man her daughter has become interested in. The getting to know him phase includes taking Tom to the Royal Menagerie to hand feed Griffins of Myth. While there Hippolyta asks rather directly if he and Diana have made love yet. Flustered he is able to honestly answer that they haven't. She asks Tom, "Will you protect her, keep her from harm, if you are able?" He replies, "Yes. That I can promise. Although it usually goes the other way 'round, to be blunt." Before he leaves she gives him a spear she has made, grants him the title Sir Thomas of Cleveland, and makes him a guardsman of Themescira. As Diana and Tom prepare to leave she requests one thing of her new guardsman, babies. As many as he and Diana can create as quickly as they can create them. As they leave the island Alkyone is seen watching them from shore as they float away on a giant shell.Past Imperfect
Following the events of Wonder Woman #600, the timeline is altered by the Greek Gods and Hippolyta's history is radically changed once again. Here, Themyscira is invaded by a heavily armed paramilitary group while Diana is still a child, and the majority of the Amazons are wiped out in the ensuing battle. Hippolyta is able to save Diana by entrusting her to several of her servants, who smuggle the child to the United States in the midst of the attack, but Hippolyta herself is ultimately captured by the enemy soldiers. After being bound and presented to the leader of the invaders, Hippolyta commits suicide by throwing herself into a massive fire being used to incinerate the dead Amazons, choosing to die rather than submit to her captors. After Wonder Woman's exile in the altered continuity is reversed, Hippolyta is briefly restored to her Modern Age origins , greeting her daughter back and approving the changes she had done to her attitude and apperance during her ordeal.FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
However, following a new reset of the DCU continuityThe New 52
The New 52 is a 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero books, in which all of its existing titles were cancelled, and 52 new series debuted in September 2011 with new #1 issues. Among the series being renumbered are Action Comics and Detective Comics,...
, Hippolyta receives another major change. Now looking like the Silver Age Hippolyta, youthful and blonde, she retains her edgy, warrior woman
Warrior woman
A warrior woman, or woman warrior is an archetype of a strong female in legend and literature.Warrior woman, or woman warrior may also mean:*The Woman Warrior, a 1975 memoir by Maxine Hong Kingston...
attidude. Furthermore, this incarnation of Hippolyta didn't fashion Diana from clay: instead, she bore her daughter from a relationship with Zeus, concocting a lie to protect Diana from Hera's rage.
Powers and abilities
Hippolyta has 3,000 years of combat experience, providing her expertise in both hand-to-hand combat as well as with hand-held weapons. As a Themyscirian Amazon she also possesses immortality that allows her to live indefinitely in a youthful form, but does leave her open to potential injury and death depending on her actions. She also possesses enhanced strength and intelligence. As shown by fellow members of her tribe, she has the capability to break apart steel and concrete with her bare hands, jump over 12 feet from a standing position, has a high durability factor, enhanced healing, and the ability to absorb and process a vast amount of knowledge in a short period of time.Hippolyta, also in addition to all the Themyscirian Amazons, possesses the ability to relieve her body of physical injury and toxins by becoming one with the Earth's soil and then reforming her body whole again. The first time Diana does this she prays to her god Gaea saying: "Gaea, I pray to you. Grant me your strength. You are the Earth who suckled me, who nurtured and bred me. Through you all life is renewed. The circle which never ends. I pray you, mother Gaea, take me into your bosom. Please, let me be worthy." During writer John Byrne's time on the comic it was stated that this is a very sacred ritual to the Themyscirians, only to be used in the most dire of circumstances.
Other versions
In the alternate timeline of the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
event, Hippolyta encourages Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
of Atlantis
Atlantis (DC Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the DC Comics Universe. The very first DC Universe version of Atlantis debuted in Action Comics #18 , and was created by...
to marry her daughter, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, after she had been poisoned by a Kraken
Kraken
Kraken are legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.In modern German, Krake means octopus but can also refer to the legendary Kraken...
. On the wedding day; however, Hippolyta was murdered by Artemis
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon superheroine, a comic book character published by DC Comics. She debuted in Wonder Woman Artemis of Bana-Mighdall is...
in disguise as an Atlantean, who in an act of betrayal, was working with Ocean Master
Ocean Master
The Ocean Master is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Aquaman #29 , and was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.-Pre-Crisis:...
. Diana was actually the target, but Hippolyta took the arrow. This leads to war between the Amazons and Atlanteans.
Television
- In the 1975 Wonder WomanWonder Woman (TV series)Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
television series starring Lynda CarterLynda CarterLynda Jean Carter is an American actress and singer, best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series The New Original Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ....
, three different actresses portrayed Queen Hippolyta: Cloris LeachmanCloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
in The New Original Wonder Woman TV series pilot (1975); Carolyn JonesCarolyn JonesCarolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
in the episodes "The Feminum Mystique" parts 1 & 2 and "Wonder Woman in Hollywood"; and Beatrice StraightBeatrice StraightBeatrice Whitney Straight was an American theatre, film, and television actress. Hers remains the shortest acting performance in a film to win an Oscar. In her winning role in the 1976 film Network, she was on screen for five minutes and forty seconds, the shortest time ever for the winner of the...
in the episodes "The Return of Wonder Woman" and "The Bermuda Triangle Crisis". All were Academy AwardAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nominees. The character was never referred to as Queen Hippolyta by name on film. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl refer to her as "Mother" and the Amazons either refer to her as "Your Majesty" or "The Queen".
- In 1978, an animated Queen Hippolyta was shown on Challenge of the Super FriendsChallenge of the Super FriendsChallenge of the Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Warner Bros. Television and is based on the Justice League and...
in the episodes "Secret Origins of the Superfriends" and "Superfriends: Rest in Peace". Queen Hippolyta also appears in the 1980 Super Friends episode "Return of Atlantis." In her first two appearances Hippolyta was a brunette however in her last appearance she was blonde and wore a blue toga.
- A brunette Queen Hippolyta in the 1988 SupermanSuperman (1988 TV series)Superman is a 1988 animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name...
cartoon episode "Superman and Wonder Woman versus the Sorceress of Time" voiced by Pat CarrollPat Carroll (actress)Patricia Ann “Pat” Carroll is an American actress. She performed in numerous stage productions, and portrayed the roles of "Bunny Halper" on CBS's The Danny Thomas Show, Shirley Feeney's mother on ABC's Laverne and Shirley, and is the voice of the villainous Ursula in The Little Mermaid film...
.
- In 2001, Hippolyta was depicted in the animated series Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
voiced by actress Susan SullivanSusan SullivanSusan Michaela Sullivan is an American actress, known for several notable roles on various television programs. Sullivan played the role of Lenore Curtin Delaney on the daytime soap opera, Another World ; waitress Lois Adams during the first season of the comedy It's a Living, Maggie Gioberti...
. Hippolyta appeared in the episodes "Secret Origins", "Paradise Lost", "Fury", and "Hereafter" and, when the series continued in Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, in "The Balance". Putting her religion and devotion to the Olympian GodsOlympian Gods (comics)The Olympian Gods are mythological deities who appear in the Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Aquaman comics.-Ancient Times:When a Godwave spilled forth from the creation of the Fourth World, the Earth was seeded with great power. It first manifested in the form of old gods, then of metahumans...
above all, she exiles her daughter Diana from Paradise IslandThemysciraThemyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
rather than risk incurring divine wrath, when Diana brings out-worlders (the Justice League) to Themyscira in "Paradise Lost". In this series it is explained that the Wonder Woman uniform was actually made by the god HephaestusHephaestusHephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes...
for Queen Hippolyta to use (but he cheekily comments that the uniform looks better on Diana). Hippolyta is seen comforting Diana following Superman's supposed death in the episode "Hereafter" and in "The Balance" she lifts the exile she put on her daughter as well as informing her of her full power. Also explored was her one time intimate relationship with the Greek god HadesHades (DC Comics)Hades is a fictional character, a god in the DC Comics universe based on the actual Hades from Greek mythology. He is primarily featured in the Wonder Woman series, alternately as a divine benefactor and enemy of the heroine.-Fictional character biography:...
. While Diana believes that Hippolyta molded her from clay and breathed mystic life into her, Hades says that they molded her together, suggesting that Hades is really Diana's father.
- In 2004 a brief allusion to Hippolyta was made in The WB television series SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
. In the season threeSmallville (Season 3)Season three of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on October 1, 2003. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The third season comprises 22...
episode "Asylum", a newspaper includes the headline stating: "Themyscirian Queen Addresses the VaticanVatican CityVatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
".
- In 2011, Hippolyta appeared in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Triumverate of Terror!", voiced by Tippi HedrenTippi HedrenNathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she...
. In the episode, she is shown holding another contest amongst the Amazons, with Diana and herself presiding over the tournament. The JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
infiltrates the tournament disguised as an Amazon, and emerges as the victor after using his Smilex to poison all of the other women in the arena. As the Joker approaches the throne to claim his prize, he removes his disguise and knocks both Diana and Hippolyta unconscious before fleeing the island with Diana as his captive. What happened to Hippolyta after this is not stated.
Film
- Actress Charlene HoltCharlene HoltVerna Charlene Stavely, professionally known as Charlene Holt, was an American actress, known for her supporting roles in TV and film.-Early life:...
portrayed Queen Hippolyte in the 1974 TV-movie Wonder Woman starring Cathy Lee CrosbyCathy Lee CrosbyCathy Lee Crosby is an American actress. She achieved TV and film success in the 1980s and was a co-host of the television series That's Incredible!. -Personal life:...
.
- In a proposed Wonder Woman film, stated by writer/director Joss WhedonJoss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
to be an origin story, a depiction of Hippolyta was expected. However, Whedon is no longer attached to the project, and—as of 2008—the movie has been put on hold.
- Hippolyta was shown in the direct-to-videoDirect-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
animated movie, simply called Wonder WomanWonder Woman (film)Wonder Woman is a 2009 direct-to-video animated film focusing on the superheroine Wonder Woman. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez' reboot of the character, specifically the "Gods and Mortals" arc that started the character's second volume in 1987. It is the fourth in the line of...
. She is voiced by Academy Award-nominated actress Virginia MadsenVirginia MadsenVirginia Madsen is an American actress and documentary film producer. She came to fame during the 1980s, having appeared in several films aimed at a teenage audience...
. The primary difference in this depiction is that when she learns that Diana had undergone the challenge and won it against her prohibition, she accepts the result without argument. Similarly to her previous animated incarnation, this version of Hippolyta also became romantically involved with a Greek God who she imprisoned after she was betrayed by him, that of Ares, the God Of War.