# Since when does Wonder Woman fly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207 "2001-11-19T15:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/21 "2001-11-20T18:13:13Z")
Minor hijack – now that I think of it, just what special powers did Batman actually have? I don’t remember that he did anything overly heroic. He just beat up on bad guys, drove a cool car, and climbed up the sides of buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/22 "2001-11-20T20:57:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pugluvr \* > \*\*Minor hijack – now that I think of it, just what special powers did Batman actually have? I don’t remember that he did anything overly heroic. He just beat up on bad guys, drove a cool car, and climbed up the sides of buildings. \*\* Batman doesn’t have any super powers. He’s just a regular guy (who needs a lot of therapy) who knows how to defend himself, aprehend criminals (psychos?), and be a detective… and he’s VERY good at it. Dave Stewart: Wonder Woman is made of clay? Since when did this happen? Boy am I out of the comic loop. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/23 "2001-11-20T22:09:59Z")
Yeah, I always liked that about batman. Of course, enough machinary and defying the lawas of physics because the author doesn’t knwo them does the same job. Not strictly relevant, but I always wondered why no-one ever shot robocops lower jaw. Did he have some amazingly invisible plastic or something? ---
**Author:** ![Infectious\_Lass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Infectious\_Lass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infectious_Lass)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/24 "2001-11-20T22:23:56Z")
Wonder Woman is not made of clay _now_, she was originally a clay statue sculpted by her mother, Queen Hippolyte, and brought to life by Aphrodite (pre-crisis) or the Godesses of Olympus (post crisis) Hippolyte longed for a child and the Godesses answered her prayer. Cool method of conception eh? (and very handy on an island populated exclusively by women) No stretchmarks for Hippolyte! ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/25 "2001-11-20T22:32:22Z")
So they meant it when they said Wonder Woman had feet of clay… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > She’s been able to fly since it was decided by the powers that be that the invisible plane was _really stupid_. > > Shhhh! You’ll hurt the feelings of the F-117 and B-2 pilots! \*\* Not to mention the Klingons and the Romulans. ---
**Author:** ![NeutronJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neutronjack/32/4134_2.png) [@NeutronJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeutronJack)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/26 "2001-11-20T23:54:07Z")
[http://www.dccomics.com/features/ww/chap3.html](http://www.dccomics.com/features/ww/chap3.html) tells us: > [@](#): > > One symbol of Robert Kanigher’s new sense of freedom was the way Princess Diana literally took flight. The old invisible plane seemed almost obsolete when Kanigher’s version of Wonder Woman, apparently light as a feather, acquired the ability to ride air currents. For all intents and purposes, she was flying. The first hint of this new attribute, however, was barely noticeable in an issue filled with innovations: Wonder Woman #105 (April 1959). So, she’s been flying for more than 42 years. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/27 "2001-11-21T00:29:38Z")
So, Wonder Woman didn’t fly, she just rode on air currents? Does this mean birds don’t really fly? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/28 "2001-11-21T00:49:57Z")
A Radio Shack _Wonder Woman_ comic book published in the late 1970s/early 1980s, which extolled the virtues of Radio Shack’s then-new acoustic modem for the TRS-80, showed Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl flying. Or at least _gliding_. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/29 "2001-11-21T02:20:18Z")
I think they were trying to give her flight, at the time, without actually calling it “flight”. “Gliding on air currents” was used, but personally I thought it was lame. There is a new comic out, called _Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth_. There is some pretty amazing flash animation for it [here](http://www.dccomics.com/features/ww_truth/index.html), showcasing the really impressive painted art by Alex Ross. The story looks true to WW’s mission statement of bringing peace to man’s world (something she has expressly tried to do since she was created in or about 1940, regrettably with a lack of success). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/30 "2001-11-21T03:11:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \*Last time I checked in, I think she was some sort of mystic Wonder Woman clone or something. This was actually supposed to be someone’s cue to give me Donna Troy’s current origin… [tapping foot impatiently] ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/31 "2001-11-21T03:35:08Z")
Wonder Girl’s (Donna Troy’s) origin is really messed up, because of the re-boot of WW in 1987 - if WW inspired WG, then why was WG (a stalwart of the Teen Titans) around before WW? A big editorial continuity error. She has had a couple of explanations for her existence. The current one is that she is actually a magical clone of WW. Sorry, I don’t know the exact details. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/32 "2001-11-21T06:13:09Z")
Dave Stewart wrote: > [@](#): > > I think they were trying to give her flight, at the time, without actually calling it “flight”. “Gliding on air currents” was used, but personally I thought it was lame. Well, I think the Freudian sexual imagery here is **blatantly** obvious. Superman, Green Lantern, and all those male flying heroes have real _powered flight._ They _drive_ themselves through the air, _thrusting_ toward their objective with their fists protruding out in front of them like battering rams. Wonder Woman – and, for that matter, the X-Men’s Storm and the Saturday-morning live-action heroine known as “Mighty Isis” – are simply _carried along_ on currents of air, wafting in the breeze like little helpless princesses. They don’t fly so much as _float_. It’s like one big new-agey commercial for Summer’s Eve[TM]\*. [sub]\*) Freshness has never been simpler![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/33 "2001-11-21T08:22:58Z")
Ah, well, she can fly now, and seems to be coming into her own again after years of shoddy writing. In Kingdom Come (set in the near future), she armours up and wields a sword forged by the god Hephaestus (which is so sharp Superman cuts his thumb on it). Wonder Woman then kills a very dangerous villain with the sword, stabbing him from behind so that the blade pokes through his chest, when he is on the verge of crushing a helpless cowering male magician. The Freudian interpretation of _that_ is obvious! ---
**Author:** ![tronvillain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@tronvillain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tronvillain)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/34 "2001-11-21T09:09:54Z")
I just thought I’d point out that Rogue has powered flight and Jean Grey can levitate and they’re on the same team as Storm. Plus since Storm controls the wind, her ability is essentially equivalent to powered flight. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/35 "2001-11-21T14:31:44Z")
Additionally, Isis summoned the “zephyr winds that blow on high” all by herself, so I would count her in the “powered flight” column. She even says “fly” when chanting the incantation. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/36 "2001-11-21T15:41:22Z")
Hey, at least it isn’t still the 70’s where (if I remember the very few issues of Wonder Woman that I bought) her strength could be totally sapped when her hands were bound by a man. _Ahem_ Yes, thank you author. That’s a little bit more about your psyche than we needed to know. Personally, I’ve never like WW. Now Batgirl (or Oracle at this point), yowza. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/37 "2001-11-21T16:50:15Z")
Otto wrote: > [@](#): > > Additionally, Isis summoned the “zephyr winds that blow on high” all by herself, so I would count her in the “powered flight” column. She even says “fly” when chanting the incantation. Oh, sure, Isis could **tell** the wind what to do, but look at her when she takes off! Is she leaping into the sky with one fist forward like Superman does? Heck no! She just stands there with her arms stretched out at 45-degree angles to her sides, letting herself get “swept up by the moment” as the Zephyr Winds blow her skirt up. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/38 "2001-11-21T19:23:30Z")
What is it with Superman’s flight, anyway? I remember years and years ago, some engineering students mailed a letter to DC Comics containing mathematical proof that Kal-El’s body was aerodynamically compatible with true flight, but **what the hell is his means of propulsion**? How can he accelerate? Changes in speed, only, that is; I do understand that a change in diretion at a constant speed is also acceleration, so I have no problem with his being able to go into a banking turn. Has anyone ever come upon a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon? ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/39 "2001-11-21T19:59:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Well, I think the Freudian sexual imagery here is **blatantly** obvious. > > Superman, Green Lantern, and all those male flying heroes have real _powered flight._ They _drive_ themselves through the air, _thrusting_ toward their objective with their fists protruding out in front of them like battering rams. > > Wonder Woman – and, for that matter, the X-Men’s Storm and the Saturday-morning live-action heroine known as “Mighty Isis” – are simply _carried along_ on currents of air, wafting in the breeze like little helpless princesses. They don’t fly so much as _float_. It’s like one big new-agey commercial for Summer’s Eve[TM]\*.\*\* You forgot Supergirl. (The original, I mean. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!!!) As for how Kryptonians fly, John Byrne’s explanation is that it’s psychic; IOW, they think about it really, really hard. ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207/40 "2001-11-22T00:21:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tronvillain \* > \*\*…Rogue has powered flight and Jean Grey can levitate and they’re on the same team as Storm. Plus since Storm controls the wind, her ability is essentially equivalent to powered flight. \*\* Oh brother. 🙂 While we’re on the subject, what’s the deal with the Mighty Thor, dragged around by his fruity hammer? Of course, he is responsible for using his godly strength to thrust his hammer in the direction of travel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-does-wonder-woman-fly/94207.md?page=3)