When Wonder Woman arrived in theaters, the DC Extended Universe had its biggest hit. Critics and audiences alike loved the adaptation of the Amazon warrior on the big screen and it united even those people who could never agree on the direction the DCEU took with Batman and Superman.
However, comic book characters can never transition to movies or television without some changes occurring. The moments drawn on a page can't move to the big screen in many cases without major alterations to keep it from losing the mainstream viewers. With Wonder Woman, the changes were mostly to her character's history and relationships with other people in the DC Universe.
Wonder Woman Was Made From Clay In The Comics
In Wonder Woman, her mother told her stories about how she was made from clay and then came to life thanks to the power of Zeus. It was something that could only happen in comic books, and the DCEU smartly made that just a story a mother told her daughter. In reality, Diana was like any other child.
However, instead of creating her from clay with the power of Zeus, Diana is in reality the biological daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. Her mother hid this from her, using the mythical stories to protect her from Ares.
Themyscira Replaces Paradise Island As Her Home
In DC Comics, Wonder Woman was from Paradise Island. This was the history of Diana since she was introduced, but when George Perez reimagined her in 1986 after Crisis on Infinite Earths, he created the city of Themyscira. However, he had that city destroyed, forcing the Amazons to go into hiding on Paradise Island.
In the Wonder Woman movie adaptation, the Amazons went to Themyscira for their own protection after a war with the gods. This means that Themyscira is the name of Paradise Island in the movies and not the original home of Wonder Woman's people.
Wonder Woman's Reasons For Leaving Home Changed
Wonder Woman left Themyscira in the movie when Steve Trevor accidentally landed on the island. Diana say this and learned from Steve about World War I and how the nations of the planet were trying to destroy each other.
Wonder Woman left to step into this fight because she believed it was Ares causing the war. In the comics, Diana trained to become a warrior and was the chosen one to represent the Amazons in the Man's World, meaning she was chosen and didn't make the decision to leave home.
Wonder Woman Was Allowed To Return In The Comics
Because Wonder Woman chose to leave Themyscira to fight a war in the world of men, she was banned from ever returning home. The Amazons lived on their island to protect themselves from the outside world and they could not risk allowing Diana to return once she went into the world of men.
This is nothing like the comics. Ever since the beginning, Wonder Woman fought in the world of man as the Amazon's champion. She could return home anytime she wanted. She even trained new warriors on the island in her spare time and was never banished.
The Invisible Jet
There was a moment in Wonder Woman where she and Steve Trevor stole an experimental jet. As they were racing into the sky and trying to avoid an attack to shoot them down, they figured out how to turn the jet invisible, even to radar equipment, and that helped them escape.
This was a fun Easter egg from the Wonder Woman movie. In the comics, Diana has her own invisible jet that she uses to get around. It is her version of the Batmobile, something that she does not possess in the movies.
Wonder Woman Dated Superman In The Comics
When Wonder Woman joined the Justice League, she mostly interacted with Batman. She was also still mourning the death of Steve Trevor, even though that happened decades in the past. It was made clear that Diana really didn't date.
When she finally met Superman, he was dating Lois Lane and they were a serious couple. In the DC New 52, Superman was not dating Lois Lane at first and he ended up in a romantic relationship with Wonder Woman. At no time in the movies has Wonder Woman had eyes for anyone other than Steve, and Superman only had eyes for Lois.
Steve Trevor Never Died In The Comics
In Wonder Woman comic books, she and Steve Trevor have always been contemporaries. In the movie, she met Steve in World War I, so there was no way he would last to her arrival with the Justice League. Instead, Steve sacrificed his life to save the world, although he returned in a strange way in Wonder Woman 1984.
In the comics, Steve Trevor was with Wonder Woman in the present day. The two had a romantic relationship in classic comics and in the New 52 they were allies sometimes, although Steve worked for the government and Diana operated independently.
Superman Predated Wonder Woman In The Comics
In the DCEU, it was perfectly stated that Wonder Woman was the first known superhero on Earth. She fought in World War I, although she kept her identity hidden from all but those closest to her. She then stayed hidden mostly, but was still around before any other hero on Earth.
Superman landed on Earth and has aged mostly like every other human since that time. His adoptive mother is still alive and aged at the same length as him. This means Diana was around for around six decades before Superman showed up. In DC Comics history, Superman was the first superhero, and Wonder Woman came along after him.
Wonder Woman Arrived In A Different War In The DCEU
In the comic books, Wonder Woman fought in the war against Nazis and helped fight for freedom. However, in the books, this was World War II when she showed up as a hero. Superman was around before this war began but after World War I had already ended.
In the movies, it was World War I that brought Wonder Woman to the man's world to fight in 1918. This put her debut almost 30 years earlier than it was in the comics, against a very different enemy.
Wonder Woman Stayed Hidden For Years In The DCEU
In Wonder Woman 1984, no one had ever heard of Wonder Woman. She was living a hidden existence, working as Diana Prince and moonlighting as a superhero, but she did it in a way where no one could ever identify her. She broke out security cameras and tried to play it sneaky.
This is not what happened in the comics. Diana showed up to fight in World War II and she joined the Justice League. She was a hero from the start and never once hid what she was doing from the public. Stealthing around and saving people was never Wonder Woman's style in the comic books.