Mild spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman 1984, now on HBO Max, brings DC Comics’ Princess Diana (Gal Gadot) into the 1980s. The sequel also updates Wonder Woman with elements from the comics, including rivals Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), even if the latter is more a Justice League ally-turned-enemy. Wonder Woman 1984 also introduces iconic accessories of Wonder Woman, like the “Golden Eagle” armor heavily featured in the film’s promotional materials. Another classic piece of equipment, hinted at in the trailers, that Wonder Woman 1984 introduces is her Invisible Jet.
This transparent transportation is featured when Diana and a resurrected Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) must travel to Cairo. At a D.C. Airbase they steal a Panavia Tornado aircraft, but in the excitement, Diana forgets to inform the 1910s fighter-pilot Steve about “radar.” Therefore, to cover their escape, Diana conjures an enchantment to obscure the plane from sight. She explains she had been “experimenting” with the same kind of magic Zeus used to keep her home of Themyscira hidden from the outside world.
In the first Wonder Woman, Diana candidly explained she was “sculpted from clay and brought to life by Zeus,” although it’s left vague whether this is literal or whether she is a direct demigod (both origins being used in the comics). Whatever the exact relation, Wonder Woman 1984 reveals a deeper magical ability than Diana is usually granted.
The Invisible Jet, ironically, is one of the most recognized parts of Wonder Woman lore. Despite arguably being the world’s most famous female superhero, Wonder Woman does not have the same pop-culture prominence as Superman or Batman. Before 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Diana hadn’t even appeared in a feature film before. Of course, Wonder Woman is instantly recognizable, but the intricacies of her mythology are still largely unknown to mainstream audiences. Yet the Invisible Jet is one aspect that has stuck in the popular consciousness, even if mostly through gentle mocking of its Silver Age silliness without much clue as to its origins.
Wonder Woman’s first appearance was in a back-up story of All-Star Comics #8 (1942), but her first full story was a month later in Sensation Comics #1 (1942). Right on the first page with her was the Invisible Jet. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, intended the Jet to be allegorical for Depression-era women existing “unseen and unchallenged” in male-dominated areas. In the story, the Jet was necessary to transport an injured Steve Trevor back to America, especially since at this point (much like Superman) Wonder Woman could not fly. In these earlier incarnations, the Jet (then termed the “Robot Plane”) could respond to Diana’s voice and thoughts, with her often drawn as riding on top of it.
The Jet was simply rendered as another piece of marvelous Amazonian technology, like their scrying Magic Circle or Purple Healing Ray. An “origin” of sorts was provided in Wonder Woman #80 (1956), which showed Diana’s mother Hippolyta instructing her to acquire this “robot plane” for her mission to man’s world. The parts have been scattered around Paradise Island, with the issue being a scavenger hunt of Diana assembling the plane. The pieces are transparent but seemingly visible given how Diana finds them, but other issues confirm the plane as being invisible.
However, a different and more bizarre origin is given in Wonder Woman #128 (1961), as a story Diana tells to two young versions of herself (it only gets stranger from here). Here, Diana asks Hippolyta for a means of transport for her mission, and the two go to consult Athena. The Goddess leads Wonder Woman, in a round-about way to the bottom of the ocean, which leads to a water-sprout that propels Diana into the air, to a Pegasus. After taming this winged steed, it then transforms into the Invisible Jet, showing it not as a “robot plane” but as a divine mount.
The Invisible Jet penetrated the popular-consciousness through Wonder Woman’s 1970s TV appearances, such as the Super Friends cartoon or her live-action series with Lynda Carter. The imagery of Wonder Woman (and her passengers) being suspended in the air alongside a vaguely transparent jet is a kooky image that has stuck with Diana. Some dismissed such campy imagery, but others have come to embrace it. But as the comics went on, Wonder Woman increasingly relied on her ability to “ride air currents” (not fully flying, but approximately so) instead of the Jet. For a while in the comics Diana was also a depowered martial artist, leaving her Invisible Jet (and many aspects of her original mythology) behind.
After Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985), all of DC continuity was rebooted, including Wonder Woman. Now, Diana was depicted as being molded from clay and brought to life by various Greek deities, including Hermes bestowing her the power of flight. This more Epic approach diluted the Amazons’ modern technology, and the post-Crisis Invisible Jet would not appear until Wonder Woman vol. 2, #115 (1996). Here, the alien Lanisarians used it to escape from Wonder Woman’s pursuit. The Jet was a sentient “Morphing Disk” which could fluidly shapeshift into any shape or vehicle, and is eventually “gifted” to Diana by the Lanisarians. But the Jet (nicknamed “Wonder Dome”) is treated as a living ally that Wonder Woman openly communicates with, even if it can rarely talk back.
“Wonder Dome” went through several other changes, including sacrificing itself in Wonder Woman vol. 2, #201 against a tidal wave that damaged its sentient core, rendering it in the “dead” shape of a plane. Diana was also granted an Invisible Plane by Batman, but it didn’t get much use. In modern times, the Jet’s usage is rare, but it is still sometimes showcased. DC Rebirth (another continuity reboot) shows the Amazons reconfiguring Steve Trevor’s crashed plane into a rebuilt invisible one (in Wonder Woman vol. 5, #4) and also has Natasha Irons rebuild a new one for Wonder Woman (in Wonder Woman vol. 5, #82).
The Invisible Jet is a silly part of Wonder Woman’s history, much like her pet kangaroo Jumpa. But it’s also a staple of her iconography that eventually follows most iterations of her character. From the animated Justice League show to Wonder Woman 1984, the Invisible Jet is never far behind.
Wonder Woman’s power of flight means she has technically outgrown it. Even Wonder Woman 1984 itself has Diana learn to fly (“riding air currents” much like her pre-Crisis powers), rendering the Invisible Jet inert in the same film in which it’s introduced. Indeed, after Steve and Diana’s escape scene, the Jet isn’t used again. Yet there is something endearing about this equipment, an outward comic book silliness that creators cannot help but reinvent or embrace. Even if it isn’t strictly necessary, the Invisible Jet is an established part of Wonder Woman’s arsenal, which always turns up before long.
Wonder Woman 1984 is currently available on HBO Max.
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