What is DC’s current legal status with Wonder Woman?

[Primal Slayer]

Five year timeskip between seasons, remember? There's no reason Cassie couldn't have still shown up in season 2 if Donna was in season 1. They added a lot of characters that season (Blue Beetle, Static, Batgirl, among others).

Cassie did show in S2 but if they had access to them earlier they would've had to choose between her or Donna in S1.

[wonder39]

"Legal reasons" can be lots of things. One strong possibility for what Weisman mentions is that WB or DC had already written a contract with another entity about using Wonder Girl for their project, but that that was cancelled sometime between the initial communication and Geoff Johns joining the project. Heck, perhaps it was Geoff Johns who had the option to use the characters in the first place.

From what I can tell, DC Comics owns the trademark for Wonder Woman outright (at least it's registered in their name). The copyright situation might be trickier, and it might be what the Marston family refers to, but that only pertains to the original stories. I note that the Golden Age omnibus (2017) refers to the original stories as copyright DC Comics 1941–1943, so there might be a contract between the Marston family and DC regarding the copyright of those.

The original agreement still stands with the Marston Family. If DC lags in their use of the character, WW reverts back to the Marston Family.

Whatever the compensation/ trademark/etc entails , who knows. But DC does not own the character outright as Kurt Busiek incorrectly mentioned several years ago

[Hypo]

The family still retains ownership of th3 character, and the information provided by Busiek regarding DC now owning the character outright is not correct. This is per family member Christie Marston.

Confirmed by another granddaughter, Nancy Wykoff, as well:

Granddaughter of Wonder Woman's creator - her first interview

I understand that your family still owns Wonder Woman. Does that mean that DC Comics needs the family's approval for all Wonder Woman stories and products?

Yes, they need family approval before any decisions are made.

And a tweet from Christie Marston as well:

https://twitter.com/ChristieMarston/...43707577245696

Wasn't there like a requirement that whatever Diana is doing she has to be a main character or something?

Yes, quote from Paul Dini back in the day:

Rowing down the Styx: The history of Wonder Woman (not being) featured in the media

“There’s kind of a licensing problem: if we wanted to do Wonder Woman as a series, we could do that, [but] if it was a guest-shot, it was a little more problematic. I don’t really understand it—it just turned out to be easier all the way around [to use Big Barda in the Batman Beyond episode ‘The Call’…] we love Wonder Woman—Bruce [Timm] did that great design of her, which is now a maquette at the Warner Bros. store. At some point, we’ll do Wonder Woman…we just need to fight that battle when we get to it .”

[Primal Slayer]

And of course WB rather WW be nowhere than give her, her own animated series.

[I'm a Fish]

My main takeaway is that Ms. Marston directly approved for Wonder Woman to be in Space Jam 2.

[John Venus]

I have heard that Paul Dini quote but on the heels of yet another Superman and Batman, I'm floored at the fact that even though it's easier to make a WW show than have her as a guest star, they would still not commit to solo WW features. Wow.

[Primal Slayer]

My main takeaway is that Ms. Marston directly approved for Wonder Woman to be in Space Jam 2.

Im pretty sure they dont do that anymore. WW has been a guest star in a lot animated content since JLU ended.

[Gaius]

Confirmed by another granddaughter, Nancy Wykoff, as well:

Granddaughter of Wonder Woman's creator - her first interview


And a tweet from Christie Marston as well:

https://twitter.com/ChristieMarston/...43707577245696





Yes, quote from Paul Dini back in the day:

Rowing down the Styx: The history of Wonder Woman (not being) featured in the media

Oh, that's neat. Nice to see the estate still has some degree of control over it.

[WonderLight789]

Oh, that's neat. Nice to see the estate still has some degree of control over it.

Doesn't look like it has ever helped to stop WW from being treated poorly.

[Gaius]

Doesn't look like it has ever helped to stop WW from being treated poorly.

Yeah, but that's on WB and DC not them.

I was referring more to how in comparison the decades and loops people had to go through to get stuff like Siegal and Schuster creator credit for Superman or Bill Finger for Batman.

[WonderLight789]

Yeah, but that's on WB and DC not them.

I was referring more to how in comparison the decades and loops people had to go through to get stuff like Siegal and Schuster creator credit for Superman or Bill Finger for Batman.

Which why i said what i said. The Marston family doesn't seem to have any power to avoid all the ##### that happens to WW and her lore.