Origin
Young Steve Trevor always wanted to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a test pilot for the Air Force. After discovering from his father that his mother had died in a plane crash, Trevor set out to accomplish his goals. He graduated the academy and worked his way up to the rank of Colonel. One mission had him test pilot the fighter jet, the Phantom. During the course of flight, Trevor was attacked by a minion of Ares and crash-landed onto Themyscira, where he met Princess Diana who would later become known as Wonder Woman.
Creation
Steve Trevor was created by William Moulton Marston and was first penciled by Harry G. Peter up until his death. The character first appeared in All-Star Comics #8, in December of 1941.
Character Evolution
Golden Age
Steve Trevor was an officer in the Air Force, serving under General Phil Darnell. During one mission against the Nazis in World War II, Steve Trevor’s plane was shot down, and he crash landed on Paradise Island. Gravely injured, he was taken in by the Amazons’ princess, Diana, and her best friend Mala. Diana was immediately taken by the man’s presence, and thanks to the advanced technology on Paradise Island, the doctors were able to heal Steve Trevor. The Amazons’ Queen, Hippolyta, held a contest for the Amazons to decide who would deliver Steve Trevor back to the United States. Unbeknownst to Hippolyta, the winner was her own daughter, Diana, who as the winner became Wonder Woman.
After flying Steve Trevor back to the United States in her invisible jet, Wonder Woman posed as his nurse, and later got a job working with him in the military as General Darnell’s secretary. Steve Trevor was unable to discover that secretary Diana Prince and superheroine Wonder Woman were the same person, and had fallen for Wonder Woman himself. As Wonder Woman’s love interest, Steve Trevor faced attacks from many of her villains, including Giganta, Queen Clea, and Gundra the Valkyrie.
Married
When the DC Universe adopted the convention that the Golden Age adventures took place on the parallel world of Earth-Two, it was learned that Wonder Woman eventually gave up her secret identity, married Steve Trevor, and became the mother of Hippolyta “Lyta” Trevor, who became the super heroine Fury. Although she had given up her immortality by marrying Trevor, this Wonder Woman was still aging at a much slower rate than her husband.
Silver Age
In the 1960s, the start of Wonder Woman‘s silver age. When the Amazons claimed they needed to leave this world for another dimension in order to “renew their magic,” and Diana renounced her powers and her Wonder Woman identity in order to remain with Steve. Now operating full-time as a nonpowered Diana Prince, she gave herself a “mod” makeover in order to go undercover when Trevor was accused of being a double-agent. She got this identity by winning the opportunity after competing against several women in a contest of skills. Diana Prince was first a nurse who then followed Steve to military intelligence.
Bronze Age
After William Moulton Marston passed away, Wonder Woman’s supporting cast shifted to only include Steve Trevor and Hippolyta. Despite an ongoing presence, Steve Trevor’s only role was to chase after Wonder Woman while being chased after by her alter-ego, Diana Prince. Often serving as damsel-in-distress, Steve would constantly require rescuing from Wonder Woman from her many new adversaries, including Angle Man, Mouse Man, and the Silver Swan. Steve Trevor was killed off on several occasions in the Silver Age, most prominently by Doctor Cyber, which ignited the mod era of Wonder Woman. Later, Steve Trevor was brought back to life by Aphrodite. Doctor Psycho used Steve Trevor’s image to create Captain Wonder, a male version of Wonder Woman. In the final issue of the Bronze Age Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor got his wish and was able to marry the woman of his dreams.
Post-Crisis
Considerably older than his Golden Age counterpart, Steve Trevor was once again a military officer who crashed into Paradise Island. It was later revealed his mother, Diana Rockwell Trevor, had also crashed onto the island. She had rescued the Amazons of Themyscira from the monster Cottus, but died in the process. The Amazons deemed Diana Trevor a hero, causing them to use the American flag as an icon for their champion, Wonder Woman. After recovering from his injuries, Steve aided Wonder Woman in battling Ares and his minions. Steve developed a close friendship with Wonder Woman, but it remained strictly platonic. He instead went on to marry his aide, Etta Candy. He soon became the Deputy Secretary of Defense for the U.S. Government, though he remained in Wonder Woman’s life.
The New 52
After the events of Flashpoint, history is rewritten and a new origin for the Justice League is introduced. Set in the past during the days leading up to the formation of the League, the story reveals a conversation between a young Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller. In the conversation, Steve tries to convince Waller that Diana and the Amazons are not a threat to global security, as they are benevolent. In the following issue, Steve is introduced as a government liaison assigned to watch over Diana during her stay in Washington, D.C.
Steve Trevor is established in the seventh issue of Justice League to be the head of the newly formed A.R.G.U.S (Advanced Research Group for Uniting Superhumans), a former member of Team 7, and the liaison to the UN for the Justice League. Promoted to the rank of Colonel, his assistant is Etta Candy. He confides to Etta that he has confessed his romantic interest to Wonder Woman, but his feelings were not reciprocated. Steve Trevor is ousted as the liason of the Justice League and the liason between the League and ARGUS. Steve Trevor is in a pub brooding when Green Arrow in his civies comes in. He tells Trevor in ran into an individual calling himself Multiplex. A blinding light knocks Arrow out and when he awakes there is a communicator with a weird insignia on the face. Trevor then has Arrow go on a dsangerous mission for him.
Major Story Arcs
Odyssey
Steve Trevor recently appeared as a doctor in Wonder Woman’s altered timeline, along with Etta Candy. He is depicted as significantly younger than his post-crisis version.
Flashpoint
Steve Trevor is one of the members of the Resistance who oppose Aquaman and Wonder Woman in the alternate Flashpoint timeline. While responding to a distress call from Lois Lane, Steve Trevor is captured and interrogated by Wonder Woman before being presumably killed or neutered.
Captain Wonder
Captain Wonder is a villain who was created by combining Doctor Psycho and Steve Trevor. He battled the Pre-Crisis Wonder Woman and was a love interest to the original Silver Swan.
Created from the fantasies of Steve Trevor, Captain Wonder has powers similar to Wonder Woman’s, based on his fantasy only more intense. Captain Wonder possesses superhuman strength, speed and agility. He is capable of true flight as opposed to what was then Amazonian flight, gliding on air currents. He wears Amazonian-style bracelets but it is unknown whether they functioned as Wonder Woman’s bracelets do. He was able to take mental control of both Wonder Woman’s invisible plane and her golden Lasso of Truth.
Personal Data
- Height: 6′ 0″
- Weight: 172 lbs
- Hair: Blond
- Eyes: Blue
- Marital Status: Single
- Citizenship: American
- Occupation: Navy Officer, Government Agent
- Base: Washington, D.C.
- Known Relatives: Tracy Trevor (sister)
Alternate Versions
Justice
In Alex Ross’s Justice series, Steve Trevor is one of the many loved ones of the Justice League members to get kidnapped by the Legion of Doom.
AME-COMI Comic
The story starts in the white house, with Steve Trevor briefing the President about the ancient island of Themyscira and the imminent attack on the island by the nation of Kasnia. The president seems indifferent to the attack. Meanwhile in Themyscira Princess Diana is practicing combat with three minotaurs when Queen Hippolyta shows up the summons the Princess as she was visited by the oracle, who informed her of “pressing matters”. However at the same moment the forces of Kasnia mount an attack on Themyscira. As the amazons prepare to defend their home against the invaders, Princess Diana is forbidden by her mother to take part in the battle. She leaves an amazon to watch over her and to make sure that she doesn’t get involved in the battle. However Diana manages to knock out her watcher and escape. Although the Amazons fight valiantly they are hard pressed by the mordern technological weapons of the Kasnians. Just as the Kasnians gain the upper hand and the Amazons are about to retreat Princess Diana arrives in complete battle attire.
Other Media
Wonder Woman (1975) telefilm
Steve Trevor played a prominent role in the Wonder Woman television series (1975), portrayed by Kaz Garas..
Wonder Woman: the Television Series (1975-79)
Season one took place during WW1. Major Steve Trevor answered to Brigadier General Blankenship and had Yeoman First Class, Diana Prince working under him by the end of the pilot episode. While he greatly respected Diana, he never felt anything romantic and never knew she was Wonder Woman.
Season 2 and onwards took place in contemporary times with Steve Trevor Jr. working for the Inter-Agency Defense Command (IADC), a blend of the CIA and FBI. It’s never revealed who his mother was, but given that the show took place Pre-Crisis, it was most likely not Etta. When Wonder Woman (who doesn’t age) rescues him, he recognizes her from his dad’s stories. Though he works with Diana Prince, who sometimes doesn’t wear glasses in some episodes, he never, ever figured it out.
Sr. and Jr. are both played by actor Lyle Waggoner.
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
Steve Trevor appears as an astronaut. He also makes a cameo in Superfriends.
Wonder Woman: Balance of Power (2006)
Steve Trevor appears in the sequel to the popular fan film Wonder Woman: Battle of Justice, the Amazon Princess continues her battle against corporate thugs of the sinister World Inc. This time, the corporation has hired a ruthless bounty hunter to lure the world’s greatest superheroine into a deadly trap. When this new nemesis kidnaps Steve Trevor and prepares to unleash a devastating new weapon, will the final confrontation end with the destruction of Wonder Woman?
Justice League
Steve Trevor appears in the animated series voiced by Patrick Duffy, as a WWII spy for the Allies that Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter encounter on their way to Berlin, from where Vandal Savage is leading the Axis forces. Diana elects to protect Steve as he is on a vital mission to rescue a scientist who’s cracked the Axis’ coded transmissions. Steve initially comes across Diana as a strange man since he appears to be care free, like suddenly kissing her before rushing into battle and enjoying a glass of vine in a bomb stuck farm house, on the other hand Steve refers to Diana as Angel and is caught of guard by the sheer physical power she has. When the scientist is safe Diana has leave Steve to help the rest of the League prevent Savage from attacking the US using advanced bomber planes. After their success against Savage and return to their own time, Diana finds Trevor as a tired old man living in a retirement home for war veterans, though she still remembers her when they meet again.
Wonder Woman
Trevor appears in the DC Original animated movie, voiced by Nathan Fillion, as his classic role as the fighter pilot that crash lands on Paradise Island and being the reason that Diana would venture into Man’s World as Wonder Woman. Though Steve is smitten by Diana, even trying to get her drunk, which fails miserably as she ends up calling him a light-weight drinker, his feelings are bushed off by the warrior princess for most of the movie, though she warms to him in the end.
Steve Trevor appeared in the Wonder Woman television series pilot (2011), portrayed by Justin Bruening.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold
He appears in the episode “Scorn of the Star Sapphire.” He is rescued by Wonder Woman after both he and Batman are captured by Baroness von Gunther. He is later seen in “Triumvirate of Terror,” getting rescued by Wonder Woman after an attack from the Cheetah. A running gag in the series is that Trevor is a useless damsel-in-distress.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Steve Trevor is to make his first live-action debut on the big screen in the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, played by actor Chris Pine. The movie is the fourth installment in the DC Extended Universe and takes place during the World War 1 era, with Steve as a pilot crashing near Paradise Island and being found by Diana on the beach.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Chris Pine is to reprise his role as Steve Trevor is the upcoming Wonder Woman sequel in 2020.