Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck in 1973 as part of DC Comics’ attempt to diversify its all-white roster of superheroes and attract more readers. She debuted in Wonder Woman #204, where she was revealed to be Wonder Woman’s long-lost twin sister, who was kidnapped by Ares, the god of war when they were babies. Ares raised Nubia as his daughter and trained her to be a fierce warriors and champion. He also gave her a magical sword and armor that could open dimensional portals and turn enemies to stone with her gaze.

Nubia first encountered Wonder Woman when she led an army of men to invade Paradise Island, the home of the Amazons. The two sisters fought each other for the title of Wonder Woman, but their battle was interrupted by Ares, who revealed their genuine relationship. Nubia then renounced Ares and joined forces with Wonder Woman to stop his evil plans. She also learned that her real name was Nubia, meaning “golden,” and she was the rightful queen of a floating island of Black Amazons.

Nubia appeared sporadically throughout Wonder Woman’s Bronze Age adventures, often as a rival or an ally to her sister. She also had a romantic interest in Jason, Wonder Woman’s brother, who the gods stole at birth. However, after 1979, Nubia disappeared from the comics for almost two decades due to editorial direction and continuity changes.

In 1999, Nubia was reintroduced as Nu’Bia in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) Annual #8 by Doselle Young and Brian Denham. In this version, she was not Wonder Woman’s twin sister but an Amazon contemporary who preceded Diana as the champion of Themyscira. She was assigned by Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s mother and the queen of the Amazons, to guard Doom’s Doorway, a portal to the underworld that was located on the island. She spent thousands of years fighting off demons and monsters until Wonder Woman freed her during a crisis. She then joined Wonder Woman and other Amazons in their adventures.

In the 2000s, several alternative versions of Nubia were also featured as Wonder Woman in different parallel worlds. For example, on Earth-23, Nubia was the president of the United States and a member of Justice Incarnate, a team of heroes from across the multiverse. On Earth-49, Nubia was one of the few survivors of a zombie apocalypse caused by an Anti-Life Equation infection. On Earth-1, Nubia was a friend and ally of Diana in Wonder Woman: Earth One, a graphic novel series by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette.

In the 2020s, Nubia has gained more prominence and visibility in DC’s post-Rebirth continuity. She appeared in Future State (2021), a series that showed possible futures for DC’s heroes. In one of them, Nubia became the new Wonder Woman after Diana ascended to godhood. She had to deal with threats such as Grail, the daughter of Darkseid and an Amazonian assassin; Warworld, a planet-sized weapon controlled by Mongul; and Yara Flor, another Wonder Woman from Brazil.

Nubia also starred in her limited series, Nubia & the Amazons (2021-2022), which explored her backstory and relationship with Hippolyta. In this series, Nubia became the queen of Themyscira after Hippolyta left to join the Justice League. She faced challenges such as welcoming new Amazons who the Well of Souls resurrected; dealing with political intrigues and rivalries among the Amazon tribes; and preventing a war between Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall, another Amazon nation.

Nubia’s story will continue in Trial of the Amazons (2022), a crossover event that will involve all the Wonder Women characters; Nubia: Queen of the Amazons (2022), a four-issue miniseries that will focus on Nubia’s reign; and Diana & Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons (2023), a graphic novel for young readers that will show Nubia and Diana’s childhood adventures.

Nubia has also been heavily featured across DC’s Infinite Frontier Wonder Woman publications, including the limited series Nubia & the Amazons (2021), Trial of the Amazons (2022), and Nubia: Queen of the Amazons (2022). In these stories, Nubia has become the new queen of Themyscira after Hippolyta left to join the Justice League. She has to deal with the challenges of ruling a nation of immortal warriors and the arrival of new Amazons from different backgrounds and cultures.

In addition to comic books, Nubia has appeared in other media forms. She made her animated debut in Super Friends (1978), voiced by Judy Strangis. She also appeared in video games such as DC Universe Online (2011) and DC Legends (2016). She is set to appear in an upcoming animated film titled Justice League: Gods & Monsters Chronicles (2022), voiced by Cree Summer.

Nubia is also the star of a  young adult graphic novels commissioned by DC Comics: Nubia: Real One (2021) by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith, and Diana & Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons (2022) by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Victoria Ying. In Nubia: Real One, Nubia is a teenage girl who tries to balance her everyday life with her superpowers while facing racism, sexism, and police brutality.