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| Fausta Grables | |
| Aliases: | Fräulein Grables Rora Blank Eloise Livingston Wonder Woman The Nazi Wonder Woman |
| Continuity: | Wonder Woman TV series |
| Notability: | Antagonist |
| Type: | Supervillain |
| Gender: | Female |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | Berlin, Germany |
| First: | Comic Cavalcade #2 |
| Final: | "Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman" |
| Actor: | Lynda Day George Rachel Pickup |
Fausta Grables is a fictional Nazi and super-villainess featured in comic books published by DC Comics. She was originally introduced during DC's Golden Age era in Comic Cavalcade #2 in the Spring of 1943 in a story titled "Wanted By Hitler, Dead or Alive". The character was re-imagined in 1976 for the ABC Wonder Woman live-action television series where she was played by actress Lynda Day George. She made a single appearance as the featured villain in the season one episode, "Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman". Another version of Fausta Grables made a minor appearance in the 2017 Wonder Woman feature film. She was played by actress Rachel Pickup.
Biography[]
Fausta Grables was a German woman from Berchtesgaden. She first gained prominence for her athletic prowess in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. By 1942, Fausta was a committed member of the Nazi party holding the rank of Colonel.
In the Spring of that year, Nazi agents recovered footage of an amazing Allied hero known as Wonder Woman. Colonel Grables presented this footage to Adolf Hitler who remained entranced by it for over six hours. He appointed her as his special emissary and assigned her to a project known as Operation: Fräulein. Grables operated from a secret Nazi headquarters in Berlin under the auspices of Colonel Kesselmann. Kesselmann took an instant dislike to Grables, and feared that she might attempt to usurp his authority. However, she convinced him of the importance of Operation: Fräulein and the group set about capturing Wonder Woman.
Fausta and several Nazi agents sneaked into the United States, whereupon she took on the guise of a cleaning woman. She infiltrated the War Department and used knockout gas to capture Major Steve Trevor. She hid Trevor at the South River Defense Plant, then made a telephone call to the War Department. She knew that Trevor had a close connection to Wonder Woman, and hoped that his abduction could bait her into a trap. Using the alias Eloise Livingston, Fausta spoke with Yeoman 1st Class Diana Prince, and warned her that Trevor had been kidnapped. What she didn't realize was that Diana Prince was also Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman rescued Trevor and grappled with Mueller, one of Fausta's underlings, while Grables watched from a safe distance. She was amazed at the mystical properties of Wonder Woman's golden lasso and believed that this item held the key to her power.
Fausta's next plan of action required her direct involvement. Disguising herself as Wonder Woman, she made a special appearance at a bond rally for federal employees. She demonstrated her great strength by scoring the highest possible mark at "ring the bell". While the soldiers cheered, the real Wonder Woman appeared and one-upped Grables by striking the mallet so hard, that the bell clapper flew off the top of the pole. Although someone perplexed, the spectators believe that the dual Wonder Women was merely part of the show. The next obstacle was a weight lifting competition. When Wonder Woman prepared to lift a barbell, Fausta's agents activated a trap door beneath her. Wonder Woman fell beneath the stage, and the spies were able to incapacitate her and steal the lasso. They hurriedly piled Wonder Woman into a waiting vehicle and started driving towards a private airfield. Steve Trevor immediately recognized that the first "Wonder Woman" to appear on the stage was obviously a fraud, and that the true Wonder Woman was in great danger.
Fausta brought Wonder Woman back to Berlin. She stripped her of her magic belt and bound her to an interrogation table with her own lasso. She explained to Colonel Kesselmann that the lasso forced anyone bound with it to tell the truth. Kesselmann didn't believe her and felt that she was only trying to make him look foolish. Angrily, he snatched the belt from Fausta's hand and threw it towards Wonder Woman. Though bound, Wonder Woman caught the belt, and was able to use her renewed strength to break free. She grappled with Fausta, quickly defeating her and made her escape.
As luck would have it, Steve Trevor made private arrangements to sneak behind enemy lines to rescue Wonder Woman. When he finally arrived at the Nazi castle, Wonder Woman had long since escaped. Fausta and the others captured Trevor and decided to use him as bait to trap Wonder Woman anew. Upon learning of Steve's capture, Wonder Woman returned to Berlin and found Steve chained to a dungeon wall. Kesselmann prided himself on the various traps and pitfalls he maintained throughout the castle, and activated a switch that forced the walls to close in on them. Wonder Woman and Steve evaded the crushing walls, but soon found themselves trapped in a deep cistern filled with water. At the surface of the pit, Kesselmann operated a device that would send 50,000 volts of electricity into the cistern, killing them both. Fausta and Kesselmann continued to argue with one another, and Wonder Woman used this conflict towards her advantage. She pleaded with Fausta, telling her that she was a strong, intelligent woman, and that she should not have to receive such harsh treatment from men like Kesselmann. The ploy finally worked, and Fausta turned against her Nazi colleagues. She grappled with Kesslemann and threw him into the cistern. She then dropped a rope down into the pit, allowing Wonder Woman and Steve to climb to safety. Outside the castle, Fausta returned Wonder Woman's belt and lasso and thanked her for helping her to see the light. Trevor was also grateful that Fausta betrayed the party, and he made special arrangements for her to work as a double agent for the German underground in Berlin.
Fausta's activities with the German underground and her actions following the war remain unknown.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Fausta Grables was created by writer William Moulton Marston and artist Frank Godwin. The character was expanded upon by director Barry Crane, writers Bruce Shelly and David Ketchum and developer Stanley Ralph Ross.
- Actress Lynda Day George was the wife of actor Christopher George, who played Rojak in "Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman". Christopher George is best known for playing the role of Ben Richards on the TV series The Immortal. His wife appeared in two episodes of the show.