Wonder Woman first appeared in comics in 1941, created by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist. Marston had developed the systolic blood pressure test that became an important part of the modern polygraph. The idea came from his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, who noticed her blood pressure rose when she was angry or excited. Marston wanted a hero who won with love rather than brute force, and Holloway insisted the hero be a woman. Their household included Olive Byrne, and the family's unconventional arrangement influenced the character. The stories also drew on the suffrage movement, with chains symbolising emancipation. The character has changed with each decade, reflecting the gender ideas of the times.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.