Duke of Deception

The Duke of Deception is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Based on Dolos, the Roman mythological deity of deceit and lies, he debuted in 1942’s Wonder Woman #2 as a treacherous operative of the war god Mars/Ares. He would become one of Wonder Woman's most persistent foes, appearing regularly in her adventures throughout the Golden, Silver and Bronze Age of Comics. Evolving into an antagonist independent of Ares, he has frequently confronted Wonder Woman and her allies as a powerful autonomous threat with his own aims of conquest.

For the greater part of his publication history, the Duke's origin and identity was not established, nor was his precise position within DC Comics’ mythological pantheon. The 2020 feature film Wonder Woman 1984 suggested that the Duke had a specific mythological antecedent, Dolos. In 2022's Wonder Woman #788, writers Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan confirm this; the Duke identifies himself by name as Dolos, as does Wonder Woman, suggesting unchronicled previous interactions in DC's Rebirth-era continuity.