Princess Maru

Princess Maru, known as Doctor Poison, is a villain in the DC Comics Universe. She is an enemy to Wonder Woman.

Character
Princess Maru has appeared in multiple adaptations.

Earth-2
The first Princess Maru appeared in Sensation Comics #2 on February 1947. She was the Japanese Imperial Princess and disguised herself as a male. Unidentified, she managed to wrest control of a German Nazi espionage cell in Japan, intending to wreak havoc in the United States under the guise of "Doctor Poison". Eventually, her subjects captured Diana Prince and Steve Trevor and delivered them to Doctor Poison's hideout. Doctor Poison tried to interrogate Trevor with a drug in order to have him spill military secrets but Diana prevented it by sabotagoing the needle. After learning false secrets from Trevor, Maru had both Steve and Diana locked up seperately.

In order to destroy the US forces, Maru invented the drug "Reverso", which caused that everyone subjected to the drug would from now on do the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do. After her men contaminate an army camp with the drug, the morale of the US soldiers is severely weakened. However, Diana had already freed herself and contacted an old friend whose team she used to infiltrate Maru's mansion again. Diana managed to free Steve and then confronts Doctor Poison, learning her true identity as a woman and royal position. Maru is forced to reveal the antidote of the Reverso drug to Steve Trevor and is then apprehended and arrested.

Maru escaped a year later. Maru continued her experiments and eventually fabricated a new gas which stopped the engines of US airplanes. She was again taken down by Wonder Woman and this time, Maru was imprisoned on the Amazon penal colony Transformation Island.

Maru later appeared as a member of Villainy Inc, together with Eviless, Giganta, Queen Clea, Byrna Brilyant, Hypnota, Zara and Cheetah. The eight women were defeated by Wonder Woman once again.

New Earth
This version of Princess Maru appeared in Wonder Woman: Our Worlds at War #1. During World War II, she was an enemy to Hippolyta and a member of Villainy, Inc.

Prime Earth
This version of Doctor Poison first appeared in Wonder Woman Vol 4 #48'''. '''Although her first name is unknown, he last name is still Maru. However, she is not a Japanese princess but a Russian toxocologist. Her parents were killed by the Russian government after allegedly cooperating with the Americans to produce a chemical weapon. In fact, her parents had refused to build the weapon for the Americans. Maru made it her goal to fulfil her parents' poison bomb to use it against the Americans. However, her plans are foiled by Wonder Woman who is informed by a scientist Maru captured for her plans. Although Maru was arrested, she was able to flee from the prison van.

In Other Media
see: Doctor Poison (DC Extended Universe)

Doctor Poison appears as a supporting antagonist in the 2017 movie Wonder Woman. She is an ally of General Ludendorff and is experimenting to create a gas weapon with which to win World War I.

Trivia

 * Doctor Poison was created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter.