While Wonder Woman has long used her bracelets to deflect bullets in epic fashion, particularly in recent films like Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984, where Diana is portrayed by Gal Gadot. As revealed by Sensation Comics #1, she learned her bullet deflection ability early in life, originally considering it a game.
Sensation Comics began publishing in 1941. This title from DC Comics starred Wonder Woman following her first appearance in All Star Comics #8. She was the lead of this title for many years and a lot of her backstory and abilities were created within this title. Wonder Woman's bracelets and their significance were first introduced in this comic, and her journey to the world of man also began in Sensation Comics #1, which includes her adoption of the last name Prince.
Depending on the universe in which her stories are set, Wonder Woman's bracelets - also known as the Bracelets of Submission - allow her to deflect bullets, can create a force field, prevent Wonder Woman (and other Amazons) from going berserk, and are functionally indestructible. The bracelets have withstood the test of time, quickly becoming an essential aspect of Wonder Woman's many costumes. In the story 'Wonder Woman Arrives in Man's World' from Sensation Comics #1 - created by William Moulton Marston, Harry G. Peter, and M. C. Gaines - it's revealed that Wonder Woman actually used her bracelets to play a game called "Bullets and Bracelets" and win the right to leave Themyscira.
In the Goddess of Truth's first appearance, she won a competition to go to Man's World (i.e. the world outside Themyscira.) The main event she won was Bullets and Bracelets, and it required the Amazons to deflect bullets shot at them using their bracelets. The next time it is mentioned is in Sensation Comics, when Wonder Woman goes up against a group of criminals. They shoot at her and she deflects their fire, thinking to herself, "It's fun to be playing 'bullets and bracelets' again." The moment shows that far from fearing bullets, Wonder Woman regards the challenge fondly.
The films Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 both show the titular heroine deflecting bullets and other ammunition with her bracelets, in very dramatic ways. Within the movies, Diana is shown as a young girl and young woman, training to be an Amazonian warrior. However, she is never shown playing Bullets and Bracelets, and all of her training sequences are very serious. Although this tone and direction matches the current approach of DC films and comics, this is a major shift from Wonder Woman's origins.
In the films, Wonder Woman knows that bullets are dangerous because of the effect they have on her Amazonian sisters, whereas in the original comics, bullets were taken very lightly. Despite this, it's fascinating that in Diana's original stories, she had to earn her new role in Man's World through a show of skill. Wonder Woman's ability to deflect bullets with her bracelets remains an iconic aspect of the character, albeit one which used to have a much more central role in her origin story.
