Judging from the critic's reaction, it looks as though the first female-led superhero movie is a roaring success. Kudos to DC for pioneering the concept, and for finally making a film that is widely perceived to be … well, good.
If it seems ridiculous that we’ve had to wait this long to see a female-led story in the outrageously popular superhero genre, that’s because it is. But superheroism has been a man’s world from the beginning, and that’s why William Moulton Marston decided to create Wonder Woman in the first place.
Marston was an American psychologist who invented the systolic blood pressure test, which led to the creation of the polygraph machine, or lie detector. Marston’s experiments in psychology led him to believe that women were fundamentally more honest than men, and that the future of humankind lay in the hands of women.
Viewing comic books as a potential tool to educate and influence the masses, Marston wanted to create a hero who would represent (what he considered) feminine values of kindness and compassion, without being perceived as weak. So he created Wonder Woman as the female answer to Superman.
Now, Marston was a bit of an interesting character. A feminist who preached the virtues of womankind throughout his life, Marston lived with two women. One was his wife, and the other, his lover. Both women were apparently perfectly happy with the arrangement, and both provided inspiration for Wonder Woman.
Elements of Marston’s character trickled down into his famous creation, notably in her peculiar choice of weapon, the Lasso of Truth. For Marston was an enthusiastic fan of bondage, and female domination. The Lasso binds Wonder Woman’s opponent, forcing them to reveal their innermost secrets. It’s not hard to see the connection between the weapon and Marston’s role in creating the lie detector. And, you know, bondage.
In fact, themes of domination and restraint ran heavily through the superheroine’s original adventures; Wonder Woman’s enemies often found themselves tied up, as did Wonder Woman herself. Her fellow Amazonians engaged in wrestling and bondage play. Wonder Woman’s greatest weakness was to be tied up by a man. If this were to happen, she would lose her superpowers and become helpless. For some reason.
This bizarre Kryptonite was actually an attempt to subvert the stereotype of the damsel in distress, as Wonder Woman would always free herself from her bonds and prevail. It was also an opportunity for Marston to advertise his fetish, in the hope of removing the stigma from his sexual habits.
From her fiery feminist origin, Wonder Woman was destined to be controversial from the beginning, and as the years passed, misogyny and censorship reared their ugly heads. Wonder Woman was originally sculpted from clay by her mother, but censors grew uncomfortable with the idea of a fatherless child, so her origin was reworked and she became a descendant of Olympian gods, male and female.
Eventually, Wonder Woman’s fictional exploits impressed her fellow superheroes, and she was invited to join the Justice Society, an early version of the Justice League. As the most powerful member of the group, Wonder Woman quickly put her womanly powers to use … as their secretary. Sometimes, she would play a major role in the story by being captured and losing her powers, and it would be up to the boys to save the day. She spent the rest of her time obsessively fantasizing about marrying her love interest, Steve Major.
The character languished in this state for years, until the seventies hit and she was rescued by Gloria Steinem, who placed her on the cover of the first issue of Ms., a hugely influential feminist publication. This bold move reinstated Wonder Woman’s original role as a symbol of empowerment, and her role in the comics quickly followed suit.
Now, when we look at Wonder Woman, we see the feminist icon she was designed to be. But like any comic book superhero, her history is complex and contradictory. She is an ambassador for peace, yet she remains one of the few DC heroes willing to kill her enemies. For a few years, she flew in a ridiculous invisible plane. Her original outfit, skimpy and all-American, hasn’t aged particularly well. She’s been accused of being an outdated product of sexism, but also hailed as a gay rights icon. Coming from an island populated entirely by women, it’s not surprising that the character has been outed as canonically bisexual.
Somehow, the character has managed to remain relevant since the forties and now fronts the first female-led superhero film. Not only that, but the character’s debut (thanks to Gal Gadot’s performance) has been received with far more enthusiasm than Batman and Superman.
It seems DC has made a real effort to honor the character’s noble roots. Now, all the sequel needs is a good bit of bondage.
