The Appeal of Wonder Woman

*Originally published on 2/3/09


Wonder Woman doesn't get enough respect. She's probably the biggest and most iconic super-heroine in comics and yet she still can't seem to catch a break. While being part of the DC's big three, she has never had a film made about her and most comic fans only know her through Justice League and the fact that she's a hot woman who parades around in a skimpy outfit complete with star spangled panties.

Things have gotten better in recent months, Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman has shown readers what Wonder Woman is really capable of while DC is releasing a direct to video animated Wonder Woman movie. Still, while Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern all have multiple titles, Wonder Woman only has one. While Superman and Batman have gotten All-Star titles, Wonder Woman has not.

The truth is that Wonder Woman is more than just a cheap and campy character whose only attribute is uber-hotness. She's up there with Superman in terms of heroism. I'm not just talking about strength or powers here either. Wonder Woman is about lifting the human spirit. She is one of the most compassionate characters in the DC Universe. She's loyal to her friends to a fault and will stand up for what she believes in.

Despite what impression you may get from her costume, Wonder Woman is a great role model for women. She is strong and passionate, but also caring and understanding. She achieves that oh so difficult to achieve balance between being a fierce and strong warrior and showing feminine compassion.

While it would be so easy to make Wonder Woman a man hater, most writers don't. Some do, Frank Miller did in All Star Batman and Robin (then again, who takes that title seriously?) . It is usually a factor, growing up an amazon, Wonder Woman had a strong bias going in against the male gender. She went out anyways to learn about Man's world to try and gain a better understanding. While there are men who live up to the negative reputation, she learned that there is a lot of good in them as well. This is a good lesson about preconceived notions and stereotypes.

With an origin deeply rooted in Greek mythology, faith plays an important part of Wonder Woman's character. One could argue that as she routinely interacts with gods, it's not a matter of faith. However, if Wonder Woman's gods follow the same rules as the deities in Constantine, than the gods would need the faith of the amazons to continue. That faith is then rewarded, sometimes, by granting favors to the amazons. It goes against the Hollywood trend and actually says that faith is a good thing.

Wonder Woman has been around for decades. She wouldn't have been able to do it if there wasn't something to the character. Most comic fans ignore female superheros. It's rather sad as there are some great stories to be both read and told. Great characters like Wonder Woman don't come around all too often. We should take advantage and enjoy these icons while they last.