Why Wonder Woman Gets Female Superheroism Right
Superpower: Compassion
The first thing that the Wonder Woman movie thankfully gets right, is the true heroic roots of its central character.
In DC Comics lore (especially in modern times), Princess Diana/Wonder Woman's greatest strength and "superpower" has been her limitless love and compassion for living things. Wonder Woman fights evil out of a firece passion for life, and a noble obligation to protect it. It's much different than Superman's use of god-like power in the name of "right," or Batman's rage-fueled quest for order and justice; Diana's compassion has a distinctly feminine (sometimes maternal) tone, which the movie captures pretty effortlessly.
It's certainly a change for the DC Extended Universe, with its tragically inexperienced and brooding Superman, and its brutal, killer, Batman. It's also a facet of the character that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot nail down immaculately, in moments both small (Diana fascinated by her first sight of a baby in London) and big (the soon-to-be-infamous "No Man's Land" battle scene to liberate a town of women, childern, and the elderly from German control).
Wonder Woman does a great job of proving why Diana's heart is every bit as powerful and uniquely superheroic as her impressive biceps, so that viewers could leave the theater just as inspired to volunteer or mentor, as they could motivated to beat up an evil doer.
prevnextComplex Heroism
As stated, Wonder Woman does a good job of putting the character's emotional strength on equal level with her physical power, but the film goes a step even further than that.
In crafting a distinctly feminine superhero tale, Wonder Woman doesn't just offer the usual male-driven assertion that with enough power, any challenge can be overcome. Rather, the film goes to great lenghts to develop its central character through examination of howher emotional idealism stands up to the complexities (and disappointments) in the real 'world of man.'
Indeed, much of Wonder Woman's primary sub-plot deals with the issue of Diana's formidable, yet miscalculated, emotional fortitude. In her great compassion, the Amazon princess believes that by simply riding the world of the God of War (Ares), all of mankind's savage behavior will be quelled, and love and peace will reign. Of course, that viewpoint is hopelessly naive, and in following jaded spy Steve Trevor into the darkest, bloodiest, parts of WWI, Diana must confrot the true complexity of heroism.
It's a very subtle treatment of character and story, but a very effective one, as well. Whereas men tend to (foolishly) think any problem can be conquered, women (often as a mandate of the social order) know that solving a problem or reaching an ideal is a much more complicated sea of factors, in a process that ebbs and flows like the tide. In learning how to balance compassion against disappointement - or great power against the powerlessness to effect rapid change - Wonder Woman tells a story that is universally resonant, but particulary so for women in undersand the deeper metaphors at work in the story. It's also a much more mature concept of 'heroism' than most superhero movies care to acknowledge.
prevnextMore Wonder Woman News
SYNOPSIS: Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers and her true destiny.
Wonder Woman will be in theaters on June 2. It is 2 hours and 21 minutes long, and Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive content.
- Wonder Woman Official Review
- Wonder Woman Reviews Round-Up
- Gal Gadot On How Wonder Woman Feeds Into Her Justice League Role
- Wonder Woman Director Addresses Criticism Of "Skimpy, Sexy Outfit"
- Director On Diana Versus Other Superheroes
- Wonder Woman Artist Reveals What He Loves About The Movie
Wonder Woman currently has a 4.10 out of 5 ComicBook User Anticipation Rating, making it the ninth most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers. Let us know how excited you are about Wonder Woman by giving it your own ComicBook User Anticipation Rating below!
(Photo Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures)
prev