You're a Wonder, Wonder Woman

Famous Comic Character Portrays Feminism, Strength for Women

Nov 16, 2009 Bethany Fehlinger

Wonder Woman is the image of feminine power in a time when women served families from their homes. The sole woman among a group of men, she became a beacon of power.

Wonder Woman was born in December 1941 by William Moulton Marston in All Star Comics #8, one of three characters continuously published by DC Comics since the company's 1944 inception. (Harry G. Peter was the original artist.)

Early Beginnings

The DC line was dominated by superpowered male characters — Batman, Green Lantern Superman — and Marston struck up an idea for a new kind of superhero, "one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love," according to the fall 2001 issue of the Boston University alumni magazine.

His wife Elizabeth said, "Fine, but make her a woman."

Marston drew his inspiration from Elizabeth, whom he believed to be a model of that era's unconventional, liberated woman, and Olive Byrne, who was rumoured to live with the couple in a polygamous relationship.

In his mind, women not only held the potential to be as good as men; they could be superior to men.

"Wonder Woman is a psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, i believe, rule the world, wrote Marston, according to The New York Sun.

Wonder Woman also became the first female member of the Justice Society of America, becoming the group's secretary and eventually taking on the alias Diana Prince.

Lady in Red, White and Blue

Wonder Woman is a member of an all-female tribe of Amazons, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology. Much of what she is and does is roughly based on this mythology. She was said to be "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules and swifter than Mercury," receiving these blessings from each deity in her crib, according to Wonder Woman #105.

According to this comic, she was formed from clay by the Queen of the Amazons and was imbued with the attributes of the gods by Athena. Aphrodite also blessed Wonder Woman, also called Diana like the Greek goddess, with great beauty and a loving heart. However, according to Aphrodite's Law, if she allows herself to be bound or chained by a male, her powers would be removed.

Other gods and goddesses that granted Wonder Woman some of her powers include:

Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, granted her great wisdom, intelligence and military prowess, in addition to mastering hundreds of languages, her Amazon legacy and even her own eyesight to increase empathy.
Artemis, goddess of the hunt, animals and the moon, granted her with full range of enhanced senses and the ability to communicated with all forms of animals life as well as calm them.
Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, granted her the power to control the "fires of truth" with her lasso, making anyone bound by it unable to lie, and some resistance to both normal and supernatural fire.
Hermes, the messenger god of speed, granted her with superhuman speed and the ability to fly, which is later revealed. She also is swift enough to deflect bullets, lasers and other projectiles with her bracelets.
Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, blessed her with strength drawn from the Earth spirit Gaea, making her one of the physically strongest heroes in the DC Universe.

Her Powers, Weapons and Skills

The list of her powers, weapons and skills is a long one, some of which were mentioned above. Wonder Woman's large array of wonderful powers include:

super strength
stamina
flight
highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat
art of tactful warfare
animal-like cunning
natural rapport with animals
super athlete and acrobat, learned from the Amazon training

Her weapons include:

Lasso of Truth
A pair of indestructible bracelets
An invisible plane, later replaced with the ability to fly
Golden tiara that doubles as a dagger and a throwing weapon, returning like a boomerang
Ceremonial golden armor complete with golden wings, war-skirt and chest plate, and a golden helmet in the shape of an eagle's head
A sword, forged by Hephaestus, that is sharp enough to cut the electrons off an atom

The Wonders of Wonder Woman

This character, seen not only in the comics but in books, movies, TV shows and cartoons, has become a vision to women. She radiates power, courage, strength and endurance — everything women possess and need to hone in on. Wonder Woman paved a way in an all-male comic world that mirrored the era at the time, not only gaining a new audience for the comic world but giving another image of empowerment.

The copyright of the article You're a Wonder, Wonder Woman in Graphic Novels/Comics is owned by Bethany Fehlinger. Permission to republish You're a Wonder, Wonder Woman in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.