Why Wonder Woman Is Important And Necessary Right Now

Having finally (albeit briefly) appeared onscreen in her iconic Amazonian Warrior battle suit in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman is about to take centre stage – and not a moment too soon. In what's undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2017, actress Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins (Monster) will take us back to the origins of DC’s other shining star – Diana, Princess Of Themyscira. From there, we'll see her enter the fray in World War I, and face down some deeply nefarious foe. The idea that a new film might be groundbreaking enough to have a real impact on the course of cinema is one that's often bandied about in these days of hyperbole-driven publicity - but in this exceptionally rare case, it's absolutely true. The superhero genre that has dominated our multiplexes for the past ten years is about to be shaken up in a multitude of ways. The terms of studio ‘tentpole’ movies are about to be redefined. More than any other planned, high profile, studio release, this movie is an absolute game-changer and should be regarded accordingly. Why? Well, because this is Wonder Woman..... What Makes The Character So Important? Simply put, Wonder Woman is unique. There is literally nobody else like her – in the comic book arena, or elsewhere. Created by psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston as a direct, feminist response to the aggressive masculinity that was flooding the pages of comic books everywhere, she's a female superhero in her own right – not a spinoff from the story of another character. Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comic #8 in October 1941, and graced her first cover with Sensation Comic #1 in January 1942, so - with the exception of a brief hiatus in 1986 - DC has published Wonder Woman stories almost continuously for 76 years. This lengthy history – along with being a founding member of the Justice League - is the reason Wonder Woman is known as the third member of DC’s Trinity, alongside Batman and Superman. But, while she shares that legendary status with those male superhero icons, Wonder Woman is also set far apart from them in terms of character. They have their similarities - including the fact that each has endured seven decades of reboots, rewrites, and relaunches, with a vast array of talented writers and artists leaving their fingerprints on them – but, Wonder Woman is a demi-goddess, whichever origin story you favour. Superman is an alien, orphaned, and raised on Earth - having super powers only by virtue of the effects our sun has on his physiology. Batman is an orphaned vigilante, only by virtue of the vast wealth his murdered parents accumulated, and bequeathed to him. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is an honest-to-goodness Amazonian Warrior, specifically bestowed with superpowers by Gods. Originally, she was sculpted from clay by Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira, and Aphrodite breathed life into the moulded, child figure. Thus, the child Diana was created by two women, and the Greek Gods then gifted her with a range of their powers. Later, in the DC-wide relaunch of 2011, Wonder Woman’s origin story was controversially rewritten to have her be the child of Hippolyta and Zeus. The changes to the origin of Wonder Woman have not altered the point of her character, though. Her male counterparts, while advocating for truth and justice, are notoriously quick to enrage. Batman and Superman have both made points of declaring themselves as being against the taking of human lives – but have both killed, nonetheless. Wonder Woman has also killed, but takes a very different approach. To her, peace is always the goal. With her Godly abilities, extensive training, and powerful weaponry, she's able to defend herself, others and the world by any means necessary - but she is, first and foremost, a diplomat and advocate for peace. The over-riding feature of her character, as distinct from that of Batman and Superman, is emotional intelligence - which she has developed over the course of centuries. While Batman and Superman have the benefit of wisdom accumulated over the course of part of a single lifetime, Princess Diana of Themyscira has a perspective based in historical experience – by virtue of her status as a demi-goddess. The difference between Wonder Woman and her male counterparts is further evident from the gifts the gods bestowed upon her. In addition to strength, durability, flight, speed, stamina, reflexes, healing and agility, the Wonder Woman of DC Comics benefits from the powers of dimensional teleportation, animal rapport, tactics and strategy, unarmed combat, weapons mastery, linguistics, wisdom and aviation. She wears unbreakable wrist cuffs forged from the impenetrable shield of Zeus - which deflect projectiles and can form an energy shield when crossed. She wields an indestructible Lasso Of Truth, which burns with the Fires Of Hestia and compels anyone bound by it to be truthful. She wears a golden tiara, which doubles as a throwing weapon, and uses a magically-forged sword and shield. But, it's not merely her wisdom, grace, power and demi-goddess Amazonian warrior status that make her such an important character – it's the nature of her homeland, as designed by William Moulton Marston all those years ago. Diana hails from a society made up entirely of women, which means she's fundamentally self-reliant, unapologetically assertive and entirely egalitarian in her outlook. She holds the existence of life in the highest esteem, and systematically challenges the largely testosterone-based idea that violence is inevitable when faced with conflict. The concept of patriarchy, and the idea of a culture in which women are seen as less than men, is entirely nonsensical to her – as it should be to all of us. Just as Superman benefits from the combination of lessons about humanity he received from his Kryptonian relatives, and his Earthly adoptive family, Diana wields the knowledge of equality as her most powerful weapon. She's wholly unhindered by the insidious psychological effects of sexism and misogyny, and it's this aspect of her character that makes her truly unique. It makes her unique in comic books, certainly, but it makes her unique in film-dominated pop culture, too. Even in the fantastical genre of science fiction – from the politically framed Star Wars, to the frontier-exploring Star Trek, to the monster-defeating Pacific Rim, to the time-bending Edge Of Tomorrow – creators continuously fail to imagine a version of society in which equality has truly been achieved. In general pop culture, capable female characters remain rare, and are still commented upon in that rarity by their male counterparts. Those around them repeatedly express surprise at heroic women – singling them out as the exception to the rule. Female heroes in film are most often depicted as coming to their heroism as the result of some kind of abuse, too – as seen, to name but a few examples, in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the James Bond franchise, or literally every Quentin Tarantino movie ever made. Wonder Woman and her homeland of Themyscira, on the other hand, are among the only real examples - in comic books and beyond - of a reality that's entirely unobstructed by sexism, misogyny and patriarchy. On the most basic level, Wonder Woman and her story show us that an egalitarian approach is not only possible, but that it would also save the world. What Does The Character Mean For The DC Extended Universe? If Wonder Woman is unique in fiction, then she's surely the jewel in the crown of the DC Extended Universe – that is, the fledgling cinematic universe that DC's now building in conjunction with Warner Bros. This holds true in terms of story and character, as well as the impact her arrival onscreen is about to have on popular culture as a whole. Let’s look at story and character first. Diana Prince popped up in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice a number of times – serving her own agenda, until she was compelled to leap into action at the unleashing of the creature, Doomsday. When she revealed herself in full Wonder Woman mode for the first time, it was to save the life of Batman. In a battle sequence that saw the Dark Knight mostly hang back - since he has no actual super powers of his own - the Amazon Warrior placed herself between him and the monster, and prevented his otherwise imminent demise. This is undoubtedly a nod to the comic books – in which one of Wonder Woman’s most legendary storylines involves her reluctant killing of the villainous Maxwell Lord (Wonder Woman #219), in order to stop a mind-controlled Superman killing Batman. But, it also sets the tone for this superhero group going forward in their movie franchise. Wonder Woman is a warrior, yes, but she's also a team player. Her egalitarian perspective means she's willing and able to leave room for others to succeed. She's a staunch advocate for mutual support, not only among women, but also among those striving for peace. She suffers neither fools nor male privilege gladly, and is a seasoned strategist - able to quickly assess the prowess and weaknesses of both opponents and allies. This means that, not only is she a vital asset for the Justice League (which she co-founded), she's also its leading voice of reason. In this way, the title Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice does not simply relate to the resolution of the conflict between these two men as being the catalyst for the founding of the Justice League. Rather, it speaks to the idea of there being a more effective way forward than men constantly fighting for dominance. The film establishes the fact that Bruce Wayne is already enraged by the actions of Superman in his Man Of Steel fight with General Zod, and has consequently decided to act against the Kryptonian. Lex Luthor sees this as an opportunity to manipulate the two superheroes and level the playing field a little, to his own advantage. The three men are then locked in a battle for supremacy – Luthor using a combination of Lois Lane, Martha Kent and Doomsday to cause Batman and Superman to fight to the death; Batman wanting to kill Superman for destroying parts of the city; and Superman wanting to stop Batman meting out violent vigilante justice on the streets. While Batman and Superman then come to terms with each other through the intervention of Lois Lane (“It’s his mother’s name!”), it's the arrival of Diana Prince - later revealed as Wonder Woman - that really places things in perspective for them. Bruce Wayne has already identified the fact that Diana Prince is essentially immortal, having discovered a secret file of meta-humans that includes a picture of her taken during World War I. They've interacted in their civilian guises, and she's quashed his attempts to impress her with his condescension. But, it's her words to both Superman and Batman on the battlefield that outlines their new reality to them, as they face Doomsday. “This thing is from another world. My world,” states Superman. “I’ve killed things from other worlds before,” replies Wonder Woman, before charging straight at Doomsday, sword drawn. She doesn’t need the guidance or advice of Batman or Superman. She's assessed the threat, the resources available, and the fact that these men are partly responsible for the monster being there in the first place – and she takes action. As more characters are added to the mix – Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash – we can expect the dynamic within the team to change further. Specifically in the film Justice League, the bond between Wonder Woman and Batman will undoubtedly be strengthened in the wake of both Superman’s apparent death, and the urgent need to assemble the meta-humans identified in the secret file from Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. But, amid these other male superheroes (and with the inevitable and welcome return of Superman) we can expect Wonder Woman’s position as an emotionally intelligent, formidable warrior who's an assertive advocate for peace to be consolidated. In terms of the DCEU within popular culture as a whole, the presence of Wonder Woman is a feature of seismic significance. Just as the character brings with her a unique perspective within her own story, her first solo film brings with it a unique spin within the franchise, and within cinema as a whole. Despite her 76 year history of publication, and her status as one third of DC’s ‘Trinity’, Wonder Woman has consistently and systematically been marginalized by filmmakers and studios, while Batman and Superman have been endlessly adapted into every other medium - including live-action film. In 1975, Wonder Woman finally made it into live-action with her self-titled TV show, starring Lynda Carter, which ran for three seasons. After that, however – despite several attempts – she was restricted to animation and video games, outside of her comic book pages. There were endless excuses given – most often boiling down to the idea that, as a character, she was ‘the trickiest’ to translate into live-action narratives. Unarguably, the only thing that is ‘tricky’ about the character of Wonder Woman in terms of adapting her for the big screen is that she stands in stark contrast to the male-dominated status quo of the modern, western film and television industry – and if you're someone who benefits from that status quo, then a Wonder Woman film is going to be a problem. For audiences, however, it's a glorious breath of fresh air, offering respite from the intense staleness of the male-gaze that has long permeated both the superhero genre, and beyond. What Could Result From Wonder Woman? The word ‘revolution’ might smack of hysteria when used in this discussion, but the nature of the Wonder Woman character, combined with the fact that we have waited seven decades for her first live-action film, certainly lends itself to a revolutionary expectation. But, in order to fully appreciate that, we need to look at the release of the film in context – not only of her 76 year DC comic book history, but of the superhero film genre as a whole. We can probably all agree that, while superhero movies have been produced and enjoyed since 1939 (with the arrival of comic-book based Saturday film serials), the past decade has seen a marked rise in their prevalence and popularity - thanks largely to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, in looking at the last ten years (January 2007 to May 2017), we see that there have been 45 superhero films released to audiences. These have ranged from big budget studio films - such as the two Spider-Man franchises, the X-Men series, the Dark Knight franchise, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle series – to smaller, independent productions – such as Chronicle, and All Superheroes Must Die. Many have been based on comic book characters – such as Watchmen, or Ghost Rider – while others are original creations – such as Hancock. What's important to note is that, of those 45 films, only one was directed by a woman – and that's 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, helmed by Academy Award nominee Lexi Alexander. One, single, solitary movie, in a list of 45. It's also important to note that, while films such as those involving the Fantastic Four or any combination of the Avengers do include female superheroes in supporting roles, none of the 45 superhero films released in the past 10 years have an actual female lead around whom the story is based. Now, let’s take a look at the currently confirmed future of superhero movies – meaning titled films with a specific, scheduled release date set for May 2017 or later (with the exception of Wonder Woman). There are, at the moment, 17 superhero films in the pipeline fitting those criteria. Justice League, Ant-Man And The Wasp, and the two planned Avengers sequels will have female superheroes as part of their respective, titular teams. Only one film will be truly led by a female character, though – and that's Captain Marvel, releasing in 2019. While there are four scheduled superhero films (Shazam!, Spider-Man 2: Homecoming, Cyborg, and Green Lantern Corps) that have yet to confirm their directors, we know that only one of the 13 films that officially have a filmmaker attached will see a woman at the helm – and that's Captain Marvel, due to be co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. This is the cinematic landscape into which Wonder Woman will sweep on next month. The film centres on a woman raised outside of the inequality of our own society, and it is directed by a woman – Primetime Emmy nominee Patty Jenkins. To be clear, if the film achieves any degree of critical and commercial success at all, the fact will be inescapable: this iconic character - deemed “the trickiest” to adapt into live-action by generations of male-dominated movie studios and television networks - will have finally been delivered, to the delight of popular culture, guided by a female hand. That would be a long overdue, watershed moment, upon which a new approach should be built. The summer of 2017 could well see the Dawn Of Justice give way to the dawn of cinematic equality – at least in terms of the way in which gender in film is approached, both in front of, and behind the camera. While the already scheduled 17 superhero movies make it clear that this evolution will not occur overnight, we can be sure that Wonder Woman will inspire positive change. After all, that was the purpose of her invention.