3) She Is Unarguably The Female Counter-Part To Superman And Batman
Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman are widely acknowledged to be DC’s ‘big three,’ and yet, while the alien from Krypton and the Dark Knight have become universally recognized and beloved symbols of the triumph of good over evil, Wonder Woman has been continually dismissed outside the pages of her comic books. Superman and Batman have rarely been away from our screens – both big and small – while Wonder Woman hasn’t been seen in live-action since her Lynda Carter-starring TV show was cancelled over thirty five years ago, with the exception of short film.
This shoddy treatment at the hands of Hollywood is not reflective of her standing in the source material, however, because in actual fact, she is entirely equal to the two male comic stars. Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in December 1941, making her only slightly younger than fellow DC characters Batman and Superman, in publication terms. Like those male characters, she has led her own title for over 70 years (with the exception of a brief hiatus in 1986) – consistently ranking in the top 60 of all comic titles published, with yearly sales generating over $1 million.
She is so demonstrably their equal, that Superman and Batman have often crossed over into her comics, generating classic stories including the time that Wonder Woman literally saved their lives. In Wonder Woman Vol 2 #219, supervillain Maxwell Lord has Superman under mind control, and is making him kill Batman. As Wonder Woman attempts to intervene, Lord makes Superman see her as his arch-nemesis Doomsday, prompting him to viciously attack her.
Knowing of Superman’s powers, Wonder Woman slashes at his throat with her magical tiara and briefly escapes – turning her attentions to Lord. Using the Lasso Of Truth, she discovers that the only way to break Lord’s psychic control of Superman and save him, as well as Batman, is to kill Lord. So she snaps his neck.
Brother Eye – an evil cyborg system created to aid the destruction of superheroes – broadcasts the incident around the world without context or explanation, implying that Wonder Woman is a cold-blooded killer. Due to the after-effects of the mind control, Superman and Batman also believe that misrepresentation, and consequently, Wonder Woman finds she has sacrificed her hard-won reputation to save her fellow superheroes.
