Wonder Woman | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

As America prepared to enter World War II and American women prepared to take on the roles of men at home, Wonder Woman became the first female superhero in the male-dominated world of comic books. Wonder Woman originally appeared in a nine-page spread in the December 1941 issue of DC Comics' popular All Star Comics. Her story was so well received that she was given a spot in DC's Sensation Comics in January 1942 and her own self-titled series that debuted in the summer. Strong, agile, intelligent, and brave, Wonder Woman challenged gender stereotypes, demonstrating that women, too, could rescue people from imminent danger and fight for justice. Wonder Woman, however, differed from her male counterparts in an important aspect: when she pursued her enemies—who were typically villains threatening America or seeking to subvert peace—she did so with an eye for reform rather than vengeance.Equipped with her golden lasso, bullet-deflecting bracelets, and Amazonian agility, rather than guns or a propensity for violence, Wonder Woman was made into a role model for young women, encouraging them to compete and win in a man's world without ever surrendering their femininity.

Dreamed up by William Moulton Marston, who wrote under the pen name Charles Moulton, Wonder Woman was created to fill a void in the comic book market. Marston, then employed as an educational consultant for Detective Comics, Inc. (now DC Comics), was the first to notice that the world of superheroes ignored an important demographic: girls. While young boys could pretend to be Batman, Superman, or the Green Lantern, young girls had to swap genders in order to participate in the role-playing, a practice Marston perceived as damaging to their self-esteem. So, with the go ahead from Max Gaines, then head of DC Comics, Marston began work on the female superhero who was to become an American icon.

Marston's Wonder Woman was a kinder, gentler superhero than those who had come before her. Originally known as Princess Diana, she was raised as part of a hidden colony of Amazons who had fled Greece and Rome to escape male domination. From infancy, all of the Amazons had been trained in Grecian contests of agility, dexterity, speed, and strength, enabling them to attain greater speed than Mercury and greater strength than Hercules. In addition, each possessed the wisdom of Athena and Aphrodite's ability to inspire love. The Amazons inhabited the tiny Paradise Island, located in the Bermuda Triangle and surrounded by magnetic thought fields that prevented its detection. But when Major Steve Trevor of American Intelligence crash-landed his plane there, the Amazons' lives changed. Diana found him and stayed by his side until he was well, falling in love with him in the process. When Major Trevor was well enough to be returned to the United States, Diana won permission to follow him and aid him in his battle for truth, justice, and the American way. Thus, Wonder Woman was born.

From the beginning, Wonder Woman's mission was one of peace, justice, and equality. While she did set out to capture criminals, she was never violent, nor did she use excessive force unless necessary. She did not carry a weapon, but instead relied upon her intelligence and agility to outwit and outmaneuver her opponents. Frequently, she encircled villains in her magic lasso, forcing them to reveal all of their evil secrets, and then delivered them to Transformation Island, a rehabilitation facility created by the Amazons of her native land. Many of her early foes were successfully reformed in this manner.

In addition to being a peaceful superhero, it is also notable that Wonder Woman was a self-made one. Although changes made to the series in the 1950s and 1960s described Wonder Woman's powers as a gift from the Gods, the original storyline attributed her superhero qualities to years of rigorous training and self-discipline. This concept, which was finally restored to the series in the late 1980s, suggested that young readers who worked hard enough could also achieve greatness. Or, as Wonder Woman herself said in one of her early comic strips in the 1940s, "Girls who realize woman's true powers can do greater things than I have done." In a time when millions of men were about to become heroes in World War II, Wonder Woman provided an ideal to which young girls could aspire, and a vehicle through which they could find their own strength.

While her comic continued to appeal to readers into the 1990s, Wonder Woman is also remembered for her television program. Between 1975 and 1979, Wonder Woman, played by Lynda Carter, charmed audiences in one season on ABC in a show set in the 1940sand faithful to the comic book of that time, and then for two more seasons on CBS in a show set in modern times.

Handy, Amy, Gloria Steinem, and Steven Korte, eds. Wonder Woman: Featuring over Five Decades of Great Covers (A Tiny Folio). New York, Abbeville Press, 1995.

Marston, William Moulton. Wonder Woman Archives Volume I. New York, DC Comics, 1998.

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