She’s one of the pillars of the DC Universe, so why is it that so many writers seem to have a hard time gettingWonder Womanright? A quote from one of Diana’s most lauded writers has gone viral due to its frank reasoning over thebiggest hurdle involving Wonder Woman.
There’s no doubtthat Wonder Woman is oneof, if not the most prolific female superheroes in comics. In the near century she’s been around, hundreds of writers have taken a crack at writing the powerful Amazon, yet many feel only a few have truly understood her. Now a quote is making its way around online that explains why creators struggle with the iconic hero.
Creators Shy Away From Wonder Woman’s Politics and History
Greg Rucka Believes Writers Need to Embrace Every Part of Wonder Woman’s Lore
Recently, a quote by Greg Rucka, who infamously wroteWonder Woman: The Hiketeia, as well asWonder Womanin the mid-2000s and later in DC Comics' “Rebirth” era, began circulating on social media sites such asReddit. The quote comes from a Wondercon panel in 2010 that focused on Rucka andhis work on books such asDetective ComicsandWonder Woman. The panel was moderated byComicsAlliance’sLaura Hudson, who asked Rucka about his experience in comics, as well as what it was like writing female characters as a male creator.
Eventually, Hudson asked Rucka what thekey to writing Wonder Woman wellwas. Rucka spoke frankly and said that unlike Batman or Superman, whose origins are fairly timeless,Wonder Woman’s origin was rooted in a developing era of feminism, and its evolving nature makes it more complicated to fit with the times. Rucka claims that many writers shy away from the political and kink aspects of her earliest days and downplay them all together.
But Rucka makes it clear that one can’t simply run away from these elements of Wonder Woman because they’re a part of her. Rather than shy away from her costume and her lasso (which Rucka points out is a stand-in for a whip), Ruck saidone must utterly embrace these things wholeheartedlyin order to stay true to Wonder Woman’s character, going so far as to say it was the number one key to writing Diana well. Rucka ends his answer by saying many male writers don’t actually like Wonder Woman, saying “They just want to f**k her.”.
Shying Away from Wonder Woman’s History Does a Real Disservice to Her
Ignoring Wonder Woman’s Foundation Misses Key Points
Greg Rucka obviously knows Wonder Woman inside and out and his time with the character remains one of the most beloved modern takes on the character. And he makes a lot of salient points about Diana’s origins, the uniqueness of her origin, and many writers' fears about broaching more complicated, even sensual subjects. The truth is, Wonder Woman was co-created by William Moulton Marston and, for his time, he was an unabashed feminist who didn’t just believe in female equality, he believed in female superiority. By his own admission,Marston created Wonder Woman as propaganda to express his ideals.
Early Wonder Woman stories didn’t just posit the ideals of female domination, they even included themes of bondage, discipline, and power dynamics. But as Wonder Woman traded hands, these elements were quickly scuttled and removed altogether. Granted, later writers did keep things like Wonder Woman’s Bracelets of Submission and her lasso, but the more overt BDSM things quickly fell by the wayside of history. In fact,some writers went in a completely different direction with Wonder Woman altogether, such as Dennis O’Neil who gave her a new costume, took away her powers, and had her become a secret agent.
While earlyWonder Womanisn’t for everyone, Rucka feels that ignoring Diana’s past altogether does her a disservice. That’s not to say that Wonder Woman comics need to be exactly like Marston’s, but theyshouldplay with the elements that her character was founded on. As much of an ass-kicker as she is, Wonder Woman’s not just about fighting monsters and mad gods. She’s about female power and loving authority, and while that may make some writers or even the higher-ups at DC nervous,it’s embracing these things that help creators capture the spirit of Wonder Woman.
Creators Need to Build on Who Wonder Woman Is, Not Who They Wish Her To Be
To be fair, Wonder Woman, like the rest of DC’s oldest heroes, has grown and changed over the years, and that can be a good thing. But unlike Batman and Superman, writers are never going to be able to find it as easy to write Wonder Woman if they only know the most surface-level things about her. Diana has a rich, complex, and yes, non-traditional history. But as Rucka said, it’s running to these things that give creators a better understanding of who Diana is and ultimately, helps bring betterWonder Womanstories into the world.
