If you are like me, then you, too, grew up watching film adaptations of comic books. Like me, you grew up zooming around in Batman’s batmobile; like me, you grew up flying alongside Superman; like me, you grew up swinging from the rooftops with Spiderman by my side. And perhaps, like me, you grew up watching your brother turn to them in times of need, when the monsters came out from under the bed and the bullies became too strong.
But how could I ever see them as role models, as my brother had? After all, what did they know of being…a girl?
Yet, at the same time, how could I turn to Lois Lane, or Rachel Dawes, or Mary Jane? How could I turn to those women who told me, “You need a man to save your life”?
So when Wonder Woman burst onto the screen in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, conceived wholly in raw, feminine power, the little girl within me pumped her fists in triumph. For too long, I had waited for someone to show us that I, too, can be a heroine in my own right. For too long, I had waited for someone to show me that I, too, can save the day, and all of humankind. And now here was that someone I had been looking for: Wonder Woman in all her glory.
Yes, other superheroines have graced movie theaters across the globe, including The Avengers’ Black Widow, and X-Men’s Storm and Mystique. But none of them carry the same symbolic weight as Wonder Woman. The comic book gods first set the Amazonian princess on this earth in 1941, in an effort to bring peace, justice, and equality to all of humankind. She is, perhaps, the most widely recognized superheroine in the world, and is undeniably one of the first feminist icons in the history of American entertainment. Unlike those women before her, Wonder Woman is not relegated to the role of the sexified sidekick or the hero’s helpless love interest; she stands her ground, and, Lasso of Truth in hand, leaves her enemies behind in the dust.
Like all other superheroes, Wonder Woman is dedicated to saving the world from the grips of evil. But it is the way she does so that sets her apart from her male counterparts. Wonder Woman’s profound sense of empathy allows her to understand villains and heroes alike, in ways no one else can. And it is this ability to empathize that distinguishes her from the stereotypically masculine values of violence, vengeance, and lust that drive male superheroes in their quest to save the day. But it is this difference that makes Wonder Woman so special, allowing her to prove all those who underestimated her wrong and to tap into the hearts of millions of viewers across the globe, the way Wolverine never can. It is this difference that makes Wonder Woman a role model for the world, and for that child who resides in all of us.
So, for all those millions of girls out there who have lost hope in finding someone who will combat violence with empathy, for all those who are underestimated time and time again, this is why we all need Wonder Woman.
