WEEK 4: The Secret History of Wonder Woman – Jill Lepore (2014)

                My girlfriend is a big fan of Wonder Woman, especially the recent adaptation starring Gal Gadot in 2017. She’s read some of the comics, as have I, so when we together began to learn the deeper history behind the character, which was only expounded upon in Jill Lepore’s The Secret History of Wonder Woman, we were both, needless to say, more than a bit surprised.

Wonder Woman first debuted with DC comics in 1941, created by Charles Moulton – the creator of the lie detector. The Amazonian goddess was designed as a feminist icon, intended to empower women and establish an icon for them to look up to. But the history of the character is a muddled one, and often mired in the murky, sometimes hypocritical personal life of the creator – Moulton. Moulton very frequently featured varying degrees and forms of bondage, and Wonder Woman was constantly striving to free herself. If her arms and legs weren’t bound with rope, chains, or cords, her mouth was gagged or taped shut. All of these things naturally imply a sense of dominance, with Wonder Woman rendered helpless, at least at first. This feminist icon was perpetually stripped of her strength and control, and her ability to speak. What’s more, Moulton’s private life was rife with sexual oddities. From forcing his wife to endure a second woman living with them in their house, having threatened her with divorce, to having children with one of his students, it may seem clear to most that despite his ideals for the Wonder Woman character, Moulton had some very deep-seated issues with women that had not been worked out. And then only later, in the 1970s, we see a return of the iconic heroine. Only this time she had been given a new costume, and all of her abilities and equipment were gone. This of course was met with only outrage by the fans, one of which was known to have infamously stated to the writer at the time that he had taken the only powerful woman in comics and stripped her of her powers. Feeling and understanding this mistake, the writer returned both Wonder Woman’s powers and equipment.

                For what it’s worth, I do believe the character is in good hands at the moment. Wonder Woman is honestly the sort of personality, though fictional, who is capable of rising above her own questionable origins. Today she has been revived, re-written, and unleashed unto a new generation of fans, men and women alike. And the timing could not be better, or more appropriate, for this feminist icon.