COMM 380:  Media Criticism

Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, is the first successful superhero movie with a female character as the main role. With an impeccable 7.6 on IMDB and an astounding 229 million in opening weekend sales, it did better than even those producing it had hoped. Most believed the movie would not be successful not based on director, budget, or fanbase, but on the concept of a female lead actress, specifically in a perceived ‘masculine’ role. This sexist idea has been evident in Wonder Woman in particular because superheroes have always been predominantly males. For instance, the 1950’s projected Wonder Woman as a “traditional woman” who “spent more time on romance, and less time fighting bad guys” in order to make it more palatable and approachable to the viewer (Griffith & Anders).

 

Furthermore, the Wonder Woman t.v. the show failed to see a single episode air, and Warner Bros took over twenty years to fail to produce an approved Wonder Woman movie based on similar struggles. Thus, the breakout fashion in which Gal Gadot has challenged gender roles in the superhero movie industry has shocked even the current supporters of Wonder Woman. Overall, Wonder Woman redefines the role of a female in the superhero genre through image, action, and surrounding characters.

 

Before going into detail about the movie, the origins of Wonder Woman derive a reason behind the purposeful reconfiguration of the female superhero in the newest film. Wonder Woman was first produced by DC comics in the 1930s. DC, the first comic creators, under the direction of Maxwell Gaines, came under intense scrutiny because of the violence and “blood-curdling masculinity” (Lepore).

 

Originally, Wonder Woman was created by psychologist, Marston, as a way to balance out the overwhelming masculine presence with a feminine heroine. This heroine needed to be saved more often than she did the saving. He purposefully kept her scantily dressed and tied up so often to feed the stereotypes of woman as sexual objects, that even Wonder Woman exclaimed, “’Am I tired of being tied up!’” (Lepore). The purpose of the comic became feeding the male-dominated fanbase of comics and superheroes, rather than empowering women. Post World War II, superheroes were reexamined and recreated, and Wonder Woman was actually found to have “advanced femininity” which was not approved of by society according to psychiatrist Fredric Wertham (Lepore). He complained of the lack of the heroine as a “homemaker”, failing to “bring up a family”, and without “mother-love” (Lepore). These concepts of the place of a woman in society had not changed, even after women had played key roles in completing all the typical ‘masculine’ tasks in World War II. Hence, the persisting disagreement against women out of their stereotypical matriarchal roles in comic book culture as well.

 

Sadly, DC and Marvel, the two biggest comic book distributors today, still have approximately 30% of their characters as females (Hickey). Furthermore, the majority of publishers, writers, and artists are “overwhelmingly male” in an estimated “nine-to-one ratio” (Hickey). Thus, explaining the bias towards masculine heroes and feminine role-players. The superhero industry is made by males, through character roles, relations, and depictions. Both DC and Marvel have addressed this disproportion in gender, and are making attempts to create more female characters, but they do not have the fanbase backing to stir up any kind of change. This is where Wonder Woman is different. Although most superheroes do not last over time, the likes of Superman, Batman, and yes, Wonder Woman, are a few who have stood the test of time. As Wonder Woman is the only female superhero who has lasted, she has the unique place and power to pursue and promote change in the female role in comics. Recognizing this opportunity, the new Wonder Woman film was created with the intent to make use of her platform to reconstruct the assumptions of a male-dominated, masculinized genre.

 

One aspect through which Gal Gadot contradicts the female image in superhero is her costume. Normally, a female who plays a significant role in a superhero movie has to come with sex appeal. This is to appeal to comic book audience which is falsely generalized as mostly male. While, Gal Gadot is an attractive woman by any means, she does not flaunt her body to induce sexual desires at any point in the movie. Her costume is less about sex appeal and more about protection; there is no cleavage shown, and the skirt does not reveal more than a normal skirt. Ironically, this movie constitutes every stereotypical aspect of a female in a superhero movie and plays it onto the main male role. Gal Gadot’s secondary partner, Chris Pine is seen as the sexual object with scenes where his shirt is off. As another example, Chris Pine becomes the submissive one who follows Gadot throughout her adventures, and does not have any control over her actions. Therefore, Wonder Woman alters the expectations of a woman in superhero cinema through the lack of sexual objectivity from her costuming.movies,

 

Unquestionably, the actions in Wonder Woman, depict Gal Gadot differently than females have been predicted in any other superhero films. The traditional idea of a female superhero is a discriminatory one. The female superhero is seen as a submissive partner to the male, and takes orders rather than give them. However, Gadot begins to conflict with this stereotype common to the superhero genre through her personality and actions.

 

Throughout the film, Chris Pine attempts to get Gadot to do certain actions he feels are correct given the circumstances. Traditionally, the female would simply go along with the idea, but Gadot denies his attempts to persuade her and continues on the path of action she believes is right. Stubbornness is among the most common male stereotypes in these movies, but Gadot flips the script.

 

Gadot also relies on her leadership abilities, like in the trench scene against the Nazis. Males do not follow females in superhero movies, but Gadot is seen leading the charge, leaving behind a number of scared men, which is contrary to the normalized concept of a timid female hiding behind the brave man. These examples illustrate the way in which Gadot’s character’s actions and personality contribute to the changing role of a female in superhero films.

           

A final channel through which Gadot promotes a changing female superhero role is through her relationships with surrounding characters. As previously addressed, her partner, Chris Pine, is less a partner and more a follower subject to Gadot’s whims. At one point, Gadot shows her superiority over Chris by forcing him to tell the truth after strangling him in her lasso of truth. This helps show her dominance over a male character, uncommon in superhero films. Additionally, the reactions of both the soldiers and the war council depict the previous standards of superhero movies. When Gadot enters the conversation and demands they follow her to save the country, they laugh because she is a woman. They assume she has no credibility in regard to war since she has never fought to their knowledge as a woman. Once, she proves to them the imminent threat and her total power and strength, they become submissive and follow her orders. Thus, Gadot’s superiority over male characters changes the discourse and view of female superheroes in the comic film industry.

 

Critic reviews have proven the impact of this film on the genre’s image. A review from the Tampa Bay Times, by Steve Persall, explains how Wonder Woman defies the “dark DC template with gender”. He goes on to claim the movie itself is different because the origins of Wonder Woman are so different from other heroes. Finally, he details how Wonder Woman still has a “maternal reflex” which invites and relates to more female viewers, but “never, ever signals weakness”. Evidently, Patty Jenkins directed the movie artfully, to keep a woman’s intrinsic qualities while displaying the dominant and powerful nature woman can also have, contrary to the norms of society and the superhero genre.

 

Wonder Woman challenges gender roles, specifically the female superhero in the superhero film industry, through her image, actions, and surrounding characters. With its vast success, this movie begins to change the standards of the female role in movies. It supports and promotes the evaluation of a female in lead roles, including roles in action movies. Wonder Woman has proved the potential success of a movie which does not sexualize a woman, but rather empowers her.

 

In addition, the perception of the comic genre will become less male-centered, and there will be a massive influx of female comic book fans because of the growth of female heroes. These heroes will be taken in leadership roles and in places of authority over males, with personalities opposite of the stereotypical matriarch, contrary to past material in the industry. As a result, society will be forced to redefine gender roles in entertainment, and hopefully in society as well to provide more equality for women in all areas of life.

 

References

 

Griffith, Jennifer, and Charlie Jane Anders. “The Weird History of Wonder Woman in TV,

 

Movies and Beyond.”io9, io9.Gizmodo.com, 23 Feb. 2012, io9.gizmodo.com/5887741/the-weird-history-of-wonder-woman-in-tv-movies-and-beyond.

 

Hickey, Walt. “Comic Books Are Still Made By Men, For Men And About Men.”

 

FiveThirtyEight, FiveThirtyEight, 21 Apr. 2017, fivethirtyeight.com/features/women-in-comic-books/.

 

Lepore, Jill. “The Surprising Origin Story of Wonder Woman.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian

 

Institution, 1 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/origin-story-wonder-woman-180952710/.

 

Persall, Steve. “Review: 'Wonder Woman' Does the Job Better than the DC Dudes and Duds

Who Tried Before.” Tampa Bay, Florida News, 2 June 2017, www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/movies/review-wonder-woman-does-the-job-better-than-all-the-dc-dudes-and-duds-who/2325731.

 

“Wonder Woman (2017).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/.

 

“Wonder Woman.” Metacritic, www.metacritic.com/movie/wonder-woman/critic-reviews.