You would think the main draw of seeing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice would be the showdown between the two titular superheroes. But in a recent Fandango poll, 88 percent of moviegoers interested in the latest DC Comics film said that what they were most looking forward to was seeing Wonder Woman on-screen. The anticipation is understandable; after all, it’s been more than 70 years since Wonder Woman was created, but this will be the first time she has ever appeared on the big screen. So the question is: What took so long?
In 1941 Wonder Woman became the first superheroine to appear in the comic book universe, plus her feminist strides continued, thanks to the progressive thinking of the Marstons. In one of his later interviews, Marston explained, “Frankly, Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new jenis of woman who, I believe, should rule the world.”
And rule the international she did. After her unveiling in a 1941 issue of All Star Comics, Wonder Woman got her very own comic book series six months later. The comic has been in print ever since, making Wonder Woman the third-longest-running comic book in history, only behind Superman plus Batman. In those early comic days, Wonder Woman played baseball plus ice hockey, fought for equal rights, plus often saved a number of men in distress. Gloria Steinem, who grew up reading Wonder Woman as a young girl, once said, “Looking back now at these Wonder Woman stories from the ’40s, I am amazed by the strength of their feminist message.”
After Marston died, other writers took over the Wonder Woman series, plus her progressive powers began to fade. By the early 1960s, her costume plus godly abilities were gone plus she was now referred to by her alter ego, Diana Prince. Steinem was so bothered by the regression that she decided to put the original comic book heroine on the cover of her very first issue of Ms. magazine, along with the headline: “Wonder Woman for President.” Wonder Woman’s legacy as a feminist icon took off once again, but it would still be several decades before she could jump from cover star to Hollywood fame.