Wonder Woman doesn’t just subvert superhero movie gender tropes, it does it in clever ways.
This article containsWonder Womanspoilers.
For a movie likeWonder Woman, something like theBechdel Testseems laughable as it should.
Their bodies arepowerful, rather than merely tiny.
Their training is anything but dainty and they do not hold back.
From their first meeting, the tone for Diana and Steves relationship is set when she rescues him.
Or, in her words, plucks him from the sea.
As a friend pointed out andthis fan video suggests, this was almost shot-for-shot theLittle Mermaidrescue.
Steve spends almost the entire movie back on his heels, in awe of Diana and unsure of himself.
At one point, Steve is literally at Dianas feet, looking up at her, impressed.
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Unlike Ariel, our Diana never gives up her voice.
When a marginalized group is working towards true equity, there are many steps and stumbles along the way.
For example, tokenization, which with women is known asSmurfette Syndrome, is commonplace.
Poison, one of the three evil-doers.
Real inclusion means nuanced characters throughout stories, not just positive representation.
Steve is capable, but he is nowhere near as strong as Diana and thats as it should be.
After all, as we eventually learn, she is a demigod.
Perhaps the strongest demonstration was Steve actually learning a technique from the Amazons.
Meanwhile Etta is running point back in the office, a position usually reserved for a man.
Steves sacrifice, and his final words to her, propel her into the final phase of the battle.
In this sense, Steves death is a classic fridging: he dies to inspire her to action.
His gender, however, makes it an excellent subversion of the trope, something we rarely see.
Why does this matter?
However, the same study showed there arent enough of those role models out there yet.
If thats not a call to action, I dont know what is.
All of these stories have been less successful with race and queerness than I and many others would like.
What Happened To Joss Whedons Wonder Woman…bydenofgeek
