Editing Wonder Woman (section)

===Critical reception===
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Although created to be a positive role-model and a strong female character for girls and boys,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://superdames.org/image/121510631426|title=Superdames!: Photo|website=superdames.org|access-date=September 26, 2019|archive-date=September 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926225502/https://superdames.org/image/121510631426|url-status=live}}</ref> in the controversial ''[[Seduction of the Innocent]]'', psychiatrist [[Fredric Wertham]] claimed, as a point of criticism, that Wonder Woman's strength and independence made her a [[lesbian]].<ref>{{citation|last=Wertham| first=Fredric |year=1954| title=Seduction of the Innocent| publisher=Rinehart & Company, Inc.|pages=192, 234–235}}</ref><!--Please keep these concise; redirect details to "Cultural impact of Wonder Woman"-->

Wonder Woman was named the 20th greatest comic book character by ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' film magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/50greatestcomiccharacters/default.asp?c=20 |title=The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters – Wonder Woman |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003231144/http://www.empireonline.com/50greatestcomiccharacters/default.asp?c=20 |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was ranked sixth in ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]''{{'}}s "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.<ref>{{cite book| last=Frankenhoff| first=Brent| author-link=Brent Frankenhoff| title=Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics| publisher=[[Krause Publications]] |year=2011| page=14| isbn=978-1-4402-2988-6}}</ref> In May 2011, Wonder Woman placed fifth on ''[[IGN]]''{{'}}s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/top/comic-book-heroes/5 |title=Wonder Woman – #5 Top Comic Book Heroes |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222143452/http://www.ign.com/top/comic-book-heroes/5 |archive-date=December 22, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under current US copyright law, Wonder Woman is due to enter the public domain in between 2036 and 2037.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sergi |first=Joe |title=The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications |publisher=McFarland & Company |publication-place=Jefferson, North Carolina |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4766-1733-6 |oclc=903489229|page=214}}</ref>{{efn|See [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_Code/Title_17/Chapter_3/Sections_304_and_305 USC Title 17, Chapter 3, § 304(b)]}} However, this will only apply (at first) to the character as she is depicted in All Star Comics #8, which was published in 1941. Versions of her with later developments and some related characters, may persist under copyright until the works they were introduced in enter the public domain themselves.

====Feminist icon====
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[[Feminism|Feminist]] icon [[Gloria Steinem]], founder of [[Ms. (magazine)|''Ms.'' magazine]], was responsible for the return of Wonder Woman's original abilities. Offended that the most famous female superhero had been depowered into a boyfriend-obsessed [[damsel in distress]], Steinem placed Wonder Woman (in costume) on the cover of the first issue of ''Ms.'' (1972) – [[WarnerMedia|Warner Communications]], DC Comics' owner, was an investor – which also contained an appreciative essay about the character.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite book|editor1-last=McAvennie|editor1-first=Michael|editor2-last=Dolan|editor2-first=Hannah|chapter=1970s| title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle| publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |page=154|quote="After nearly five years of Diana Prince's non-powered super-heroics, writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Don Heck restored Wonder Woman's... well, wonder."|isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9}}</ref> Wonder Woman's powers and traditional costume were restored in issue #204 (January–February 1973).<ref name=autogenerated2 />

In 1972, just months before the groundbreaking US Supreme Court decision ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', science fiction author [[Samuel R. Delany]] had planned a story for ''Ms.'' that culminated in a plainclothes Wonder Woman protecting an [[abortion clinic]]. However, Steinem disapproved of Wonder Woman being out of costume, and the controversial story line never happened.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/colloquy/download/colloquy_issue_twenty-four_/matsuuchi.pdf |title=Wonder Woman Wears Pants: ''Wonder Woman'', Feminism and the 1972 'Women's Lib' Issue| first=Ann |last=Matsuuchi| journal=Colloquy: Text Theory Critique| issue=24 |year=2012|publisher=[[Monash University]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626142225/http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/colloquy/download/colloquy_issue_twenty-four_/matsuuchi.pdf |archive-date=June 26, 2015}}</ref>

The original significance of Wonder Woman had the intentions of influencing many women of all ages, displaying the physical and mental strengths, values, and ethical attributes that not only men acquire. "Wonder Woman symbolizes many of the values of the women's culture that feminists are now trying to introduce into the mainstream: strength and self-reliance for women; sisterhood and mutual support among women; peacefulness and esteem for human life; a diminishment both of 'masculine' aggression and of the belief that violence is the only way of solving conflicts," Steinem wrote at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2016/10/12/wonder-woman-75-how-superhero-icon-inspired-generation-feminists?cid=inbody:wonder-woman-new-trailer-goes-deeper-into-dianas-backstory|title=Wonder Woman at 75: How the superhero icon inspired a generation of feminists|work=SBS Movies|access-date=April 12, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413080743/http://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2016/10/12/wonder-woman-75-how-superhero-icon-inspired-generation-feminists?cid=inbody:wonder-woman-new-trailer-goes-deeper-into-dianas-backstory|archive-date=April 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Carolyn Cocca has stated that Wonder Woman possesses a "duality of character" due to the character possessing both feminine and masculine qualities in her physical abilities and attitude, which Cocca felt made her more appealing to a wide audience.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last=Cocca|first=Carolyn|date=2014|title=Negotiating the Third Wave of Feminism in "Wonder Woman"|jstor=43284491|journal=PS: Political Science and Politics|volume=47|issue=1|pages=98–103|doi=10.1017/S1049096513001662|doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |s2cid=154760203}}</ref> Wonder Woman's first female editor, [[Karen Berger]], claimed that, "Wonder Woman [is] a great role model to young women, but also contains many elements that appeal to males as well. Wonder Woman crosses the gender line.".<ref name=":0" /> Berger worked with [[George Pérez]] on the new issues of Wonder Woman starting in 1987, and the new Diana "works with friends and allies to teach lessons of peace and equality."<ref>{{cite book|title=Wonder Woman Vol 2|last=Perez, Wein|year=1988|pages=Issue 17}}</ref>

The origin of Wonder Woman and the psychological reasoning behind why William Morton Marston created her in the way he did illustrated Marston's educational, ethical, and moral values.<ref>{{cite book|title=Female Action Heroes : A Guide to Women in Comics, Video Games, Film, and Television.|last=Knight|first=Gladys|year=2010|location=Santa Barbara United States|pages=1}}</ref>

Marc DiPaolo introduces us to Wonder Woman's creator and history and he demonstrates how she is a "WWII veteran, a feminist icon, and a sex symbol" all throughout her "career". Wonder Woman stars in multiple films and is most commonly known for her red, white and blue one piece, and her tall, sexy assertiveness. What many people do not know is that she is a big part of history in the comic and superhero world because of how her character influences real life people of all ages, sexes, ethnicities, and races. "Marston created the comic book character Wonder Woman to be both strong and sexy, as a means of encouraging woman to emulate her unapologetic assertiveness."<ref>{{cite book|title=Wonder Woman as A World War II Veteran, Feminist Icon, and Sex Symbol|last=DiPaola|first=Marc|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|year=2011|isbn=978-0-7864-4718-3|location=Jefferson, North Carolina, and London|pages=70}}</ref> Charlotte Howell notes in her essay titled "'Tricky' Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC's Brand Disruptor" that Wonder Woman is "inherently disruptive to masculine superhero franchise branding because, according to her creator William Moulton Marston, she was intended to be 'psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who, [he] believe[d], should rule the world.'"<ref>{{cite journal|last=Howell|first=Charlotte|date=Fall 2015|title="Tricky" Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC's Brand Disruptor|journal=Cinema Journal|volume=55|pages=141–149|doi=10.1353/cj.2015.0072|s2cid=193211754 }}</ref>

In 2015, Wonder Woman became the first superhero to officiate a same-sex wedding in a comic series.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://equalityarchive.com/issues/wonder-woman/|title=Wonder Woman: Equality Archive|date=May 9, 2016|publisher=Equality Archive|access-date=March 7, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308045001/http://equalityarchive.com/issues/wonder-woman/|archive-date=March 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/wonder-woman-gay-marriage/402799/|title=Suffering Sappho: Wonder Woman Endorses Marriage Equality|last=Groetzinger|first=Kate|work=The Atlantic|access-date=March 7, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308045613/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/09/wonder-woman-gay-marriage/402799/|archive-date=March 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 21, 2016, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of the character, the United Nations named Wonder Woman a UN Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls in a ceremony attended by ''Wonder Woman'' actresses [[Gal Gadot]] and [[Lynda Carter]], [[DC Entertainment]] President [[Diane Nelson (comics)|Diane Nelson]], ''[[Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman]]'' feature film director [[Patty Jenkins]], and U.N. Under-Secretary General [[Cristina Gallach]] appeared at the [[United Nations]], to mark the character's designation by the United Nations as its "Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbr.com/united-nations-to-name-wonder-woman-honorary-ambassador/ |title=United Nations to Name Wonder Woman Honorary Ambassador |last1=Cave |first1=Rob |date=October 10, 2016|publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022090756/http://www.cbr.com/united-nations-to-name-wonder-woman-honorary-ambassador/ |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/21/health/wonder-woman-un-ambassador-trnd/ |title=Wonder Woman named UN ambassador in controversial move |last1=Alexander |first1=Erik |date=October 21, 2016|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=October 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022090439/http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/21/health/wonder-woman-un-ambassador-trnd/ |archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=EW>{{cite web|author=Serrao, Nivea|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/10/13/wonder-woman-un-honorary-ambassador/|title=Wonder Woman named UN Honorary Ambassador for empowerment of women and girls|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=October 13, 2016|archive-date=December 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229034805/https://ew.com/article/2016/10/13/wonder-woman-un-honorary-ambassador/}}</ref><ref name=BusinessWire>{{cite press release|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005779/en/Woman-Named-United-Nations'-Honorary-Ambassador-Empowerment|title=Wonder Woman Named the United Nations' Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229034655/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161021005779/en/Woman-Named-United-Nations%27-Honorary-Ambassador-Empowerment|work=[[Business Wire]]|date=October 21, 2016|archive-date=December 29, 2020}}</ref> The gesture was intended to raise awareness of UN [[Sustainable Development Goal]] #5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.<ref name=EW/><ref name=BusinessWire/><ref name=CNN>{{cite web|author=Roberts, Elizabeth|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/13/health/wonder-woman-un-ambassador-trnd/index.html|title=UN drops Wonder Woman as honorary ambassador|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=December 13, 2016|archive-date=December 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229034717/https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/13/health/wonder-woman-un-ambassador-trnd/index.html}}</ref> The decision was met with protests from UN staff members who stated in their petition to UN Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] that the character is "not culturally encompassing or sensitive" and served to objectify women.<ref name=CNN/> The petition also stated that it was "alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualized image".<ref>{{cite news|title=Wonder Woman dropped from UN role for being too sexy|url=http://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2016/1213/838547-wonder-woman/|publisher=RTE|date=December 13, 2016|access-date=December 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214074832/http://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2016/1213/838547-wonder-woman/|archive-date=December 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, the character was stripped of the designation, and the project ended on December 16.<ref name=CNN/>

After the release of the 2017 film ''Wonder Woman'', critics examined the character's status as a feminist figure in the film. Zoe Williams for ''[[The Guardian]]'' said, "Yes, she is sort of naked a lot of the time, but this isn't objectification so much as a cultural reset: having thighs, actual thighs you can kick things with, not thighs that look like arms, is a feminist act. The whole Diana myth, women safeguarding the world from male violence not with nurture but with better violence, is a feminist act. Casting Robin Wright as Wonder Woman's aunt, re-imagining the battle-axe as a battler with an axe, is a feminist act. A female German chemist trying to destroy humans (in the shape of Dr Poison, a proto-Mengele before Nazism existed) might be the most feminist act of all."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/05/why-wonder-woman-is-a-masterpiece-of-subversive-feminism|title=Why Wonder Woman is a masterpiece of subversive feminism|last=Williams|first=Zoe|date=June 5, 2017|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=December 6, 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913023747/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/05/why-wonder-woman-is-a-masterpiece-of-subversive-feminism|url-status=live}}</ref> Alyssa Rosenberg for ''The Washington Post'' said, "...{{nbsp}}None of these experiences crushed me, of course, but I do wonder what it might have been like if they hadn't happened. The power of Wonder Woman, and one of the things that gives Jenkins's adaptation of the character such a lift, is in the answer to that question. Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) doesn't have any idea what women and men are – or aren't – supposed to do. Even when she does encounter other people's ideas about gender roles, she doesn't automatically accept them, and she never lets anyone stop her. And the movie goes a step further and argues that it's not merely little girls all over the world who stand to gain if they can grow up free of the distorting influence of misogyny: a world like that would be liberating and wonderful for men in lots of ways, too."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/06/05/wonder-woman-is-a-beautiful-reminder-of-what-feminism-has-to-offer-women-and-men/|title='Wonder Woman' is a beautiful reminder of what feminism has to offer women — and men|author=Rosenberg, Alyssa|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en|access-date=December 6, 2018|archive-date=December 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207102919/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2017/06/05/wonder-woman-is-a-beautiful-reminder-of-what-feminism-has-to-offer-women-and-men/|url-status=live}}</ref> Emma Gray for ''[[HuffPost]]'' said, "When it comes to pop culture, we speak often about representation; the simple yet often unfulfilled idea that it matters to see someone like you fill a variety of imagined roles on screen. After awhile, these conversations almost begin to feel obvious. We know that it's good to see women and people of color and disabled people and trans people and queer people in the same numbers and variety of roles that white, cisgender, straight men have long been afforded. But what these discussions often lose is the emotional impact of finally seeing something you may have never even realized you were missing. For many women viewers, "Wonder Woman" filled a hole they didn't know they had."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wonder-woman-and-the-power-of-watching-a-woman-save-the-world_us_59355949e4b075bff0f51205|title='Wonder Woman' And The Power Of Watching A Woman Save The World|last=Gray|first=Emma|date=June 5, 2017|work=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=December 6, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><!--Please keep these concise; redirect details to "Cultural impact of Wonder Woman"-->

====Pacifist icon====
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[[Gloria Steinem]], editor for [[Ms. (magazine)|''Ms.'' magazine]] and a major supporter of Wonder Woman, stated "...{{nbsp}}[Marston] had invented Wonder Woman as a heroine for little girls, and also as a conscious alternative to the violence of comic books for boys."<ref>Gloria Steinem, "Wonder Woman", in Gilbert H. Muller, ed., ''The McGraw-Hill Reader : Issues Across the Disciplines'' (McGraw-Hill Education, 2005), 455 – 462, p. 458.</ref> Badower described a near-international incident (involving an unnamed Russian general rolling dozens of tanks and munitions through a shady mountain pass) as an outstanding example for standing up to bullies. "She ends up deflecting a bullet back and disarming the general," he says, adding that "she doesn't actually do anything violent in the story. I just think that Wonder Woman is smarter than that."<ref name="thedailybeast.com" />

Nick Pumphrey stated that Wonder Woman stands as a non-violent beacon of hope and inspiration for women and men.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://78.media.tumblr.com/75a5dd9895ad9b4079505986e70a8016/tumblr_inline_o8crbxpDPp1rrbhi0_500.png |title=The girls broke laws because they no longer... |website=tumblr |access-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://78.media.tumblr.com/474a1ed212515b04dfa20412f2ed071a/tumblr_inline_o8crap7Wq91rrbhi0_500.png |title=Later—the governor inspects the model prison |website=Tumblr |access-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref> [[Grant Morrison]] stated "I sat down and I thought, 'I don't want to do this warrior woman thing.' I can understand why they're doing it, I get all that, but that's not what [Wonder Woman creator] William Marston wanted, that's not what he wanted at all! His original concept for Wonder Woman was an answer to comics that he thought were filled with images of blood-curdling masculinity, and you see the latest shots of Gal Gadot in the costume, and it's all sword and shield and her snarling at the camera. Marston's Diana was a doctor, a healer, a scientist."<ref>{{cite web |last=Romano |first=Aja |url=http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/14592/history-of-wonder-woman/ |title=The pacifist past and war-torn future of Wonder Woman |website=Kernelmag.dailydot.com |date=August 9, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125233208/http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/features-issue-sections/14592/history-of-wonder-woman/ |archive-date=November 25, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://feminismandreligion.com/2012/03/27/the-legacy-of-original-intentions-the-non-violence-of-wonder-woman-by-nick-pumphrey/ |title=The Legacy of Original Intentions: The Non Violence of Wonder Woman |first= Nick|last=Pumphrey |magazine=Feminism and Religion |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206093030/https://feminismandreligion.com/2012/03/27/the-legacy-of-original-intentions-the-non-violence-of-wonder-woman-by-nick-pumphrey/ |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/wonder-woman-179/the-true-nature-of-pacificism-627794/ |title=The True Nature of Pacificism – Wonder Woman |magazine= Comic Vine|date=August 10, 2011 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126120049/http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/wonder-woman-179/the-true-nature-of-pacificism-627794/ |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2018 journal article "Casting a Wider Lasso: An Analysis of the Cultural Dismissal of Wonder Woman Through Her 1975–1979 Television Series" argued that the Lynda Carter show strongly adapted Wonder Woman's ideals but "was suppressed, undone, and discredited" by American culture as part of a larger legacy suppressing the character.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boucher |first=Ian |date=2018 |title=Casting a Wider Lasso: An Analysis of the Cultural Dismissal of Wonder Woman Through Her 1975–1979 Television Series |url=https://www.popularculturereview.org/pcr-292-summer-2018.html |journal=Popular Culture Review |language= |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=151–191 |doi=10.1002/j.2831-865X.2018.tb00237.x |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |access-date=January 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129115113/https://www.popularculturereview.org/pcr-292-summer-2018.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Paquette detailed the changes he made to Wonder Woman's costume, stating that he removed the iconic American flag theme and instead incorporated a Greek influence: "The animal associated to Aphrodite is a dove so instead of an eagle on [Wonder Woman's] breastplate, it will be more of a dove. It's not the American eagle, it's the Aphrodite dove. Stuff that creates [the letter] W is by accident, so it's not like she already has a letter of the alphabet on her [costume]. In the end I've created a structure so it feels inevitable for Wonder Woman to look the way she does."<ref name="fanbros.com">{{cite web|url=https://forallnerds.com/wonder-woman-sex-and-comic-book-double-standards/|title=Wonder Woman, Sex and Comic Book Double Standards (Editorial)|date=June 21, 2013|access-date=September 26, 2019|archive-date=September 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926225504/https://forallnerds.com/wonder-woman-sex-and-comic-book-double-standards/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====LGBT icon====
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William Marston's earliest works were notorious for containing subversive "bondage and sapphic-undertones" subtext. Among Wonder Woman's famous catchphrases, "Suffering Sappho", was a direct reference to lesbianism. [[Fredric Wertham]]'s ''[[Seduction of the Innocent]]'' referred to her as the "lesbian counterpart to Batman" (whom he also identified as a homosexual). After Marston's death in 1947, DC Comics downplayed her sexuality and feminist origin. Wonder Woman, without Marston's creative direction, become more "traditional" superhero fare; the lesbian relationships and sexual imagery disappeared from the "Wonder Woman" comic, along with Wonder Woman's super powers. During the [[Comics Code Authority]]-decades since, Wonder Woman's subversiveness had been gradually stripped away; subsequent comic book writers and artists either did not know what do with her or barely hinted at Wonder Woman's erotic legacy.<ref name="ReferenceA">Professor Marston and the Wonder Women</ref>

But under the new 1987 re-boot of the title, under the editorship of [[Karen Berger]], and with the writing and art of George Perez at the helm of the book, the same-sex appreciation by Wonder Woman and the Amazons was more than hinted-at and this was established quickly in the new run of the title. Upon her first sight of supporting character Vanessa Kapatelis (in issue #3), she is shown smiling upwards at Kapatelis, thinking to herself "I've never ''seen'' another woman quite ''like'' her...she's so ''young''...so ''vulnerable''...so ''beautiful''..."<ref>''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) #3, page 18, panel 5 (April 1987)</ref> Three years later, in the first issue (#38) of a new decade, there is a story-line presenting a cultural exchange between appointed leaders from 'Man's World', who are the first mortals to visit Themyscira in this continuity, and the Amazons of Themyscira, in Themyscira, itself. The guest [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] minister, Reverend Cantwell, asks the Amazon [[Mnemosyne]] "..."Don't you ''miss'' the ''sharing'' God intended for the sexes?" to which Mnemosyne replied "''Some'' do. They have sworn themselves to Artemis, the virgin hunter, and Athena, the chaste warrior. ''Others'' choose the way of [[Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus]]. But ''most'' of us find satisfaction in each ''other'' – three thousand years ''can'' be a long time, reverend.".<ref>''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) #38, page 7, panel 6 (January 1990)</ref> Probably more than at any other time in the then nearly fifty-year history of the character, the Amazons were explicitly and unequivocally defined, in general, as lesbian. Additionally, Kevin Mayer, brother of the major supporting character Myndi Mayer, was openly gay and this was treated sympathetically.<ref>''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) Annual #1, pages 39–40 (January 1990)</ref> By this time, DC Comics was a [[Warner Bros.|Warner Brothers]]-owned company, and had been for over 20 years.

Wonder Woman is suggested as being queer<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Grame |last=McMillan |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/11/cape-watch-112/ |title=Cape Watch: Wonder Woman Would Like a Girlfriend, Please |magazine=Wired |date=November 10, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |quote=the comic book Wonder Woman was confirmed to be queer last month |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221152108/https://www.wired.com/2016/11/cape-watch-112/ |archive-date=December 21, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> or bisexual, as she and another Amazon, Io, had reciprocal feelings for each other.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/wonder-woman-179/lesbian-interpretation-23264/ |title=Lesbian interpretation? – Wonder Woman |work=[[Comic Vine]] |author=Spastic Man |date=2008 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |quote=It may be that Wonder Woman may also be bisexual, as she and another Amazon, Io, harbored reciprocal feelings for each other. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206183256/http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/wonder-woman-179/lesbian-interpretation-23264/ |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Grant Morrison]]'s 2016 comic ''[[Wonder Woman: Earth One]]'', which exists parallel to the current DC comics ''Rebirth'' canon, Diana is depicted being kissed on her right cheek by a blonde woman who has put her left arm around Diana.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TCLrkdUI--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/e2zvaxuicmjwogxcwo9t.png |format=PNG |title=e2zvaxuicmjwogxcwo9t Image |website=I-kinga-img.com |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126120107/https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TCLrkdUI--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/e2zvaxuicmjwogxcwo9t.png |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016, "Issue #48" of ''[[Sensation Comics]]'', featured Wonder Woman officiating a same-sex wedding, drawn by Australian illustrator Jason Badower. "My country is all women. To us, it's not 'gay' marriage. It's just marriage", she states to [[Superman]]. Inspired by the 2015 [[Obergefell v. Hodges|June Supreme Court ruling]] that established [[same-sex marriage]] in all 50 United States, Badower says DC Comics was "fantastic" about his idea for the issue. In an interview with ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', he said his editor "Was like 'great, I love it! Let's do it.' It was almost anticlimactic."<ref>{{cite web |last=Browning |first=Bil |url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/08/20/wonder-woman-performs-same-sex-wedding-new-comic |title=Wonder Woman Performs Same-Sex Wedding in New Comic |website=Advocate.com |date=August 20, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126120109/http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/08/20/wonder-woman-performs-same-sex-wedding-new-comic |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> "Diana's mother, [[Hippolyta (DC Comics)|the queen]], at the very least authorized or in some cases officiated these weddings," Badower says. "It just seems more like a royal duty Diana would take on, that she would do for people that would appreciate it."<ref name="thedailybeast.com">{{cite news |author=Melissa Leon |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/19/wonder-woman-officiates-her-first-same-sex-wedding-averts-crimea-crisis.html |title=See Wonder Woman Officiate a Gay Wedding and Avert a Crisis in Crimea |newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=August 19, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112143856/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/19/wonder-woman-officiates-her-first-same-sex-wedding-averts-crimea-crisis.html |archive-date=November 12, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Wonder Woman actress [[Gal Gadot]] reacted positively to Diana's rebooted orientation, and agreed her sexuality was impacted by growing up in the women-only Themyscira. Gadot stated that Wonder Woman feels she need not be "labelled sexually", and is "just herself".
"She's a woman who loves people for who they are. She can be bisexual. She loves people for their hearts."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wonder-woman-2-bisexual-fans-superhero-petition-gal-gadot-patty-jenkins-a7969376.html |title=Thousands of fans sign petition to 'Make Wonder Woman Bisexual' |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |access-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203093619/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wonder-woman-2-bisexual-fans-superhero-petition-gal-gadot-patty-jenkins-a7969376.html |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=live  |date=September 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newser.com/story/231895/wonder-woman-is-officially-bisexual.html |title=DC Comics Writer Outs Wonder Woman |website=Newser.com |access-date=October 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013121448/http://www.newser.com/story/231895/wonder-woman-is-officially-bisexual.html |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |url-status=live  |date=October 2016}}</ref> Coming from a society that was only populated by women, "'lesbian' in [the world's] eyes may have been 'straight' for them."<ref name="comicosity.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.comicosity.com/exclusive-interview-greg-rucka-on-queer-narrative-and-wonder-woman/ |title=Exclusive Interview: Greg Rucka on Queer Narrative and Wonder Woman |work=Comicosity &#124; Comic Book News, Reviews, Previews, and Interviews |access-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003010709/http://www.comicosity.com/exclusive-interview-greg-rucka-on-queer-narrative-and-wonder-woman/ |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |url-status=live  |date=September 28, 2016}}</ref> "Her culture is completely free from the shackles of [[heteronormativity]] in the first place so she wouldn't even have any 'concept' of [[gender role]]s in sex."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.revelist.com/pop-culture/wonder-woman-is-queer/5002/default/2 |title=Wonder Woman has sex with women. Get over it. |publisher=Revelist |date=September 28, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113032338/http://www.revelist.com/pop-culture/wonder-woman-is-queer/5002/default/2 |archive-date=November 13, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Wonder Woman's advocacy for women rights and gay rights was taken a step further in September 2016, when comic book writer [[Greg Rucka]] announced that she is [[Canon (fiction)|canonically]] bisexual, according to her [[Reboot (fiction)|rebooted]] [[DC Rebirth|"Rebirth"]] origin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wonder-woman-queer_us_57ec2b6ce4b0c2407cdb8eea |title=Wonder Woman is Officially Queer |website=[[HuffPost]] |access-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228064928/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/wonder-woman-queer_us_57ec2b6ce4b0c2407cdb8eea |archive-date=February 28, 2018 |url-status=live  |date=September 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lyn |first=Nicole |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/woman-bisexual-dc-comics-article-1.2813018 |title=Wonder Woman is bisexual – 'obviously' says DC Comics |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |date=September 30, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126120236/http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/woman-bisexual-dc-comics-article-1.2813018 |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rucka stated, "...{{nbsp}}nobody at [[DC Comics]] has ever said, ''[Wonder Woman] gotta be straight.'' Nobody. Ever. They've never blinked at this."<ref name="comicosity.com"/> Rucka stated that in his opinion, she "has to be" queer and has "obviously" had same-sex relationships on an island surrounded by beautiful women.<ref name="comicosity.com" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsline.com/comic-book-hero-wonder-woman-bisexual/|title=Comic Book Hero Wonder Woman is Bisexual|date=October 1, 2016|language=en-US|access-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005113600/https://newsline.com/comic-book-hero-wonder-woman-bisexual/|archive-date=October 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> This follows the way Wonder Woman was written in the alternate continuity or non-canon ''Earth One'' by Grant Morrison,<ref>{{cite web |last=Yehl |first=Joshua |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/06/grant-morrison-on-wonder-woman-earth-ones-birth-race-and-sexuality-changes |title=Grant Morrison on Wonder Woman: Earth One's Birth, Race, and Sexuality Changes |website=[[IGN]] |date=April 6, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206234246/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/06/grant-morrison-on-wonder-woman-earth-ones-birth-race-and-sexuality-changes |archive-date=December 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> and fellow Wonder Woman writer [[Gail Simone]] staunchly supported Rucka's statement.<ref>{{cite web |author=Beth Elderkin |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/21755-gail-simone-wonder-woman-queer |title=Gail Simone, Longtime 'Wonder Woman' Writer, Says Cut Out Queer Fear |publisher=Inverse |date=October 4, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112025054/https://www.inverse.com/article/21755-gail-simone-wonder-woman-queer |archive-date=January 12, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Surprised at the amount of backlash from her fanbase, Rucka responded to "haters" that consensual sex with women is just as important to Wonder Woman as the Truth is to Superman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/greg-rucka-says-haters-need-to-get-over-it-about-wond-1787537688 |title=Wonder Woman Writer Says Haters Need to 'Get Over It' About Diana's New Canon Bisexuality |website=Io9.gizmodo.com |date=October 7, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216132529/http://io9.gizmodo.com/greg-rucka-says-haters-need-to-get-over-it-about-wond-1787537688 |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><!--Please keep these concise; redirect details to "Cultural impact of Wonder Woman"-->

====Sexual empowerment icon====
<!--Please keep these concise; redirect details to "Cultural impact of Wonder Woman"-->
Wonder Woman's signature weapon is her Lasso of Truth; consequently, much of her crime-fighting powers came from bondage, and her only exploitable weakness was, essentially, bondage. Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette had teamed up to work on ''Wonder Woman: Earth One''.<ref name="fanbros.com"/>

Wonder Woman's [[BDSM|sexual and bondage themes]] in her earliest days were not without purpose, however. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, theorized that human relationships could be broken down into dominance, submission, inducement and compliance roles which were embedded into our psyche. Because males were, more often than not, dominant in societies, Marston believed that "Women as a sex, are many times better equipped to assume emotional leadership than are males."<ref>{{cite book|title=Wonder Woman Unbound : the Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine|first=Tim|last=Hanley|isbn=9781613749098|oclc=859187727|date=April 2014|publisher=Chicago Review Press }}</ref> Marston wanted to convey his progressive ideals, through his use of bondage imagery, that women are not only capable of leadership roles, but should be in charge of society. Although Marston had good intentions with these themes, in Wonder Woman's early appearances, the bondage elements were controversial, as they were often seen to overly fetishize women in power rather than promote such women. Noah Berlatsky criticized this imagery in Wonder Woman's earliest days noting that "the comics take sensual pleasure in women's disempowerment."<ref>{{cite book|title=Wonder Woman: New Edition with Full Color Illustrations|first=Noah|last=Berlatsky|oclc=1078908120}}</ref> Despite having the mixed messages of this imagery, Marston fiercely believed that women would soon rule the earth and meant to showcase his predictions through sexual themes in his stories. He was an open feminist while studying at Harvard where he once said "Girls are also human beings, a point often overlooked!"<ref>{{cite book |title=The secret history of wonder woman |first=Jill |last=Lepore |publisher=Vintage |year=2015 |isbn=9780804173407 |oclc=941724731}}</ref>