Wonder Woman has always been able to hold her own against DC’s big boys. Arguably she is stronger than both counterparts of the DC Trinity: Batman and Superman. Batman is very much a mortal, while Superman has ties to kryptonite. Wonder Woman has always been an icon, a symbol of hope, love, and female power.
About the author: William Marston
Marston was a psychologist. He saw comics as a way to educate people. He wanted to change the way that people saw the role of women in society by creating a strong female role model in Wonder Woman. He had a healthy and happy polyamorous relationship with his wife Elizabeth Holloway and their partner Olive Byrne.
Byrne stayed home and took care of the children William had with her and with Elizabeth, while Elizabeth focused on pursuing her own career. Diana's appearance is based on a combination of both of Marston’s loves.
Lasso of truth comes from a truth
Marston’s work in psychology was prominently in lie detecting so it is only natural that Wonder Woman’s weapon came from this idea. His most efficient way of lie detecting had to do with detecting changes in heart rate and blood pressure to determine if a subject was being truthful or not. Even in the best trials, Marston’s lie detecting strategies were never perfect but Diana’s lasso works with godly magic. It never fails to compel those it's wrapped around, to tell the truth.
What can we learn from Wonder Woman
We should all learn from Diana -- mostly about love. She was created by a man who loved two women and saw them as his equals when women were not of the same social standing as men. Feminine stood for weaker in body and mind in Marton's time, but he saw the strong and powerful women in his life and disagreed with this norm.
He used the story of Diana to change this. He hoped to make a social climate where women could succeed.
Wonder Woman herself always fights with love. Her ultimate goal is to create a peaceful world, to end wars, and to always assume the best of people.
"We have a saying, my people. 'Don't kill if you can wound, don't wound if you can subdue, don't subdue if you can pacify, and don't raise your hand at all until you've extended it.'" -- Wonder Woman (Vol 3 #25, Gail Simone)
A look into her future
As DC reboots franchises, Wonder Woman will also change.
Her themes, backstory, the way she is portrayed, and the morals we can learn from her adventures will also change over time. Hopefully, she will evolve in ways that keep fighting to challenge problems women have today. We have different challenges now compared to what they had in the 1930’s, so Wonder Woman has to have a very different look as she continues to be the role model Marston created.
