Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman was dubbed the most popular female comic-book super hero of all time when she bursted onto the scene in 1941; the title remained. Born as the Warrior Princess of the Amazons, she was characterised as one of Earth's mightiest defenders and became a significant member of the Justice League. She was frequently considered an archetype for the heroic comic book heroine and the embodiment of strength and confidence. She was known under several aliases, including as Princess Diana of Themyscira in her homeland. On earth, however, she named herself Wonder Woman to portray her extraordinary powers. Homogeneous to most super heroes, she too possessed a secret identity, in which most would refer to her under the pseudonym, Diana Prince. 

Wonder Woman was created with the superlative combination of beauty, brains and brawn, accompanied by an invisible plane, bulletproof bracelets and a lasso she tied around villains to extract the truth from them. Aside from the arsenal of weapons she possessed, she was gifted with a wide range of powers as well as superior combat and battle skills. Her form handled multiple psychic abilities. Such an array included astral projection, telepathy and the Amazonian ability to turn brain energy into muscle power. With this synthesis, she was one of the main heroes in Golden Age of Comics. As she was created during World War II, she was initially depicted fighting the Axis Military force as well as an assortment of deadly super villains.

This crime fighter was brought to life by the American psychologist and writer William Marston. He witnessed feminism, suffrage and birth-control movements of the early 20th century from an intimate vantage point. So in 1941, he suggested for a feminine character with all the strength of Superman. He wanted a superhero whom showed young girls that they could achieve anything. Marston saw Wonder Woman as a reflection to his feminist values. Comic Books were dominated by males since their inception in the 1930s, which made Wonder Woman even more of a rarity when she teared into the world of comics.

In the earliest American comic books of the 1930s, female characters generally took supporting roles. To the muscle-bound male superheroes, they were obedient sidekicks or hapless girlfriends in constant need of rescue. But then, Wonder Woman beautifully, and literally - arrived out of the sky. Her depiction as a heroine fighting for justice, love, peace, and gender equality had made her to become a prominent feminist icon. She had the beauty of Aphrodite, the wisdom of Athena, the strength of Hercules, and the speed of Mercury. 

For several years in the 1950s, the only three superheroes to have had their own comic books were Superman, Batman, and of course, Wonder Woman. Her powerful touch even reached to the media. The airing of Wonder Woman’s very own television series In 1975 paved the way for strong female protagonists, that would include the Bionic Woman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess. Young girls could use a heroine like her to help give them the confidence to face a world where women are still accepted as invisible as Wonder Woman’s famous plane. Today, they can carry sandwiches to school in their Wonder Woman lunch boxes with pride. Wonder Woman has indeed became an inspiration.