A hero is a natural human being or a main fictitious character who, in the midst of adversity, surrenders through acts of strength, courage, or ingenuity. Just like other previously only gender-specific words, hero has now become commonly used to describe any sex, although hero only refers to females. The word “hero” comes from two Greek roots: Helios (heil) meaning “sun” and epithesis (hero) meaning “one who excel.” So from this root, we can derive “a hero” from the notion of a sun-dressed hero, someone who faces challenges with his or her” Stellar Power.” In popular culture, superheroes are typically shown as males, so in this article, we will be examining only women’s super heroes!
The most famous female protagonist in comics and fiction is Wonder Woman. Although she first appears as a comic book character in early Comics #1 (cover above), she later appears in a series of graphic novels and in the full length feature film Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is an enormously strong and adventurous young woman who displays classic characteristics of an excellent fighter, a strong symbol of honor, and a strong lover. She possesses supernatural gifts such as flight, strength, speed, skill in weaponry, and incredible durability; she relies on these gifts for most of her day to day activities.
In contrast to typical comic book super heroics where the hero acts out of a sense of whimsy and is usually motivated by super heroics, the most compelling aspects of Wonder Woman’s personality are her psychological qualities–her relentless optimism and her resolve to do right and never fail. One might argue that her optimism is unrealistic, but that would depend upon the extent of one’s own pessimistic outlook. No one can realistically expect to see anything good happen to someone they hate and hope against all odds. But in contrast to pessimistic heroes, Wonder Woman shows genuine courage in the face of adversity and displays a strong sense of moral rectitude even when the world rejects her. In this way, her strong sense of rightness and duty gives her a historical role as the archetypal heroine of the epic tradition of heroics.
Wonder Woman’s greatest asset as a character is her unshakable strength and determination to maintain her integrity and honor even in the face of death or serious injury. This is true heroism–a hallmark of classic heroes–because true heroes believe in the inherent value and worth of human life and refuse to allow anything to diminish their personal greatness. Because of her perfections and her unfaltering commitment to her principles, Wonder Woman is the ideal modern day female hero–uneven to all existing definitions of beauty and strength, and possessing unrivaled powers of endurance and resolution.
Through her relationships with other strong and admirable characters, including the warrior prince Themyscria and the mystic Amazoness Amazon, Wonder Woman develops her own inner strength and independence. She consistently chooses to use her knowledge, skill, and experience in order to overcome her physical handicaps and learn to be a powerful, confident, and independent being. Because of Wonder Woman’s perseverance, strength, and intelligence she is able to come to terms with her greatest fears and come out the other side intact and whole. While every hero has a nemesis qualities that serve to strengthen their resolve in times of conflict, Wonder Woman’s character constantly chooses to look for solutions to problems through the use of her mind and strength rather than her body. This is the essence of true heroism–acting with strength, but believing in the power of mind and spirit.
Wonder Woman is perhaps the most representative female figure in American literature and one of the most beloved heroes of our time. The modern generation of readers seems eager to read about and delight in any re-telling of her history, and the film industry is following this trend. Remakes are now widely popular, and in all likelihood we will soon see an updated version of the original Wonder Woman movie and a new Wonder Woman series brought to life by DC comics. And while the original deserves every accolade, the new take on the classic character makes her worthy of her own epic comic book series. No doubt we will continue to celebrate the accomplishments of Wonder Woman, one of our greatest and most noble heroes.