I’ve loved superheros since I was a little boy. I had Wolverine slippers when I didn’t know who Wolverine was. I thought he was Batman because of the ears on the mask. I had an imaginary friend named Alfred because I’m Batman of course!
Being a little boy, I never much cared for female superheros. I gained an appreciation for certain female characters as a teen mostly out of nostalgia or they were just plain bad ass. Rogue, Mystique, Black Canary, Black Cat, Catwoman, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman are at the top of my list.
Justice League the animated series & Justice League Unlimited provided my first true exposure to Wonder Woman. When I say exposure, I mean familiarity. Her backstory was acknowledge very well to an extent. Her strength was exceptionally showcased. I respect the character tremendously, but I must confess that I have never taken a deep dive comics-wise when it comes to her.
I’m not here to critique the film. Nor will I waive a feminist flag. I will say it’s about damn time a strong female superhero has her own movie. A movie showcased with a long overdue amount of respect. I feel very grateful after having seen Wonder Woman. The central themes of the film for me were empathy and love. Those two words are tossed around so much that we’re numb to their true meaning. You can see them haphazardly plastered on lame Hobby Lobby decor. I grew up with only child syndrome (selfish) and struggle every day to remember that I’m not the center of the universe. This movie touched me in a way that was necessary for my growth as a man and a human being.
Diana decides to leave Paradise Island to help Steve Trevor because she knows she can help people who are suffering, plain and simple. There’s a moment when they are traveling through a war torn countryside filled with suffering. She sees two horses stuck in mud and being whipped mercilessly. There’s a man with his leg blown off. She had the purest desire to help, but she was not allowed to help by Steve because they were on a mission. Next they are traveling through front line trenches in the heat of battle. She stops to speak with a woman who is crying while holding her child. The woman tells Diana of others who are suffering across the battlefield. This was Diana’s breaking point. She stopped in the middle of their mission and fought her way across the battlefield. She inspired her compatriots to help her as well. They saved an entire village and gave those people hope. Afterwards she genuinely shakes hands and smiles with the villagers.
There’s so much more that happens in the movie, but these are the moments that resonated with me. Yes superheros are not real, but Wonder Woman’s empathy was human. Her empathy was delivered in a genuinely refreshing way. Her empathy was reminiscent of some women I’ve had the privilege to encounter in my life. It’s a very healthy and attractive quality. A quality that I wish to incorporate into my life and also find in a wife.
The film begins and ends with Diana narrating. She speaks with humility on her naivety at the beginning of her journey and of her present day insight. One of her closing statements is that the world can’t be saved by defeating one bad guy or one enemy. Love is the only way to save the world. I here that love is the answer for everything all the time. It sounds cliched because love is used so loosely today, but I believe she’s right. She’s not speaking of just romantic love, but love for our fellow man. It’s love and appreciation for all life (remember the horses). This love all comes back to empathy. If there was more of this people wouldn’t hurt each other. It’s a tall order, the best we can hope for is that individuals arrive at this conclusion themselves and act on it (also Wonder Woman’s words, but not verbatim).
