Wonder Woman Is a Superhero Movie Only a Woman Could Have Made

I say that not because men don’t “get” Wonder Woman. Some of her best comic adventures have been written and drawn by men. Greg Rucka just finished the second of two acclaimed stints writing the book. George Perez redefined the character in the 1980s. Phil Jimenez’s underrated run even featured a team-up between Queen Hippolyta as Wonder Woman and a time-lost Diana. And the recent DC cinematic universe aside, men are obviously capable of crafting inspirational superhero movies.
I say only a women could have made this movie because of a subtle undercurrent that underlies nearly of all Diana’s interactions with men after she leaves Themysicara. It’s something that not everyone—and especially not most men—will notice. I’ve no idea if director Patty Jenkins did it consciously, or if the female experience in Hollywood (and elsewhere) informed her choices.
It’s the attempt of the world of men to hem Diana in at every turn. It’s the urge to conform that she hits at every corner.

The Amazons cherished the one child on their island. They encouraged her learning, in disciplines ranging from the battlefield to academic pursuits. They set goals, they were hard on her, but they gifted her with confidence in herself and who she is.
What happens when she leaves Themyscrira?
First, Steve wants to make her fit in with what his society believes women should be: time for a change of clothes, time to ditch the sword and shield. It’s a literal disarming, to change her from what she is to what she’s “supposed” to be. The shopping sequence is played for laughs, and Etta Candy is perfect, both amused and in awe of Diana, but while Steve’s stated goal is to alter her appearance so Diana won’t be too conspicuous as he proceeds with his mission, he’s unconsciously putting her in the box that the patriarchy puts all women.
Diana is having none of this. She finds clothing that suits her and her needs, even if it doesn’t fit the ideal. Though she reluctantly gives her sword and shield to Etta, it’s temporary. In another sequence, they attempt to make her wear glasses in order to appear, well, even less threatening, and Diana rejects that as well. For all that Steve saw on the island, his attitude has not truly changed.

Until the scene when they’re attached: Steve jumps to protect Diana but, of course, he’s the one who needs protecting. Chris Pine plays the moment of realization perfectly. Then Etta shows up with Diana’s sword and finishes off the confrontation. It’s a funny moment, but it’s also a figurative and literal handing over of the sword (the power) to another woman. I wish we’d seen more of Etta and her transformation afterward.
The need of men to squash who Diana is continues—in a bar, and in the trenches—until finally, there’s the incredible moment where she puts on Antiope’s tiara and strides into No Man’s Land. (Oh, my, so many essays could be written on the symbolism of that moment.)
Suffice to say, Diana takes on the mantle of all of her teachers, of her community, and strides into a world where men fear to tread.
In doing so, she becomes all women who have been told “you can’t,” or “this isn’t possible,” or “it’s too complicated” or “you don’t understand why, this is hard but, trust me,that’s just how it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Diana knows that she can. What’s more, she inspires the men following her to believe it too.
That feeling of being inspired—that subconscious “yes, you can”—is what has moved so many women to tears. And the underlying power of that moment is likely only something a woman can have instinctively understood.
What did you think of Wonder Woman?