The Wonder Woman Comic (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Title Date The Wonder Woman Comic Introduction The aspects of having myths in most instances are what keeps mythological stories interesting. Mythological stories are those tales or fables that are based on human culture dealing with elements of human situations, which include good and evil. Also, mythology explains the origin of things, the meaning of life, and death, as well as the beliefs and values of people, and the existence of gods, heroes, and supernatural beings. Most stories, particularly the Comic stories of heroes use the aspect of mythology to explain good and evil, and the existence of gods and other supernatural beings. Wonder Woman is one of the superheroine characters in the American Comic books that use mythology in its story. As such, this paper will delve into explaining how mythology is present in the Wonder Woman comic. Further, the paper will discuss the aspects of Greek Mythology included in the comic, and the reason Marston includes the Greek Mythology background for Wonder Woman. Finally, this paper will explain how the mythological background for Wonder Woman helps further the plot of the story. The Presence of Mythology in the Wonder Woman Comic Wonder Woman is a comic book published by DC Comic and created by William Moulton Marston. The presence of mythology in the Wonder Woman story is the Wonder Woman originates from a nation known as Themyscira (Siswanto). Wonder Woman who is also known as Princess Diana of Themyscira was created out of clay by her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and Zeus the sky and thunder god in the ancient Greeks gave her life. Also, Wonder Woman was given supernatural powers such as super strength, super speed, sense, stamina, agility, and divine wisdom by the Greek Pantheon, who are the Olympic deities. She grew up to be an Amazonian warrior, working with her aunts Antiope, and Menalippe. Princess Diana also complemented her supernatural powers with some tools such as a lasso of truth, bracelets of victory, a magic sword, and many others. Using the powers given by the Greek gods, Wonder Woman as addresses in Wonder Woman: The Golden Age helped to fight cruelty, corruption, and oppression. Aspects of Greek/Roman Mythology in the Wonder Woman The Wonder Woman comic uses aspects of Greek mythology to show the origin of most of the things in the story. In Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Volume 1, the Amazonians’ queen, Hippolyte unfolded a Greek story to her daughter Princess Diana, also known as the Wonder Woman. Queen Hippolyte explained that in ancient Greece, the Amazons were the leading nation, with the women being in control. During this time, Hercules, the strongest man tried to conquer the nation but failed. Queen Hippolyte said, “I challenged him to personal combat because I knew that with my Magic Girdle given by Aphrodite Goddess of love I could not lose,” (Marston 9). Queen Hippolyte won the battle but Hercules used his tricks and possessed the Magic Girdle. For this reason, the Amazonians were taken into slavery (Marston 9). They could not stand their slavery to men. Queen Hippolyte in this case appealed to Aphrodite again, and when granted the Magic Girdle from Hercules, the Amazonians conquered men and sailed and settled in Paradise Island. Further, the aspects of Greek mythology are evident in some of the weapons that Princess Diana uses to fight evil. The Gauntlet of Atlas, the sandals of Hermes, and lasso of truth have a Greek mythological background. The lasso of truth originated from the Golden Girdle of Gaea, which was used by Wonder Woman’s aunt, Antiope. It was created to become a weapon by the Greek god Hephaestus (Emad 956). The Sandals of Hermes are also from Greek mythology. It is based on a Greek story about Hermes, who was the fleet-footed messenger of the Greek gods. The sandals had wings that could make a person fly. Gauntlet of Atlas is also Wonder Woman’s weapon that has Greek mythology. Atlas was a hero of the Titans who controlled the sky. Those who wore it were able to fight longer, and increase their stamina and durability. Why Marston includes Greek mythological background for Wonder Woman William Moulton Marston was the author and the creator of the Wonder Woman Comic. According to Hanley (10), “… women were poised to take over the rule of the country, politically, and economically within the next hundred years”. Marston was a strong believer in women's empowerment, particularly during the 20th century. In this case, to reflect...