As hard as it is to believe, there was a time when DC Comics was this close to endingWonder Woman’slegacy for good. She might be one of the most well-known heroes ever created, but her time almost ran out years ago.
WhenWonder Woman first hit the scene, she was popular to the point where her stories were outselling Superman. But things took a turn in the decades that followed, and her popularity started to ebb and flow. WhileWonder Woman is a pillarof the DC Universe as fans know it today, there was a time when the world nearly lost the Amazing Amazon.
Wonder Woman Was Once Deemed ‘Un-Writable’
William Messner-Loebs Recalls Diana’s Darkest Hour
Wonder Woman has had a complex journeyin DC’s history all the way back to her origins when she was co-created by William Moulton Marston, who envisioned her as a feminist propaganda piece. In later years, after Marston stepped aside, the character went through a number of reinventions, including one that turned Diana into a powerless secret agent. But as time went on, Wonder Woman stagnated, something thatformerWonder Womanwriter William Messner-Loebs was asked about in an interview with Darren Schroederin his piece “Bill Messner-Loebs: A Career Retrospective (Part III)”.
…a period whenWonder Womanwas struggling to reach audiences.
Schroeder inquired why DC Comics considered Wonder Woman un-writable at a period whenWonder Womanwas struggling to reach audiences. Messner-Loebs opined that the publisher had a skewed perception of Wonder Woman, seeing it as a silly, campy story that didn’t know what audience it was trying to reach, leading to mismatched or even impossible expectations. Messner-Loebs recalled that fellowWonder Womanwriter Dan Mishkin had several interesting ideas shot down. Messner even mentioned he had ideas that were rejected by DC,due to the publisher having very defined rules for whatWonder Womancould and couldn’t be.
Ultimately, Messner-Loebs saw this dark period as a self-defeating perception for DC where the publisher would have strict rules for what she needed to be, then useWonder Womanas an example for why other female-based comics wouldn’t sell. However, Messner-Loebs points out that George Perez’s critically-acclaimed run was evidence that readers did want stories with well-structured female characters. He also pointed out that movies likeAlienandComaproved that men could identify with female characters,there just needed to be an effort made in theWonder Womanbook.
Wonder Woman’s Not Un-Writable and Her History Proves It
Several Wonder Woman writers, including Greg Rucka, have spoken about how Diana is a hard nut to crack. At her roots, she’s an unabashedly feminist hero and was created to buck the trends of society. But not everyone was up to the challenge of writing a character like that (and fewer possessed the nuance to). Not to mention, as the years went on,Wonder Woman became more and more limited over what she could do in her storiesand the end result was a hero who was facing irrelevancy.
Messner-Loebs hits the nail on the head when he discusses how fans, especially male fans, wanted a female hero whose creators were allowed to think outside the box. George Perez infamously pumped new life into Wonder Woman in a Post-Crisis DC Universe and showed how cool and innovative she could really be. Later writers like Gail Simone and Greg Rucka also pushed what Wonder Woman could do, leading to some truly fan-favorite runs. Even now,Absolute Wonder Woman is giving fans a completely different Diana, and it’s become one of DC’s best-selling books.
…finally gave Diana the second wind she desperately needed.
Would DC Comics have actually ended things for Diana back in the day? Considering how bad things got in the ’90s, it’s not impossible to imagine. But thankfully, there was a shift among DC editorial and creative teams were finally allowed to start putting true effort into their stories, which finally gave Diana the second wind she desperately needed. It’s hard to imagine a world where Wonder Woman seriously floundered and ended up canceled. But thankfully,the gods had a different plan for DC’s iconic hero.
Wonder Woman Creators Should Never Stop Pushing and Trying
Wonder Woman Will Still Be Relevant as Long as Creative Teams Put in the Work
While Wonder Woman was on the brink at one point, she’s avoided that thanks to creative teams really trying to improve the character. The freedom to give Diana new challenges and new experiences is what keeps her relevant to this day. Not every story is going to knock it out of the park, but fans notice and always appreciate it when writers are allowed freedom to show the world how cool Wonder Woman really is.
