The Surprising Origins of Wonder Woman: A Revolutionary Comic History

Wonder Woman first appeared as a patriotic symbol during World War II, embodying American ideals of freedom, justice, and democracy. Yet, the character’s celebration as a female icon and trailblazer for female empowerment fulfilled its self-proclaimed feminist creator’s goals of a new kind of superhero.

William Moulton Marston was born in Saugus, Massachusetts, on May 9, 1893. Educated at Harvard University, the future psychologist and creator of the most popular female superhero would become known for his contributions to psychology, invention, and comic book writing. Initially educated as a lawyer, Marston returned to Harvard for his PhD in psychology, graduating in 1921 to pursue his passion.

It did not take long for the psychologist to make a name for himself in the field with the development of the systolic blood pressure test, a crucial component of the modern polygraph. Marston was the first to explore the relationship between physiological responses and psychological states academically. In simpler terms, he was determining the correlation between blood pressure changes and a person lying. By the 1930s, Herbert Hoover’s crime lab at the Federal Bureau of Investigations employed the by-now-famous psychologist’s lie-detection methods in criminal investigations.

Besides his psychophysiology work, Marston was a vibrant academic, teaching various courses and publishing several books and journal articles on legal and educational psychology, including the 1928 best-selling Emotions of Normal People, in which he elaborated on his theories regarding human behavior and emotion. The work was notable for exploring various aspects of human sexuality and relationships.

Challenging many sexual taboos of the time, Marston broke down human behavior into four types: Dominance, Inducement, Submission, and Compliance (DISC). The book examined a variety of sexual practices, arguing that many behaviors considered deviant or abnormal were, in fact, natural expressions of human emotion. Bondage and discipline, he contended, were healthy behaviors in sexual relationships. Marston also advocated for the empowerment of female sexuality, arguing that women possessed a greater capacity for love and emotional connection, making them superior in relationship dynamics.

William Moulton Marston’s work was significant not only for its content but also for the collaboration and influence of Olive Byrne, who had a considerable influence not only on his professional life but also on his personal and creative life; the latter was especially crucial to creating the Wonder Woman character in 1941.

If Marston’s work pushed sexual freedom and argued that societal constraints and moral judgments on sexual behavior were detrimental to individual well-being and happiness, it was because he drew inspiration from his personal life. During the publication of Emotions of Normal People, the doctor was in a polyamorous relationship with two women.

Marston married Elizabeth Holloway Marston, a highly educated and independent woman and Boston University-educated lawyer and editor. In the late 1920s, the household welcomed Marston’s former student Olive Byrne, a niece of Margaret Sanger, a renowned birth control activist.

The two strong women were instrumental in shaping Marston’s views on feminism, gender dynamics, and the belief in women’s intellectual and societal potential. To the doctor, Elizabeth and Olive, each of whom would give birth to one of his children, embodied the ideals of strength, independence, and intelligence that Marston admired and hoped to promote. The latter put him on a path of creating one of the most influential superhero characters ever.

“Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power,” he stated. “Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weak ones, and the obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of a Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.” And in 1941, Marston had just the idea for one.

By the beginning of the Second World War, comic books had already become one of the country’s fastest-growing and selling mediums. The superhero genre, which would dominate the industry, began in 1938 with the introduction of Superman. Following the US entrance into WWII in late 1941, a slew of new characters ready to battle evil and support the war effort sprung up in countless stories and series.

Marston believed that it was the right time for a shift in gender roles within comic book narratives and convinced his friend and comic book publisher, Max Gaines, to take a risk introducing a strong female superhero. Considering the context of the times, having a woman battling alongside Superman, Captain America, and Doc Strange in a para-militaristic role was controversial.

Historian Christina M. Knopf writes: “Women’s families and sweethearts often disapproved of the independence and risk involved with military service.” The fear extended further, with many churches denouncing female service as “antithetical and disruptive to Christian teachings.” Additionally, the media was not immune from claiming that any form of military service would turn women into lesbians or prostitutes.

Marston’s idea for a superhero was different; his strong female character would triumph over evil using the characteristics that made women stronger than men. She wouldn’t use brute force often resorted to by their male counterparts. In their essay examining the historical context of the Wonder Woman character, historians Elliott Sawyer and Derek T. Buescher, the female protagonist’s tools of truth, namely her lie-detector test and lasso of compulsion, allowed Wonder Woman to maintain her traditionally feminine style while protecting the American way. Wonder Woman’s heroism, as Martson intended, represented femininity as heroic, self-sacrificing, and, in many ways, superior to its counterpart.

Marston’s creation Wonder Woman and her alter-ego, Diana Prince, first appeared in All-Star Comics #8 in December 1941, days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Initially, Marston’s name as the newest heroine’s author was kept a secret, hidden behind the pen name Charles Moulton. It would not be until the summer of the following year, and months after the newest female superhero received her first feature in January 1942’s Sensation Comics #1, that newspaper headlines revealed the famous psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston was the author.

The famous doctor’s basic story of Diana, aptly named after a goddess, begins on Paradise Island, which the Amazons have inhabited since Hercules entrapped Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, and her warriors by containing their powers with magic bracelets. Since then, Aphrodite has freed the fierce female warriors and allowed them to live peacefully and retain their powers as long as a man does not set foot on the island.

A close analysis of Marston’s life and the goal behind his creation of Wonder Woman reveals parallels between reality and the world of make-believe. Like his cooperative and harmonious relationship with Elizabeth and Olive, the Amazons on Paradise Island live in a matriarchal society free from male dominance and judgment, embodying Marston’s ideal of a culture where women thrive independently and collaboratively.

The transition from an Amazon princess to an American superhero begins when a US Army pilot, Captain Steve Trevor, crash lands on the island while battling a Nazi Luftwaffe pilot. The Amazons heal the American without letting his feet touch the ground on Paradise Island. The queen then chooses Diana to escort Steve back to the United States, where she decides to stay and help fight alongside the Allies in their struggle against Axis powers.

Elizabeth Marston, mainly due to her professional achievements, was the main inspiration for Diana Prince, who worked as a nurse, secretary, and intelligence officer. Elizabeth’s strong personality, independent spirit, and feminist beliefs became the basis of Wonder Woman’s strong and capable female persona.

Yet it was Marston’s other partner who perhaps most influenced the superhero. Olive Branch was the doctor’s psychology student at Tufts University, where her research was instrumental in Marston’s development of his DISC theory. The psychological theories on dominance and submission translated to the comic storylines often depicting bondage. Wonder Woman was frequently tied up or tying others up with her Lasso of Truth, symbolizing themes of control, trust, and liberation—all aspects of Marston and Branch’s research. The psychologists viewed these scenarios as metaphors for power dynamics in relationships, guided by the belief that loving submission to a rightful authority (namely women) would lead to personal and societal liberation.

The relationship dynamics between William, Elizabeth, and Olive, based on equality and mutual empowerment, translated to the comic pages through Wonder Woman, who fought not for domination but for justice, peace, and equality. Marston’s heroine was depicted as both a warrior and a nurturer, further challenging the conventional dichotomy of masculinity and femininity, undoubtedly done to send a subtle message promoting the author’s more integrated and holistic view of gender roles.

Wonder Woman’s most iconic weapon, the Lasso of Truth, which compelled all toward honesty, further symbolized the transparency and openness that her creator valued in his relationship and society. The lasso was also based on the lie detector, the second only to Wonder Woman’s creation for which Dr. Marston would be forever known.

Apart from being the embodiment of her creator’s ideals and beliefs, Wonder Woman was also a product of World War II. At the time of her first appearance in late 1941 and then early 1942, the United States was mobilizing for war, and there was a significant demand for patriotic symbols that could boost morale and unify the public, with comic book superheroes already leading the way. Captain America, Superman, Doc Savage, and others had already sparked young boys’ imaginations of heroism on the battlefield and had undoubtedly led to a spike in young men’s enlistments.

Wonder Woman would do the same for young girls. In the early stories, Diana, clad in a patriotic costume featuring red, white, and blue colors, with stars and an eagle, fought against the Nazis. Breaking away from the damsel in distress trope typical of the times, Wonder Woman resonated with the new American woman whom the war thrust into new roles and responsibilities. Diana’s alter ego became a microcosm of changing society, which, due to many men serving overseas, witnessed women entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers, taking on roles in factories, offices, and other areas traditionally dominated by men. Much to the delight of her creator, Wonder Woman embodied those female capabilities and more prominent societal roles.

Diana was a hero who could, and did, stand alongside her male heroes. And much like them, she acted as an inspiration. Wonder Woman stories encouraged young girls and women to see themselves as active participants in their country’s success. Time and time again, young women saw their new heroine fundraising through selling war bonds. In one war bond advertisement from 1942, Wonder Woman throws a ball with the largely visible word “bond” at the faces of Axis leaders, Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. As author Mia Sostaric points out in her aptly-titled essay “How Comic Books Sold the War,” “The imagery was clear: the bonds bought by the American citizens would smash the Axis powers.”

By the following year, the heroine was encouraging young women to build their strength by joining the WAACs and WAVES. In one story, Wonder Woman even hosted a benefit to raise money for women and children affected by the war in Europe—a testament to how her love and compassion allowed the superhero to empathize with ordinary people.

Marston’s dream of creating a new type of female hero was a reality. In 1944, the author signed a deal to produce newspaper strip stories to reach an even wider audience, but by then, Wonder Woman was already on her way to becoming the household name she is today. Now, if people only remember where she really came from.