“Fine, but make her a woman.”

These words from Elizabeth to husband William Marston led to the development of one of the most influential women in comic history.

Martson, who famously invented the polygraph, was hired as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications, which would later merge to form DC comics.

Hearing his wife’s words, Wonder Woman was born.

Pending which universe you’re following, Wonder Woman is an Amazonian princess either sculpted from clay by Queen Hippolyta or the daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus. She wields a sword, shield and lasso of truth because of course the inventor of the polygraph would create a lasso of truth.

Either way, she gave hope to females across the globe that it was possible to save the world. Comics were at this time, and still are, predominately male.

Wonder Woman still didn’t receive the treatment she deserved. Although she was a founding member of the Justice Society of America, she was given the role of “secretary.” She was frequently captured and rescued by her male counterparts, despite being one of the most powerful heroes in the universe. She was a love-sick girl too obsessed over Steve Trevor to focus on saving the world.

Even Lynda Carter, who played the heroine in the Wonder Woman series in the late 1970s, felt her role wasn’t given the proper treatment.

“The producers said, ‘Now, you understand women aren’t going to like you because you’re sexy.’ But I tried to play the part for real. This is what her life is — she’s just trying to do the right thing,” said Carter in a 2016 Glamour interview.

She added in the interview that one of the most challenging things was producers wanting her to “dumb down” Diana Prince, Wonder Woman’s alter-ego.

Finally, more than 70 years after the introduction of the character, Wonder Woman has been given the big-screen debut she deserves.

Gal Gadot picked up the role of Wonder Woman in “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” and, despite limited screen time, blew audiences away, making the success of her standalone film no surprise.

Wearing armor that covered her cleavage and wielding her shield, sword and lasso of truth, Gadot delivered a performance that comic fans have been waiting decades for.

Sure, she’s given her love interest Steve Trevor in the film, but Chris Pine does a great job remaining the secondary character the movie needs. There are also few male superheroes who are not given their own love interests, so it seems to follow the typical formula of recent hero films.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into great detail on the film, but I will say there was never a moment I felt Wonder Woman was being undermined as a female.

She has a slight heel to her shoe and her armor still reveals a bit of skin, but these features do not sexualize the character. In my eyes, they allow her to maintain a feminine quality while still being the strong warrior she needs to be. It also allows her to easily go from being Diana Prince to Wonder Woman with minimal effort.

Is the film perfect? No, but there never will be a perfect film.

This is the first theatrical release centered on a female superhero since 2005’s “Elektra” flop and it’s finally something fans can look at with pride.

Here’s hoping Justice League carries on her powerful role and that future generations will have more than just one great female superhero film. 

Desiree Carver is a reporter with The Valdosta Daily Times.

Desiree Carver is Lifestyles Editor at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 375-5777.