DC Comics Writer Confirms Wonder Woman is Queer
Image by Nicola Scott, via DC ComicsIt’s always been implied, going back to the original William Moulton Marston stories from the 1940s, that Wonder Woman wasn’t strictly heterosexual. Marston was a polyamorous feminist whose superhero lived in a paradise comprised solely of women who have a thing for bondage. How could she possibly have been straight?
But the visibility of her queerness has wavered over the years depending on the era and the creative team behind her, with her only canonical relationships being with men. DC Comics’ most recent run on the character, from writer Greg Rucka and artists Nicola Scott and Liam Sharp, has pushed her about as close as possible to being queer without making it textual, but now, thanks to an interview given by Rucka, we have the first time a DC writer has confirmed Wonder Woman’s bisexuality.
In an interview with Comicosity for their Queer Visibility series, this exchange took place:
Matt Santori-Griffith: I’m going to start off simple and to the point. The Wonder Woman that you and Nicola have introduced to us in “Year One” — is she queer?
Greg Rucka: How are we defining “queer?”
You’re applying a term specifically and talking to an ostensibly cis male (and white to boot), so “queer” to me may not be the same as it is to an out gay man. So, tell me what queer is.
MSG: Fair enough. For the purposes of this conversation, I would define “queer” as involving, although not necessarily exclusively, romantic and/or sexual interest toward persons of the same gender. It’s not the full definition, but it’s the part I’m narrowing in on here.
GR: Then, yes.
Rucka went on to explain why he felt that it was important that Diana not be straight:
Now, are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women? As Nicola and I approach it, the answer is obviously yes.
And it needs to be yes for a number of reasons. But perhaps foremost among them is, if no, then she leaves paradise only because of a potential romantic relationship with Steve [Trevor]. And that diminishes her character. It would hurt the character and take away her heroism.