How Wonder Woman follows the Heroine's journey

 Wonder Woman is probably the most popular female superhero in the present day. Both in her role as a member of the justice league and in her solo adventures as an Amazon warrior and princess. So, it's natural to analyze the 2017 Wonder Woman film through the lens of the heroine's journey. In this blogpost I will look at how Wonder Woman fits Victoria Lynn Schmidtt's heroine's journey.

The movie starts off with Wonder Woman's, aka Diana's, mom explaining to her why the Amazons exist. They were created by the Olympic Gods to protect humanity. She also explains that Ares, the god of war, got jealous of humanity and tried to destroy them. He ended up killing every god except for Zeus, who was strong enough temporarily stop Ares. He also left behind a weapon strong enough to kill Ares if he ever returns. This ends the exposition, and we are transported to 1918 where we see idyllic Amazonian life. The women here train but there isn't any threat of violence, rather, they work to improve themselves for the sake of improving themselves. This represents the stage, "illusion of the perfect world." Diana is free to train at her own pace without immediate threat. She is naïve, as the dangers she has heard about in stories haven't actually showed up in her life. But this illusion is broken when a plane crashes into her island. A US pilot, Steve Trevor, survives the crash and warns the Amazons about the incoming German threat. The island is invaded by Germans, and, while they are defeated, a lot of the Amazons are also killed. Diana's aunt, who had been training her this whole time, dies. 

This part of the film represents the Betrayal phase. Diana's illusion has been shattered, the threats of war that she has learned about as a kid have become true and have taken someone important to her in the process. Diana's real enemy isn't the Germans, it's Ares, the embodiment of toxic masculine traits like war and hatred. Through interrogating Steve, Diana learns about WWI and concludes that Ares in behind it. She learns that the Germans are developing a dangerous mustard gas, and she prepares to leave with Steve to stop them. Before she leaves, she is stopped by her mom, who tells her that if she leaves, she may never be able to return to the Amazon island. She risks losing her feminine paradise to save men she has never met before. This represents the Awakening and Preparing for the Journey. Diana has to decide if the men who have already caused so much destruction in her life are worth saving, or should she stay in her safe home. She decides that even if the threat can be avoided, it's still real and she has to stop it. She and Steve leave the island and begin their journey.

They arrive in London and meet with allies of Steve. After a few violent altercations which Diana wins soundly, they meet up with Sir Patrick Morgan, a general trying to negotiate a truce with Germany. They learn that the Germans have built a weapon way more destructive than they initially thought. After hearing that the British general is planning to send his troops to the Western Front and go in to most likely get killed, Diana becomes enraged and tells the general that a good leader would fight alongside his men. This represents the step Descent-Passing the Gates of Judgement. Diana questions if she is on the "good" side of this war. She justified leaving the island with the fact that Ares is on the other side of this conflict, and she was born to stop him. But if Ares's influence is affecting both sides, then should she be supporting either side. This moment shakes her resolve and makes her question whether or not she is doing the right thing. Steve agrees to take her directly to the battlefield so she could directly see the conflict for herself. They arrive at the front, and Diana sees the civilians in distraught over the German army. Diana easily defeats the Germans and save the civilians. This part represents the Eye of the Storm. Diana gets a small win and her faith in stopping Ares is restored. The civilians give her a reason to keep fighting, as they clearly weren't under the influence of Ares. Diana resolves to go directly to Germany to stop the engineer that is building the weapons for Germany.

They arrive at a gala where the engineer is supposed to be. Sir Patrick urges Steve not to go ahead and do it but Steve naturally ignores him. Diana sees the engineer and gets ready to kill him, but Steve stops her from messing up the plan. However, Ludendorff proceeds to launch gas bombs into the nearby town. Diana runs ahead but is too late. She sees the townspeople dead in the streets and can only look on with despair. Steve runs by and Diana is angry with him for not letting her kill him before this happened. Diana rushes to an airbase where the German soldiers are gearing up for their attack. Diana bursts through and impales him with the God Killer. He dies but Diana sees that the soldiers are still pushing the gas bombs into the plane. Steve shows up and Diana is confused why the war isn't over if she killed Ares. Steve says that maybe the war isn't a result of a god but rather that there are just bad people out there. He leaves, and Diana looks back inside Ludendorff's office to see Sir Patrick. Diana realizes it is him that is really Ares. He tells Diana how he only provided secret influence to people to get their work going, but it was their own evil, as well as the darkness of other men, that led to the war. This part of the film represents the stage Death-all is lost. Diana finally realizes that Ares isn't the true source of humanity's evils. She had been building up her rage at Ares for the death of her aunt. But she realizes that humanity is all the same, and no matter the side, Ares will be a part of both. She has given up her life away from men and away from war to fight for humanity, but humanity was the real evil all along. As all of this is going on, Steve is fighting the Germans, he sees the plane carrying the weapons escaping. He hijacks another plane and, realizing what he has to do, shoots down the German plane, dying in the process. This step represents Support. Diana sees Steve's sacrifice and realizes that not all men are corrupted by Ares, and that individuals can overcome his influence. While Ares tries to use this to push Diana over the edge, she remembers a quote that he told her, that he can save the day, but she can save the world. Diana tells Ares that she believes in love, and kills him. This represents the step Rebirth-moment of truth. Diana in firm in her resolve thanks to Steve. She is confident in her decision to act as mankind's hero and as such is now finally able to defeat Ares.

In present day, Diana is content living as a hero for mankind, determined that mankind can overcome Ares's influence. Her perfect world isn't the Amazon island she started at, but ours.