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By Laura Hinkle
Greg Rucka broke into the world of Wonder Woman in 2002 with his hit graphic novel, Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia, and its massive success led to his rehiring in 2003 as the regular series writer. Rucka's writing is genuine and sophisticated, with a focus on the political role Diana’s character plays both within the comic stories and in American culture. Rucka can be understood as the definitive Wonder Woman writer because he embraced her political nature, explored the complexities of her moral philosophy, and wrote through a feminist lens that acknowledged Charles Marston’s feminist vision and empowered Diana in her role as a warrior goddess.
Rucka brilliantly portrays Diana as an overtly political character through her role as Themyscira’s ambassador, where she becomes a hero and guardian for people around the world, lifting their voices and rescuing them from villains like Dr. Psycho. Although Diana is an ambassador with fame and prestige, she is still grounded and seeks to help everyone she can. A compelling example of this is in “Stoned: Part Two,” when Dr. Psycho is possessing the bodies of various men around New York City to try and send a message to Diana that he wants to talk. She is appalled by his sadism and works with the New York Police Department to find the three possessed men and save their lives before Dr. Psycho can kill them.
Rucka’s politicization of Diana’s character works because it is a means of examining the complexities of her moral philosophy. Throughout Rucka’s writings, it is evident she is honor-bound and dedicated to protecting others to the best of her ability. In “Stoned: Conclusion,” Diana gears up to face Medusa in a battle to the death sanctioned by Ares. During the battle, Diana proclaims she would die a thousand times just to save one human life. As a champion of Athena, she is dedicated to protecting others no matter the personal cost, and even goes so far as to blind herself to defeat Medusa.
Much of Rucka’s work is written through a clear feminist lens that is likely an acknowledgment to Marston as well as a reaction to the third-wave feminism of the 1990s. Rucka’s feminism is clear in his repeated empowerment of Diana and less overt sexualization of her character. His feminism is also sophisticated, and in The Hiketeia specifically, he presents a feminist critique of the “patriarch’s world” with numerous examples of gendered struggles. When Batman first confronts Diana at the Embassy for harboring a fugitive, she directly defies his authority in her refusal to let him take Danielle. This is clearly a gendered struggle because Batman is seeking justice for the death of four men while Diana is protecting a vulnerable young woman. This is also an important analogy for modern gender politics because the patriarchal law of America does not make space for the lived experiences of women. As an outsider from Themyscira, Diana understands what is at stake, and it makes sense she would stick to her vow to protect Danielle.
The critique of modern institutions and the gendered struggles Rucka presents are a huge strength to his writing and fall in line with Marston’s feminist vision for the Wonder Woman mythos. This, combined with his exploration of the complexities of Diana’s moral philosophy and the political nature of her character, sets Rucka apart as the definitive Wonder Woman writer.
Laura Hinkle is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2022. She is studying political science, philosophy, and history at the University of Louisville.