Should the Star Spangled Banner theme be removed from WW's costume?

[Sacred Knight]

No, there's no reason to get rid of the stars. They don't need to have a deeper meaning at all, and if one is wanted, its child's play to think of one. This has already been done in the past.

[Amazon Swordsman]

I think if one has an issue with her overall look (classic elements),then don't read the book. A costume can be adjusted and fiddled with to change with the times, and can certainly be replaced for short times because of a storyline. But to drastically alter a character's look messes with the overall brand recognition. Personally I love the classic costume . No apologies. American overtones? So what. She's an American super hero (not by birth but as created for American comics). Its been easily explained several times: (1) to show her allegiance to freedom and democracy , and (2) to honor a great hero to the Amazon nation. There. That was easy. I don't need or want the colors to be explained by similar national colors or Amazonian coincidence. Quite frankly I wish DC would move past needing to redefine her origin/costume/powers and get to reestablishing her world...merging traditional and modern ideas that would be enjoyable by a wider market....

Totally agree and cosign. If people have such big hangups over her classic iconography in costume, just don't follow her. Go read someone else. The fact remains that Wonder Woman was created by an American citizen missions and first stories were catered and marketed to that audience. Of course it didn't stay there, but I don't understand this presumed negativity associated with American symbolism. It's not to say that the US is just the best country in the world, but it simply cannot be ignored that a noteworthy amount of Wonder Woman's back story and history are associated with America.

[Patrick_C]

For the record: Athena's signature bird is an Owl. Eagles are Zeus' things, so this particular justification doesn't hold.

Signed,
An annoyed mythographer.

[Agent Z]

For the record: Athena's signature bird is an Owl. Eagles are Zeus' things, so this particular justification doesn't hold.

Signed,
An annoyed mythographer.

Tbf, a lot of things about the myths aren't consistent.

[AmiMizuno]

For the record: Athena's signature bird is an Owl. Eagles are Zeus' things, so this particular justification doesn't hold.

Signed,
An annoyed mythographer.

However there are a few myths in where she does have an eagle has her symbol. I mean Athena's symbol is also a dove and Aphrodite shares the dove symbol. So yea in many places Athena does have a eagle has her symbol

[Custodes]

It is her look. Get rid of it and you get rid of Wonder Woman.

[Patrick_C]

However there are a few myths in where she does have an eagle has her symbol. I mean Athena's symbol is also a dove and Aphrodite shares the dove symbol. So yea in many places Athena does have a eagle has her symbol

Such as?

I mean, I am not saying it didn’t happen, ever. Just that it would be very, very strange.

[AmiMizuno]

Such as?

I mean, I am not saying it didn’t happen, ever. Just that it would be very, very strange.

Odyssey Book III if that counts

Athena had turned into a eagle. Most of the time gods will turn into their own symbol. Athena turned into an owl many times.

[Amazon Swordsman]

I find it ironic that people want the stars removed from the bottom portion of her costume, but are you all forgetting the New 52 redesign that put random stars on the red bodice part of it? The new model put vertical lines going across her uniform, and they put two random star outlines on her uniform. No one seems to have a problem with those "stars", or do you all barely notice them? Or is it because those starts aren't white? Thing is, they're still technically red, outlining the red material.

I mean, when and where do we draw the line? Some artists have drawn starts on her bracelets, should that be forbidden? I guess we might as well remove the star from the center of her tiara too, can't have anything patriotic-looking on her outfit! Let's see what else we can add/remove from her costume to make her better!

Seriously, all the emphasis neutrality, practicality, and realistic vibes sucks the life out of WW.

[Pinsir]

Not sure if this has been brought up, but in a lot of post-Crisis work WW says that her emblems and colours predate the US. I think there is a Marston story too that says the flag and colours of the US were inspired by Amazons (Its referenced in a Gail Simone story, but I have yet to find out if it is a Marston story)

Either way it is odd that WW has a history of distancing herself from an American identity. Even during the New 52 Wonder Woman is seen investigating Steve's crashed plane ina red and blue outfit.

[Top Carnivore]

I strongly dislike the star-spangled flag look. The two stars in the nu52 is an improvement. The costume I most like is Gal Gadot's, but I'd add some metallic studs on her skirt's trim to pay homage to the star-spangled classic suit. In fact I'm kinda surprised they didn't do that.

[Outside_85]

Not sure if this has been brought up, but in a lot of post-Crisis work WW says that her emblems and colours predate the US. I think there is a Marston story too that says the flag and colours of the US were inspired by Amazons (Its referenced in a Gail Simone story, but I have yet to find out if it is a Marston story)

Either way it is odd that WW has a history of distancing herself from an American identity. Even during the New 52 Wonder Woman is seen investigating Steve's crashed plane ina red and blue outfit.

I think that's rather backwards, I seem to remember Marston writing the colours and designs of Diana's costume as based on the US flag because Diana was going there and needed a way to tell them she was on their side and not that of the Nazi's she was there to fight.

Post-Crisis it's a bit of the same story, only with the palette being based on the flag Diane Trevor had on her uniform when she crashed on the island. So it was picked partially out of honor for Trevor, but also as before: a signal that the wearer was a friendly.

[Pinsir]

I think that's rather backwards, I seem to remember Marston writing the colours and designs of Diana's costume as based on the US flag because Diana was going there and needed a way to tell them she was on their side and not that of the Nazi's she was there to fight.

Post-Crisis it's a bit of the same story, only with the palette being based on the flag Diane Trevor had on her uniform when she crashed on the island. So it was picked partially out of honor for Trevor, but also as before: a signal that the wearer was a friendly.

I'm talking about in the material itself, obviously Marston based the design from the American flag.

[Lax]

Wonder Woman is an american character that looks like she was created for an american audience. Which she was.

If people not recognizing Superman because he wears glasses doesn't break my suspension of disbelief, I don't see why Wonder Woman wearing a costume based on a foreign theme would. "Truth, Justice and the American way" is no longer associated with Superman and I'm pretty sure that guy considers America his home nation.

I suspect the issue is less about what makes sense within their universe and more about anti-american sentiment spilling over into comics.

[Dataweaver]

Wonder Woman is an american character that looks like she was created for an american audience. Which she was.

If people not recognizing Superman because he wears glasses doesn't break my suspension of disbelief, I don't see why Wonder Woman wearing a costume based on a foreign theme would. "Truth, Justice and the American way" is no longer associated with Superman and I'm pretty sure that guy considers America his home nation.

If you had stopped right here, I would mostly have agreed with you, noting only that Superman grew up in Kansas while Diana grew up on Paradise Island and came to the United States as an ambassador, not an immigrant. But then you had to go there:

I suspect the issue is less about what makes sense within their universe and more about anti-american sentiment spilling over into comics.

No; just no. This is every bit as wrongheaded as claiming that anyone who objects to the changes made to Wally West is a racist; it just isn't true, and it poisons the conversation to turn it into a debate about posters' motivations.

When Perry White said his infamous line about "Truth, Justice… all that stuff" in Superman Returns, I cringed. When the story about Superman renouncing his U.S. Citizenship was published, I cringed. When Superman told the General, "I grew up in Kansas; I'm as American as you get" in Man of Steel, I cheered. Because there's a natural fit there, and it takes effort to make Superman not American.

But Wonder Woman is a different story. As I pointed out above, she grew up in a foreign nation and came to the United States in the capacity of a representative of that nation, dedicated to spreading its ideals and values to "the Patriarchs' World". It's not an anti-American sentiment to point out the cognitive dissonance between that and her costume being patterned after the Stars and Stripes. Nor is the alternative basing her costume on a foreign theme: Hawkman and the Martian Manhunter are both every bit the foreigners that Wonder Woman is, and their costumes are based neither on the American Flag nor on a foreign theme.

Frankly, I'd be more inclined to relegate it to being what she wears poolside, and putting her in "golden eagle armor" when on patrol or knowingly entering combat and in white robes when attending diplomatic functions. That is, my own problem with her costume has less to do with the color scheme and more to do with its resemblance to a swimsuit. I may be one of the few people who liked JMS' redesign of her appearance, as well as her look in the mid-90s during Artemis' stint as Wonder Woman and her years as a full-time Diana Prince pre-Crisis (where she tended to wear a much more diverse set of clothes than the white jumpsuit with which everyone identifies that era).