One of the greatest contributions Wonder Woman has made to the world in her 80-plus year legacy is proving that the word powerful isn’t exclusive to men, that girls and women can be just as powerful. However, as one fan-favorite DC writer pointed out in the past, DC has undermined Wonder Woman by villainizing her legacy, essentially equating powerful women with monsters.

A once-archived post by Kelly Thompson is making the rounds again, thanks to discussion boards that have resurfaced it and reignited conversation among fans. The post comes from She Has No Head!, a column Thompson wrote for CBR (Comic Book Resources) that focused on gender representation and the portrayal of women in superhero comics.

In the column, Thompson frequently explored how female characters were often overly sexualized and held to unfair double standards compared to their male counterparts. While the column featured many notable articles, one in particular stands out: “Is the Destruction of the Amazons the Destruction of Feminism in DC Comics?”

DC Writer Kelly Thompson Discusses the Damaging Misrepresentation of Wonder Woman’s Amazons

Cover E Derrick Chew Variant for Justice League Unlimited #2 (2024)

Kelly Thompson’s "Is the Destruction of the Amazons the Destruction of Feminism in DC Comics?" first went live in 2012, yet the topics discussed in this particular post are more relevant than ever. While Thompson’s post ultimately serves as a critique of how DC had been portraying the Amazons in storylines (and, by extension, a broader deconstruction of feminism in DC’s comics) she grounds her argument in reality by pointing to the ongoing struggles feminism faces today. Thompson then drives home the bottom line: “It’s hard to ignore that this is a society that increasingly hates and distrusts women, especially as they gain any ground or power for themselves.”

She then loops this bottom-line statement back to fiction, noting that it becomes doubly hard to witness this hate and distrust reflected in the stories we consume. Thompson particularly calls out DC’s portrayal of Wonder Woman’s Amazons, highlighting the travesty of how narratives at the time took characters who epitomized powerful women and ultimately demonized them. As she puts it, “[The Amazons were] stripped of everything that might be good and honorable so that we may see the broadest, most hateful stereotypes of them presented.” In short, Thompson is pointing out how this misrepresentation of the Amazons and what they stand for perpetuates the false stereotype that powerful women are monstrous.

“How Could Powerful Women be Anything but Monsters?” DC’s Amazons Are Pushing a Dangerous Stereotype

Main Cover by Daniel Sampere for Wonder Woman #17 (2025)

It is important to that this post by Thompson was made in 2012. Hence, her criticisms concerning the portrayal of the Amazons mostly center around the narratives of that timeframe. That being said, it is likely that one of the portrayals of the Amazons Thompson is critiquing in particular is Amazons Attack! (2007). This storyline followed the events of Infinite Crisis and saw the Amazons attacking Washington D.C. due to the capture of Wonder Woman. The story cast the Amazons in a particularly negative and violent light, sparking controversy for its depiction of them.

Hence, it is likely narratives such as this that Thompson is referring to when she makes statements on how the portrayal of the Amazons reinforced negative stereotypes concerning women and power, with her stating that such portrayals “reinforced yet again that women with power will become absolute monsters.” Thompson continues to elaborate on her distress over seeing the Amazons turned into monsters time and time again, noting how too many narratives have vilified them as “man-hating, man-killing, war-like unreasonable monsters,” which has raised the damaging question of “how could powerful women be anything but monsters?”

Why Fictional Amazons Matter: The Real-World Impact of Villainizing Powerful Women

Main Cover by Daniel Sampere for Wonder Woman #19 (2025)

It may be easy for some to dismiss Thompson’s criticisms, given that she is technically criticizing portrayals that are taking place in fiction. However, it is important to that Thompson’s remarks go beyond just the fictional Amazons, with her criticisms being more of a statement on what the Amazons represent in the real world: powerful women being wrongly villainized. Furthermore, as most can acknowledge, fiction is powerful and thus influences the perceptions of real-world people. Hence, out-of-characteristically villainizing the archetype of the powerful woman sets a dangerous precedent and pushes a negative stereotype that ultimately should be avoided.

It’s also important to note that Thompson clarifies she would never make the argument that a matriarchal society would be a utopia. However, she is arguing that “any society that has inequality can by its very nature NOT be a utopia.” Hence, with these statements, it’s clear that Thompson is arguing for equality, rather than trying to argue that women are superior to men, as she very clearly makes it known that that is not the case she is making. In short, with narratives that villainize the Amazons, they are essentially undermining Wonder Woman’s legacy: which is to show that women and girls can be both forces of good and powerful.

DC Is Officially Healing From Its Amazon Mishaps (& Thompson Is A Part of It)

Dan Mora Variant for Wonder Woman #1 (2024) Reprinting

As noted several times throughout this article, this commentary by Thompson took place in 2012. Thus, the portrayal of Wonder Woman and the Amazons has continued to evolve from the storylines that Thompson was referencing in her critique. That being said, it’s particularly interesting to examine how DC’s current narratives concerning the Amazons have developed. It’s especially notable how DC has now directly incorporated the villainization of the Amazons into their storytelling, showing villains such as The Sovereign wrongly villainize these warrior women, attempting to paint them as monsters and prosecuting them as such.

By DC’s narratives now acknowledging the villainization of the Amazons and addressing it in a way that makes it clear the Amazons are not the villains of the story, it feels like a beautiful full-circle moment, one that Thompson would undoubtedly appreciate. Not only has DC stopped pushing a villainous light on the Amazons, but their narratives are explicitly calling out their wrongful villainization. Furthermore, fans of Thompson get to celebrate an even deeper full-circle moment, given that she is the writer for the ongoing Absolute Wonder Woman series, resulting in Thompson now having a say in how Diana and the Amazons are portrayed.

Source: Kelly Thompson