Warning: Spoilers for Amazons Attack #6!

Summary

• The new villain Asylum serves as a dark mirror image of Wonder Woman, believing Amazons should exist only to serve men.
• Asylum's anti-feminist rhetoric justifies disempowering women under the guise of a savior complex.
• Wonder Woman's mission to empower women is crucial in a world still determined to weaken them.

The importance of Wonder Woman's mission is emphasized through the newest enemy of the Amazon population. Wonder Woman represents many things, but ultimately is a symbol that exists to empower women, both within the DC Universe and in reality. Past villains have challenged everything Wonder Woman stands for (including her new villain the Sovereign), but none quite like the newest threat to the Amazons: Asylum.

Asylum makes it clear in Amazons Attack #6 by Josie Campbell and Vasco Georgiev that the villain exists to defile Wonder Woman's mission and set back Amazons (and women in general) in the process. In an imioned monologue, Asylum expresses her own mission statement: to re-educate Amazons on their origins as helpers of Man in Man's World 3,000 years ago.

Asylum essentially wants to disempower women, whereas Wonder Woman wants to empower them. It highlights the importance of Wonder Woman's mission and reminds readers why women need to be empowered in the first place.

Asylum's Mission Is a Dark Mirror Image of Wonder Woman's

Asylum Believes that the Amazons Exist to Serve Men

Asylum, in many ways, serves as a dark version of Wonder Woman — and a scary one at that. Asylum truly believes that Amazons were at their best when they existed solely to serve men, and she believes that everything went wrong when the Amazons of old realized they were capable of doing more. She its that she begged the Amazons to reconsider exploring their strength and instead, for their safety, purposefully weaken themselves before men. In Asylum's mind, betraying the other Amazons upon their refusal to bend was her best means of saving her sisters — even though it resulted in the deaths of several.

Asylum's perspective is an irrational fear that's typically seen in certain men, but it somehow feels all the scarier coming from another woman.

Asylum's ideology is rooted in anti-feminist rhetoric justified through a savior complex. It's not only scary how she truly believes a weak Amazon is a better Amazon, but also that she's so adamant that this way — the old way — was the best course of action for women. Asylum's perspective is an irrational fear that's typically seen in certain men, but it somehow feels all the scarier coming from another woman. According to Asylum, a strong Amazon is actually endangering herself. As a result, Asylum is bastardizing Wonder Woman's role of empowering women by going out of her way to disempower them.

Wonder Woman's Mission Statement Is Even More Important in 2024

Considering how many people like Asylum internalize the idea of a strong woman as a danger, this story emphasizes just how important Wonder Woman's mission is and how important it is for the modern Amazons to carry that mission forward. As seen throughout the series, as the Amazon population is actually under attack via media scrutiny, there are multiple factors in Man's World discouraging women from being strong. However, it only reinforces why Amazons like Wonder Woman must use their voices and strength — both physical and figurative — to empower women in a world that's determined to still determined to weaken them.

Amazons Attack #6 is available now from DC Comics.