So, I rewatched Wonder Woman yesterday, and the thing that struck me this time was the partnership between the two human villains. There’s a scene where Dr. Maru is having doubts about whether she can proceed with the formula for the gas without the notebook Steven Trevor stole, and General Ludendorff says something like, “I don’t believe in the book, I believe in you.” And I’m know I’m not supposed to go “awww” over two villains who want to wipe out the population of Belgium with hydrogen gas, but at the same time . . . awwwwwww!
I reblogged a post the other day about how refreshing it is that Dr. Maru doesn’t do evil things for a man, and I think that’s true. Ludendorff isn’t making her do this; she wants it as much as he does. As she tells Trevor, they “work well together.” She isn’t a victim, or at least she’s not Ludendorff’s victim. What makes them different is not that she’s less evil than he is but that she’s subject to misogyny. The best example is when one of the other German generals tells Ludendorff “we stand against you and your witch” before Maru and Ludendorff gleefully gas them to death.
Overall, I just really appreciated that this is a story about powerful women that doesn’t simply pit women and men against each other. Ludendorff and Maru are far more destructive together than they could be independently, just as men bolster Diana’s ability to save lives.
