Just saw Wonder Woman in the theaters again, and it was just as amazing! In fact, better in some ways.
Interestingly, I ran into a post about a week back now that posited that Steve works really well as a trans man. I’m hesitant to reblog the original post because some of the impact of the wording is very problematic toward trans people (as that was the response I got from the trans friend of mine I excitedly showed the post to anyway) even if the intent was clearly never meant that way.
But I was on the lookout for it this watch, and it stands up really well!
“You’re a man!” “Yeah! …Do I not look like a man??”
“I’m above average” only to be followed later with “I’m not average,” both in contexts of sex/sexuality. First one could easily have been sly (he doesn’t yet know if he believes that she’s never seen a man before) followed by it said more somberly later on.
“What do women here wear into battle?” “They don’t—” stops trying. I’ve always felt this line/lack thereof was a nod to the women who dressed up as men to aid in the war effort, but just as easily, it works for trans women who haven’t/don’t want to transition, and it does also work in general for this idea that gender doesn’t dictate your participation in the war/fighting for the greater good.
“What’s it like?” [A life without war] “I have no idea.” Obviously this is in many ways supposed to mean that the war has felt like it’s gone on so long, that it’s hard to imagine the times before it. But it also easily works as his way of saying that he doesn’t know what a “”normal”” life is like. Especially in the face of him being a fully adult male who made it clear he doesn’t ‘get’ marriage.
The way he interacts with Diana in the scene they’re about to have sex. It’s so… drawn back. Even when she moves in to kiss him, he hesitates for a long while. Not to say trans people can’t have confidence in the bedroom, just that in the time period presented, you might understand some expectation of rejection on his part (and ofc Diana would be like ‘no you’re perfect).
And ofc, we have Dr. Maru in this universe creating gas that can decimate a gas mask. It’s not so much of a mental leap to imagine that HRT was a thing in this universe at this time. Perhaps cutting edge technology or a really great father who’s a doctor and/or knows one. We don’t get much about Steve’s father except that he didn’t believe in doing nothing and instead doing the right thing…
It just… I really feel like it works. And I love it!
Now we just need to learn that the bath he bathed in was the fountain of youth, and he magically survived the plane crash. ☆～（ゝ。∂）
