What Wonder Woman and Mary Magdalene Have Taught Me This Easter Season

Two things occurred this past weekend that, at first glance, might seem to have nothing in common.  The first was that Batman vs. Superman opened in theaters everywhere, and the second, of course, was Easter.  Now I know what you're thinking, how could I possibly connect Batman vs. Superman with Easter?  Well, never fear, I have a trick up my sleeve.  I'm going to do it by magically using two figures that you might not have thought of: Wonder Woman and Mary Magdalene.

(Here's a teaser of the movie in case you live under a rock and don't know what I'm talking about)

First though, I little context for my thought process.  Over the weekend, I was brainstorming ideas for posts for this shiny new blog.  I was doing research, looking up counter arguments, making a list of everything I want to eventually talk about.  However, I kept catching myself doing the same thing over and over.  Every time I read an article, a post, or a document from an opposing viewpoint to see what points were being made (several of these, I'll admit, were documents written by members of the Church's hierarchy itself), I found myself automatically thinking things like "Oh, that's right.  That'll never change," or "Maybe I am being a little irrational", or "I don't think I have enough knowledge to counter these points", and even "Well I guess they at least made an effort to be inclusive...kind of", and on, and on, and on.  I found myself constantly hesitating, constantly doubting my own abilities, my own knowledge, and my own experiences.  Why?  Well, part of it is because I continue to hold this idea that the authority has the knowledge, the final say, and that ultimately I can't push back against it.  In this specific case, the authority is the patriarchal hierarchy of the Church.

So, I was feeling a little hopeless, a little deflated.  I was rethinking this whole blog idea, and wondering if it would make any kind of difference anyway, or if I was just wasting my time.  Easter Sunday came, and the Gospel was John 20:1-9.  Obviously it was about the resurrection, but this telling highlights Peter and "the other disciple" more so than Mary Magdalene's role in the whole thing, so that wasn't really very helpful to me (don't worry, though, she's going to make a comeback).  So, I left Mass still a little down in the dumps about what I was going to do, whether or not I could actually make my voice heard, and if I could ever make any real difference in the Church and the world.

Then, the next evening, I went to see Batman vs. Superman.

(I promise, no actual spoilers)

Now, whether you are a fan of superhero movies or not, or if you enjoyed this movie or not, there is one part of the film I think everyone can agree on: the awesomeness that is Wonder Woman.  She is a fascinating figure in the DC Universe in general.  She's a powerful, Amazon warrior princess who could go toe-to-toe with Superman in a fight.  She's a founding member of the Justice League, fiercely independent, and doesn't take shit from anyone. 

So much fierceness.

Why hasn't there been a live action movie made about her (until now, obviously) with so many years of superhero-hype in Hollywood?  Some say because she's a woman, filmmakers have passed on her because they don't think a Wonder Woman movie would be as profitable as a movie with a male star.  Others say, however, that the idea of making a Wonder Woman movie has been such an intimidating feat (you don't want to mess up a movie about the one woman who is arguably on the same level, maybe higher, as Superman and Batman in skills, strength, intelligence, authority, and respect) that no filmmaker wants to take it on for fear of doing it wrong (we will see if they've managed it when Wonder Woman comes out next June).

There's something about the way Wonder Woman is portrayed in Batman vs. Superman, however, that is especially notable.  Maybe it's just that Gal Gadot, the actress who plays her, is simply amazing in the role (which she is), but I think its also the sense of worldliness that Wonder Woman possesses in this portrayal of the character.  Wonder Woman is always shown as a super-powerful and incredibly skilled warrior who never backs down from a fight, but she is also often been depicted (depending on the writer that takes her character on) as being fairly new to the larger world outside of her home of Themyscira, and so a little innocent and naïve.  What's striking about Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is that she is so far from innocent and naïve to the larger world, that she's almost cynical of it, which gives her an edginess and also creates an internal struggle as she debates whether or not to get involved in the mess between Batman and Superman.  When she does step in (and this is not a spoiler, because the trailers show her fighting), it's pretty clear that her skills in battle are superior to the other two.  Once she's in the fight, there is no hesitation, no sense of fear or feeling that she doesn't belong there.  She doesn't defer to the powerful men around her.  She's confident in her skills, knows that she's good at what she does, and dominates in the battlefield.  At one point, she's thrown to the side by Doomsday (again, not a spoiler because he's shown in the trailer), but instead of crying out or looking on in fear, she freaking smirks, as if to say "Finally, a challenge worthy of me."  That single moment is one of the most badass of the whole movie.


All right, so you're probably thinking, "Great Erin, Wonder Woman's awesome, but what does this all have to do with Easter or Mary Magdalene?"


I'll tell you.  It wasn't until Tuesday in the Octave of Easter (the day after seeing the movie) that Mary Magdalene's role was really emphasized.  In John 20:11-18, we find Mary Magdalene outside of the empty tomb, weeping.  When she looks inside the tomb, she finds two angels who ask her why she was crying.  She responds that the body of her Lord has been taken and she doesn't know where he's been laid.  When she turns back around, she comes face-to-face with the risen Christ, but she doesn't immediately recognize him.  She mistakes him for a gardener, and demands to know if he took the body and if so, where he put it so she can retrieve it.  When Jesus says her name, she instantly recognizes him as her Teacher.  He tells her to take a message to the other disciples, that he will soon be going to his God and their God.  She goes and announces to the disciples that she has seen the Lord, and then reports to them everything Christ told her.

Not gonna lie, I'd be freaking out.

There are a few things in these verses that are pretty significant, not least among them the fact that the risen Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene first before even any of the twelve apostles.  However, that's not the detail I want to focus on (right now anyway).  I want to focus on Mary's surprising boldness throughout these verses.  When she looks into the tomb and finds angels inside, there's no sense of a freak-out happening on her part.  When they ask her why she is crying, she doesn't hesitate to answer, even though SHE IS TALKING TO FREAKING ANGELS!  Then, she encounters Jesus, who she mistakes for a gardener.  Now, she doesn't simply ask him if he took the body from the tomb (again, she doesn't know she's talking to Jesus yet), she demands to know if he took it, where it is, and then follows that up by saying she'll go retrieve it herself.  Finally, he speaks her name and she recognizes him, and unlike the apostles who down the line won't truly believe it's him until they see his wounds (John 20:19-31), there is no hesitation in her acceptance of the risen Christ.


That's the amazing part.  Mary has such incredible confidence in her love for and in her relationship with Christ, that there's no room for doubt when she finally recognizes him.  This is completely unique among Christ's followers.  No other disciple believes that Christ is risen until they see his wounds.  Mary doesn't need to.  And she also doesn't hesitate to go to tell the others that Christ has returned, without fear of backlash or disbelief, even though she is a woman bringing them incredible, unbelievable news.


So, what do Mary Magdalene and Wonder Woman have in common?  Their unwavering confidence.  Their lack of hesitation.  Their ability to overcome obstacles, whether internal, social, or mystical in order to get the job done.  Wonder Woman's confidence in herself, her abilities, and her intelligence is mirrored in Mary Magdalene's confidence in her love and in her relationship with Christ.  Both women have unshakeable foundations from which they are able achieve amazing deeds.  Wonder Woman defeats monsters and goes toe-to-toe with superhumans, and Mary Magdalene brings the amazing truth of the Paschal mystery to the other disciples, and through them, to the rest of the world.


It was the lucky double-whammy of encountering these two figures, one from comic books and one from the Gospel, so close together that restored my own confidence, and made me see that my hesitation and uncertainty was a direct result of years of feeling I have no real place to speak in my Church, or in my society.  I realized that sometimes there is no space for my voice, but I can't give up, and have to make the space myself.  Even if I come to doubt myself, I have to hold onto the goal I'm working towards and know that I can't let other voices beat me down and convince me I'm not capable of achieving it.  I might not be as strong and skilled as Wonder Woman, or as strong in my faith as Mary Magdalene, but I have gifts and abilities of my own that I can overcome any obstacle with.  And so, happy reader, do you.  So have confidence, have faith, and go out and change the world, because it's not going to do it itself.


Until next time,

Erin B.       

Just a fun little treat to get you hyped for the Wonder Woman movie next year!