Has it been a year already? 2017 has reached its end, but before we dive into 2018, we’d like to take a moment and look back. For DC fans, 2017 was a remarkable year in comics, film and TV. Our characters reached new milestones and audiences, our writers and artists achieved remarkable new heights and our universe continued to grow in surprising new ways. And yet, within it all, several moments stood out for their importance and relevance. Some of them were groundbreaking, others were a welcome return. All of them are worthy of acknowledgement and celebration. In a year in which fans had much to talk about, these are the moments we’ll continue to talk about well beyond the new year. These are DCComics.com’s “Ten Moments that Mattered in 2017.”
 

It finally happened. After years of patiently waiting, Wonder Woman was given the chance to step into the spotlight she so rightfully deserves with her very own solo movie, and the world was given a chance to meet a totally new type of hero.

It's not that people didn't know who Wonder Woman was prior to her big screen debut, but before Gal Gadot stepped into the roll, it had been a long time since Diana had been seen outside of comics and cartoons. Over thirty years, in fact, since actors like Lynda Carter and Cathy Lee Crosby brought her to life. So, we were all in need of some serious refreshing on just who and what Diana of Themyscira stands for.  

Not only was Wonder Woman a totally unique and vibrantly new vision of DC’s interconnected cinematic universe, it was a perfectly conducted look at just what makes Diana great. More than just an origin story, the movie was a deep dive into her emotional empathy, her willingness to believe in the people around her, and her infallible faith in the goodness of the world. In other words, all the things that make her a clear outlier in a world where heroes are, more often than not, judged by how hard they can throw a punch or how fast they can fly.

...Though it definitely doesn't hurt that she can dodge bullets and throw tanks, too.

Director Patty Jenkins took audiences from the secluded island paradise of Themyscira directly to the heart of World War I, establishing Diana as this world's first superhero and providing some much needed context to her initial debut in 2015's Batman v Superman. And, on top of that, it did so in a way that quite literally changed the game for superhero movies. Not only was Wonder Woman the first modern superhero movie to focus on a female hero, it also dominated the box office during its release, throwing down the proverbial gauntlet (or magical bracer, in this case) to anyone who's ever doubted the ability of female-lead action movies to deliver in theatres.  

But right alongside Wonder Woman's technical achievements came one that's arguably more important: the movie introduced Diana to a generation of new fans. It's not that she was ever a particularly obscure hero, by any means, but her time away from the big screen made her the least readily understood member of the Trinity. Now, she's finally experiencing her modern renaissance. From school supplies to action figures, from cosplay to everyday fashion, Wonder Woman’s golden W emblem has become immediately and instantly recognizable in a way that rivals the Bat symbol or the "S" shield. And, really, it's about time. Even her propulsive, squealing theme song has become immediately recognizable.

Diana is a hero who embodies the spirit of everything superheroes need to stand for, now more than ever. She's become the standard bearer for DC’s new mission in both movies and comics—to inspire, welcome and promote hope and optimism to everyone who might be looking for it. She's always been here, but now, this year, more people than ever are paying attention.
 

Be sure to check DCComics.com again on Monday for another Moment that Mattered in 2017.