Entertainment

Why We Need A Mom Superhero

by Jenn Rose

In the aftermath of the critical and box office success of Wonder Woman, star Gal Gadot revealed that she was actually pregnant during some of the filming, a fact that was hidden from the cameras. And while it's understandable that the film would stay true to the source material, I can think of a lot of reasons why there needs to be a mom superhero, because honestly, it's not that much of a stretch. I'm not saying that all moms are superheroes; unfortunately, some are villains. And I'm not implying that upon giving birth or adopting, every woman instantly gains superhuman strength or insight. But you're average mom is still a hell of a lot more badass than that pouty new Batman.

To wit: actual human mom Gadot was five months pregnant with her second daughter when she was called back to the Wonder Woman set for reshoots. According to Marie Claire, Gadot initially hid her pregnancy, fearing it "could be considered weakness" (presumably that didn't last for long, as she previously told Entertainment Weekly that the costume department had to mask her pregnant stomach with green screen cloth). Nobody who's seen the Wonder Woman trailer alone would ever consider Gadot weak, but learning that she did all of that while creating another human redefines strength.

So Wonder Woman can't be a mom. That's fine. But that doesn't mean someone can't create a new superhero from scratch who is a mom. Why? Well, for starters:

Wonder Woman Isn't The Feminist Icon We Deserve

Wonder Woman was supposedly conceived to be symbol of female empowerment, yet her appearance was inspired by pin-up girls, according to NPR. And her creator, William Moulton Marston, regularly worked his preoccupation with bondage and female submission into her stories, according to People. He also "empowered" his own wife by taking credit for her work on inventing the lie detector. It's no use trying to create a role model out of a product meant for the male gaze.

Moms Already Have Secret Identities

Most mothers interact with several people each week who know them only as their alter egos, like the mysterious "Abby's mom." She probably has a name, but nobody knows it.

Moms Are Tough As Hell

Imagine that your job involved battling zombies and jumping on cars all day in the Georgia summer heat. Now imagine that you had to do it while pumping and breastfeeding, like The Walking Dead's Alana Masterson did. Also bear in mind that breastfeeding can suck up to 500 calories of energy out of moms every day, the equivalent of walking about six miles.

Moms Have Something You Just Can't Bottle

Super villains can never just move ahead with their plans. First they have to kidnap the hero, then they confine them, then they slowly explain their plan in excruciating detail. Imagine the kind of patience you'd need to sit through that. It's the exact same kind of patience needed to listen to a 7-year-old talk about Minecraft.

Raising A Kid Gives You Super Strength

Have you ever heard the legend of Milo of Croton, the Greek wrestler and warrior who was said to have trained by carrying a calf around every day, until it eventually grew into an full-sized ox? That's probably a bunch of nonsense, but think about it: moms actually do that. They start with one extra cell, and in less than a year, they've got an extra 25 to 30 pounds attached to them. Once the baby's born, the process repeats as they carry on their hip or wear it on their back until it's 40 or 50 pounds and goes off to kindergarten.

Moms Have All The Best Gear

Sure, Batman's got shark repellent in his utility belt, and Iron Man's got an electromagnet in his chest. But do either of them carry wet wipes, bandages, snacks, fidget spinners, sunblock, and a sewing kit everywhere they go? Nope. Who does? You know it.