The Days and Nights of Captive Steve Trevor

[sarahnewlin]

In honor of the upcoming Wonder Woman film (which I am praying to the old gods and the new is good) here are some random moments from the original Wonder Woman series.

As a tribute to icon_uk , behold, a montage of Steve Trevor in various....situations




Now to the main crioux of this post. Basically, Queen Eeras comes to ask Steve to help her fend off an attack by Queen Clea...by killing a Frenchman. I do love her use of the word "manling". She uses it a lot.



Diana goes after them only to come under attack by Eeras and her forces.



HOLA!

Meanwhile...Steve is brought to Clea.



(Is that the closest we can get to half-naked Steve that the censors would allow? Wait...I cannot recall if they had censors before the whole Seduction of the Innocent mess)



Look closely, and you can see the outline of Steve's butt....not as impressive as Dick's glorious rump, however.



Manling is my new favorite word!



So they win, Eeras rewards them, and Steve sadly gets his clothes back. This was the first appearance of Queen Clea. She would later reappear under Villany Inc.

Comments

[q99]

I like Classic Steve. He was strong, very straightforward, and a total WW fanboy.

[sarahnewlin]

And he's handsome to boot! More handsome than Cap imo

[q99]

That's really the thing. He is so The HeroTM from looks to attitude, but when Wonder Woman shows up to take the role instead of him, he's not jealous, he's "Wow, she is AWESOME and AMAZING and everyone should know it!"

[bradygirl_12]

That's really the thing. He is so The HeroTM from looks to attitude, but when Wonder Woman shows up to take the role instead of him, he's not jealous, he's "Wow, she is AWESOME and AMAZING and everyone should know it!"

It's always amazed me that people never 'got' this about Steve. Seems to me he's a woman's dream: handsome, capable, but openly admiring of a woman with superior strength. I suppose it's society having little respect for a man who often needs rescuing by a woman.

Steve and Dick Grayson have a lot in common bondage-wise, I see. ;)

[janegray]

Yep. They even had to add a totally unnecessary scene in the animated movie where Steve can match Diana in combat, because nevermind super strength and super speed and being trained from birth by the strongest warrior tribe in history, God forbid our heroine is physically tougher than the male love interest -_-

[sarahnewlin]

I don't remember that. I remember her scene with Artemis thought
also his "damn your daughter has a nice rack"

[bradygirl_12]

I don't remember that. I remember her scene with Artemis thought
also his "damn your daughter has a nice rack"

The animated movie did not paint Steve in a good light, to say the least, and Etta's characterization makes her unrecognizable.

[bradygirl_12]

Yep. They even had to add a totally unnecessary scene in the animated movie where Steve can match Diana in combat, because nevermind super strength and super speed and being trained from birth by the strongest warrior tribe in history, God forbid our heroine is physically tougher than the male love interest -_-

From the trailers I've seen, the movie might get Steve's characterization right.

[q99]

-I suppose it's society having little respect for a man who often needs rescuing by a woman.-

And the reason he needs rescuing? He keeps running into heroic situations like a hero! Thus often alerting Wonder Woman, and the day is saved. It's a great dynamic, really.

[bradygirl_12]

-I suppose it's society having little respect for a man who often needs rescuing by a woman.-

And the reason he needs rescuing? He keeps running into heroic situations like a hero! Thus often alerting Wonder Woman, and the day is saved. It's a great dynamic, really.

They really work out very well together. :)

[arilou_skiff]

Which incidentally is pretty much how (well written) Lois Lane works too.

[q99]

Yea, with investigative reporting swapped for secret agenting :)

[janegray]

Same. He was cool.

[arilou_skiff]

There's still, even what, 75 years later? Something subversive about Steve Trevor.

A) That he plays the damsel-in-distress-role and
B) That he doesen't resent this in the least, because he thinks Wonder Woman is awesome.

[sarahnewlin]

No matter what, she's still his "angel" even if he was left hanging naked and tied to the wing of an airplane. He wouldn't complain. (My scenario isn't as good as what icon_uk can come up with)

And Wendy saves him and the day in the end regardless and all is right with the world. They love their bread, they love their butter, but most of all, they love each other.

[zapbiffpow]

There's a wonderful example of this in Year One - Steve plays the "I'm not leaving you behind!" role to Diana in one scene, a line that's traditionally given to female romantic interests when it's time for the hero to do his thing.

[an_idol_mind]

I really liked his introduction in Batman: The Brave and the Bold where he's totally not worried about being strapped to a missile because he knows Diana will bail him out yet again.

[arilou_skiff]

Yep.

[icon_uk]

See zylly's post below! :)

[zapbiffpow]

I love how Wonder Woman gets a Friendship Bonus when she even thinks she's near Steve. "+50 to Wall Tackle! BAM! Okay, let's take a moment to reflect on how kickass I am, queen, then let's go."

Also, shame Rucka didn't contemporize 'Hola' now.

[leoboiko]

need... vitamins...

[sarahnewlin]

Flintstones I hope

[thosefew]

Do we ever see any manlings native to the two countries?

Looking closer, there's a fanbearer that is in the background when the queen says Steve needs better fetters, and a head on a stick bearer behind a pillar later, but neither appear to be wearing the "regulation" uniform of an atlantean male.

[icon_uk]

I am flattered and humbled to even be mentioned in such a magnificent post!

Steve really is delightful, very much Buster Crabbe inspired in his look IMHO (Which is no bad thing because BOY he was a looker), but yes, plays both the fanboy and the damsel so darn well!

I.... I'll be in my bunk!

[sarahnewlin]

Do you like his butt?
Now I have an idea for a commission of Steve and Dick...

[icon_uk]

Do you like his butt?

Oh, it's a perfectly nice butt, don't get me wrong, but let's not go TOO wild and crazy here... you know I'm a one butt guy.... (Boy did THAT come out sounding wrong!!)

[full_metal_ox]

I can think of something of a real-life analogue to such a relationship: Frank Butler as Man Behind the Great Woman and smitten fanboy to Annie Oakley (he was at least as taken with the marksmanship as the beauty of "the little girl who beat me"; the Broadway musical notwithstanding, the historical Annie Oakley never had to choose between love and achievement.)

And heck--it's possible to imagine a retropunk Western adventure wherein she'd forever be coming to his rescue...

[zylly]

"What does she see in him???"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xyKXBxK82LE

[bradygirl_12]

"What does she see in him???"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xyKXBxK82LE

The theme song from the '70s TV show is just perfect!

And what does Diana see in Steve? A man who loves her, trusts her, and has no problem being rescued by her. No macho b.s. for this guy.

[icon_uk]

He does seem a bit... passive for a spysmashing secret agent.

Being confident in Wonder Woman saving him is fine, but actually doing something in the meantime would also be nifty.

[sarahnewlin]

Random thought....since Wondy is bisexual, would it be okay to have Steve be bisexual? I mean it opens the idea of open relationship which can be problematic.....but the idea of an LGBTQ air force pilot may ruffle plenty of feathers.

[bradygirl_12]

Random thought....since Wondy is bisexual, would it be okay to have Steve be bisexual? I mean it opens the idea of open relationship which can be problematic.....but the idea of an LGBTQ air force pilot may ruffle plenty of feathers.

I'd love to see that! I write Steve as bi in my fanfic. I paired him in the past with Hal Jordan because they met while Air Force pilots. I like that past for Steve and of course Diana probably had her share of romances back home. For both of them, gender doesn't matter. Love is love.

[full_metal_ox]

Ah yes, the good old days--when superheroes used to punch Nazis.

[alschroeder3]

In the early sixties, in a Ross Andru story, Steve fought a GORILLA--and used judo to use the gorilla's strength against him and send the gorilla sprawling. He did intelligence (spy) work and was a crack shot and a superb pilot. I've always been a fan of Steve. He isn't a match for WW---who is, except Superman---but does he have to be? Against almost anyone else, he's a hero worthy of emulation. (Other than his selective blindness about who Lt. Diana Prince really was...)