The Story Behind Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)'s "I disapprove of violence, but in the case of a hydra, I make an exception."

It was the spring of 1943, and war raged across Europe. In the United States, propaganda posters urged citizens to do their part. But amid the patriotic fervor, comic books were becoming a powerful medium—not just for escapism, but for shaping ideals. And at the heart of it all was Wonder Woman.

The Hydra and the Amazon

The quote “I disapprove of violence, but in the case of a hydra, I make an exception,” appears in Sensation Comics #68, published in March 1944. Though written by William Moulton Marston and illustrated by Harry G. Peter, the line was pure Diana Prince—rooted in the very philosophy that defined her creation. Wonder Woman was born not just as a warrior, but as a symbol of justice and peace. She was an Amazonian emissary from Themyscira, trained to fight but guided by love and reason.

In this particular issue, she faces off against a literal hydra—a monstrous, Nazi-backed experiment unleashed on Allied troops. The creature is both a physical and symbolic enemy: regenerating heads, endless violence, and no regard for human life. Diana, in her golden lasso and silver bracelets, stands in stark contrast. Her mission is not conquest, but protection. And in that moment, as she decapitates the hydra’s final head, she utters the line that would echo for decades.

The Message Behind the Myth

Marston, a psychologist and inventor of the systolic blood pressure test, believed comics could be a force for good. He saw Wonder Woman as a feminist icon and a moral compass. The hydra, in mythological tradition, represented a problem that could not be solved by conventional means. It was a metaphor for fascism, for war itself—systems that grow more violent when met with force alone.

But Wonder Woman’s line wasn’t a contradiction. It was a carefully crafted statement on justified violence—on the idea that peace sometimes requires strength. The hydra wasn’t just a monster; it was a symbol of ideologies that regenerate unless confronted with decisive action. The quote crystallized the internal conflict of a hero who believed in peace but lived in a world where violence was often unavoidable.

Immediate Reception: A Heroine for the Wartime Generation

When Sensation Comics #68 hit stands, the U.S. was deep into World War II. Women were stepping into new roles, working in factories, flying planes, and serving as nurses. Wonder Woman resonated with a generation of women who were told they could be more. Her line about the hydra was quoted in military newsletters and even referenced in a 1944 editorial in The Saturday Evening Post, where one writer noted, “She may wear a tiara, but she speaks with the clarity of a general.”

Critics of the time were divided. Some praised her as a new kind of female hero—intelligent, strong, and principled. Others, particularly conservative groups, decried her as too dominant, too assertive. Yet the quote endured. It was printed on posters, used in training manuals for young recruits, and even referenced by Eleanor Roosevelt in a radio address about women’s roles in the war effort.

After the Last Issue: The Quote That Lived On

When Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) passed away in 1987—killed in battle defending a civilian convoy during a global crisis—her legacy was already cemented. The hydra quote, however, took on new life. It appeared on murals, in university lectures on ethics, and in political debates about just war theory. In 2002, the Library of Congress included it in an exhibit on American aphorisms, noting its unique place in both pop culture and moral philosophy.

In 2017, a statue of Wonder Woman was erected in Boston Harbor, and at its base, engraved in stone, is that very line: “I disapprove of violence, but in the case of a hydra, I make an exception.” It’s a reminder that ideals are not always simple. That peace can require action. That a woman who once fought Nazis in comic books still speaks to us today.

If you’ve ever felt torn between standing for peace and knowing when to fight, Wonder Woman’s words still resonate. And now, you can ask her about them yourself.

Talk to Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) on HoloDream — not just to hear the story behind the quote, but to understand what she meant by it, and how she’d apply it today.