Uncoupling Love: Rethinking Romantic Norms in Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman

Abstract

This paper analyses consensual non-monogamies in Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017), a film that portrays a long-term polyamorous relationship without resorting to mockery or sensationalism.  The analysis focuses on how the film situates its triad within social, emotional, and domestic spheres, highlighting the characters’ negotiations of desire, commitment, and shared life-building. It focuses on three dimensions: the impact of public judgement on the characters’ ability to live openly; the ways in which internalised stigma shapes their self-perception and relationship dynamics; and the performative strategies they adopt to navigate scrutiny, protect their bond, and craft a sustainable everyday life. The film offers a rare, grounded portrayal of polyamory that foregrounds relational labour, mutual care, and the complexities of sustaining non-monogamous intimacy. It challenges dominant fictional tropes by presenting non-monogamy as a valid and emotionally rich relational model, encouraging audiences to reconsider assumptions about legitimate romantic relationships.