The story is told in flashbacks set during a 1945 testimony that William Moulton Marston gives to representatives of the Child Study Association of America.

Olive aids in the Marstons' work inventing the lie detector device and conducting research on William's DISC theory.

[6] In 1940, William stumbles upon a lingerie shop in New York City run by Charles Guyette, who introduces him to fetish art themed comics and photos.

After finding limited work as a writer, Marston comes up with the idea of creating a female Amazonian super-heroine for a comic book.

The comic would feature his ideas on DISC theory, drawing inspiration from the Marstons' work on the lie detector as well as Elizabeth and Olive in real life, and intend to support the feminist movement to further equal rights for women through a populist medium.

He pitches his ideas to Max Gaines, a publisher at National Periodical Publications, who ultimately accepts the comic and suggests simplifying the female superhero's name to "Wonder Woman".

At the same time, the Wonder Woman comic receives accusations of featuring overtly sexual, sadomasochistic, and lesbian imagery that leads to the testimony of the present day.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Professor Marston & The Wonder Women winds a lasso of cinematic truth around a fascinating fact-based tale with strong performances from its three stars.

[15] In a positive review, David Sims of The Atlantic wrote, "It's genuinely daring how Robinson depicts the evolution of the [trio's] love, from Olive's girlish fascination with William to her deeper infatuation with Elizabeth; this is a film that doesn't fetishize their fluid sexuality and make it a sideshow to be gawked at.”[16] Critic Christy Lemire said the film is "a timely affirmation of feminine power—of the ways in which female wisdom and strength can charge hearts and minds, influence culture and inspire others to be their most authentic selves.

"[17] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times praised the chemistry between the three leads, citing Hall in particular "as Elizabeth moves from furious self-possession toward a humble assertion of a need she didn't know existed.

While clarifying that she was not offended by the notion and technically could not "swear" they had no such relationship, she explained that she had been a close, personal confidant of her grandmother's, and she could "say with 99.99% certainty that they did not."