In celebration of 2018's International Woman's Day, I decided to re-do my Top 100 female characters list. As before, the list is in alphabetical order. This time around though, I try to have a little description/reasoning for each character. Hope everyone enjoys.
"Without her iron will, none of us would have made it out of that mess with our sanity. Or our lives. When her death came, I hope it was quick. She earned that much."
-Retired 501st Clone Trooper
I tend to love the female Jedi in general because they're all such badasses, but Aayla Secura here is one of the most iconic and a general fan-favorite. Her sex appeal doubtlessly has something to do with that, but even aside from that, I like her character overall. Her compassion and likability in-universe is such that she remained revered by many even after Order 66 and the smearing of the Jedi's good name. Many who had seen Aayla Secura still thought well of her. I also like her history with Quinlan Vos that adds to both characters, and the fact that she beat the sadistic Jedi hunter Aurra Sing just adds to her coolness in my mind.
And yes, most of that is the Legends version. As a rule, always assume Legends with me unless I specify otherwise or am talking about a Disney Canon-exclusive character.
"That I could be royalty? (...) Well, I don't know. It's kind of hard to think of yourself as a duchess when you're sleeping on a damp floor. But sure, yeah. I guess every lonely girl would hope she's a princess..."
Don Bluth movie version, and the subsequent Broadway Musical adaptation (though the Assassin's Creed version's pretty cool too!) The animated 1997 film is a lifelong favorite of mine, and I still enjoy it immensely to this day. And that is in no small part due to it's leading heroine, who is a joy to watch listen to (the latter owing to both her wonderful snark and wit delivered perfectly by Meg Ryan and her singing provided by Liz Callaway). I also find her story and journey legitimately interesting and sympathetic. Is it a historically accurate portrayal? No. But, neither is Hamilton. Or Shakespeare in Love. Or Amadeus. Or Braveheart. And I seem to recall those last three all winning Best Picture. Basically, to sum it up, Don Bluth's Anastasia may not actually be a Disney heroine, but she's honestly better than most of them as far as I'm concerned.
"And another thing? STOP CALLING ME ANGIE!!!"
I love Gargoyles to death, so I would be remiss to not include at least one of the females from that series. And in fact, Gargoyles has quite a few good female characters to choose from. Angela here is the kind-hearted daughter of Goliath and Demona, being the good counterpart to the latter and the female counterpart to the former. Introduced explicitly to address the issue of there being no positive female Gargoyle in the main cast, Angela was a later addition, but one that I enjoyed, especially her love story with Broadway. I mean yeah, that was too bad for Brooklyn, but it was nice for Broadway (not to mention it also gave him more to do besides being comic relief/constant big eater). So yeah. A kind, compassionate, and heroic female gargoyle (who's also kind of hot in her own way), who's from one of my favorite TV shows of all time. What's not to love? Apart from rather unsubstantiated and baseless accusations of her being a Mary Sue of course.
"My life has gotten really weird."
Mostly the 2003 cartoon version, though the 2012 cartoon version ain't bad either. Not the 80s cartoon version though, who's a perennial damsel in distress. I'd say the IDW comics version also, but I actually haven't read the IDW Turtles comics yet. One day...
But yeah. Concerning the 2012 series, I prefer Karai/Miwa to April, but I still like April well enough. I mean sure, her powers are very deus ex machina esque, but on the flip side I like that she had to work at becoming a proper kunoichi rather than being an instant expert at it, and I also like Mae Whitman's voice acting. But the 2003 cartoon version, who is still a dependable ally to the Turtles without being a constant DiD, remains my favorite take, even if her hair being dark pink is kind of odd (and yes, I know it's meant to be red hair, but come on, it's totally dark pink).
"Find your own little spitfire. One who won't let you get away with nothing."
-Kent Nelson's spirit to Wally West
Young Justice version only, by way of being one of the breakout characters in that cartoon and in some ways my favorite of the cast other than Robin, Zatanna, and Aqualad. She's just got such a great backstory and character development. And yes, I do like the "Spitfire" pairing that is her and Wally.
"Mine is the choice of Luthien"
An Elven beauty from Tolkein's world who's story has that "Interspecies Romance" appeal, but also a kind of bittersweetness. As Arwen is of a race that does not die of natural causes, it makes her romance with the mortal Aragorn doomed to, as Elrond puts it: "Face the bitterness of mortality". But it also (to me) highlights the crux of a valuable and precious relationship and also just life itself: the fact that it doesn't last forever. Without death, life cannot be fully appreciated. And I feel that, in the end, that's the message one can take away from the story of Arwen, who ultimately chooses to follow her heart and marry the men she loves, even though they know it will one day have a tragic end. But the happiness before that makes it all worth it.
Oh, and then there's the fact that she swept the Nazgul away via flood. So there's more to her then just her (very) good looks.
"'A girl' is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I'm going home."
The Punisher of Westeros, Arya's been through a lot in her life, most of it kind of shitty and awful, but these terrible and harrowing experiences have molded her into a pretty badass pint-sized powerhouse who, unlike most seekers of vengeance in Martin's world...actually gets it! She's killed the boorish thug Ser Meryn Trant, carved off the face of the heartless Waif, and best of all, got to kill the absolutely despicable and disgusting Walder Frey...and every other Frey bastard involved in the heinous Red Wedding. So just for that alone, Arya is a winner. The fencing skills she's since picked up that allow her to hold her own even against Brienne of Tarth is just an added bonus.
And yes, I do like how her once typical sibling rivalry between Arya and Sansa has since grown into a much deeper bond as the two finally see and respect the strength the other has. Good, strong character work.
"Now you fall. As all Jedi must."
I'm gonna say this now: I don't like a lot of female villains. Reason being that I despise the "evil is sexy" trope immensely, and as most female villains fit it to varying degrees, I thusly don't like most female villains. But, as I personally don't find Asajj here all that sexy, that problem need not apply.
Add to that her tragic backstory, character arc (whether Disney or Legends), and sheer, utter badassery as both a highly skilled lightsaber duelist, extremely powerful Force user, and one of the absolute greatest Dark Jedi to ever live, and Asajj Ventress stands proud as not only one of my favorite female Star Wars villains, but one of my favorite female villains period. In fact, my very favorite of all other than one (who we'll get to later).
"You can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes."
Talk about your characters who don't get their dues.
Stuck in a really, really, awful love triangle that for me ranks among the absolute worst of it's kind, emotionally mistreated by the man she gave her heart to free of charge and also betrayed her own father to stand alongside, and then oftentimes reduced to little more than a bit role in her show (barring a few brief turns in the spotlight here and there), Asami really did end up needing a heck of a lot more love than she got. Really, she was basically the show's whipping girl.
Now of course, this begs the obvious question: if she was so often relegated to a minor role and before that a love triangle that feels like it wandered out of a Soap Opera (or Twilight), why does she rank so high?
For starters, there's the fact that she's my type. She's incredibly beautiful on both the outside (for my money the most attractive female character in the entire mythos by a significant margin), and also the inside (being by far the most consistently nice, friendly, pleasant, and amiable member of the cast). Not only does she have an excellent combination of outer beauty and inner beauty, she is also intelligent and competent, being a skilled hand-to-hand fighter who actually did consistently better against Equalist Chi-Blockers then most Benders did (to be fair, she did have that sweet electrified gauntlet, but that's just one more plus for her), and also having mechanical expertise inherited from her father, allowing her to both drive just about any and all vehicles in the Avatar world, and also repair and maintain them. And, her black satomobile that she used as Team Avatar's personal car in Season 1 was definitely one very stylish ride.
Her fashion sense too is also noteworthy, my personal favorite being her awesome biker/combat outfit that she wore when either driving vehicles, fighting, or both. I also like her preference for black and red, as those are my two favorite colors. Not only that, but between her black and red color scheme, being a black-haired beauty, and also being really rich, you'd think she'd be a typical archetypal femme fatale of the heartless and evil sociopath variety who's only beauty is on the outside (kind of like Baroness and Xenia Onatopp, among others).
But this then is the other main reason why Asami is one of my favorite female characters from her franchise: because she appears to adhere to an archetype that I hate (the sexy but evil dark haired beauty, namely), and goes in the completely opposite direction as (again), one of the absolute nicest characters in the franchise and certainly in her particular show, especially when compared to the way Korra was for the first one and a half seasons, and the way Mako was for most of Book 1.
Again, nigh incomparable beauty on both the outside and the inside, brains, combat skill, a talent for vehicles and machinery, a good fashion sense, rich, and being a character who gives the finger to one of my least favorite archetypes ever, plus a hefty amount of personal tragedy to keep her compelling in lieu of any serious character flaws. Doesn't get much better than that.
"I'm Oracle, I know everybody."
For many, Barbara Gordon is surpassed only by Wonder Woman as the premiere DC Superheroine. For my part, I prefer he as Oracle over her as Batgirl, because as the latter she's just one of many female members of the Batman Family to wear a cape and cowl, but as Oracle her role is more unique. It also shows a great deal of personal strength for her as a person that she could be so badly victimized and hurt by a monster only to refuse to submit, and instead find some other way to make herself vital to Batman's crusade. And of course, she founded her own superhero team that is sometimes at odds with Batman and other times among his allies. Whether acting on her own volition or helping other heroes she's close to, Oracle is possessed of a sharp mind and technical expertise that allows her to best foes in a way other than punching them. So yeah. Great character.
"I can do everything you can do. In heels."
I'm usually not into Opposite-Gender Knock-Offs, but Batwoman is one of several exceptions to the rule, because well....she's a badass. And her costume is awesome (looks a lot like Batman Beyond's costume). And she's also an unfortunately uncommon example of a homosexual superhero that actually feels well-done (unlike, say, Northstar). And on top of all that, she's also Jewish as it turns out, which gets extra points with me on the account of my own Jewish background and faith. So all in all a great superhero and character, one who's managed to carry her own book pretty well since the New 52 started up, where so many other books got the axe (including among others, Demon Knights, one I'm particularly sore about).
Personally, I'm still waiting for the story where she and Catwoman have a romantic or at least flirtatious encounter. I can't be the only one who thinks it would be awesome.
Really do wonder why the artists these days always make her complexion so ghostly white though. It's kind of creepy to be honest.
"The problems of my past linger in ways yours do not. It's time I went back and faced them"
In case you didn't identify the source of the quote, it's the G&M version specifically, who is her DCU's Wonder Woman. Badass and kick-butt same as Diana, Bekka is also a somewhat more ruthless and morally gray Wonder Woman due to her being much more comfortable with killing. She also benefits from an extremely tragic backstory that's extreme similarity to the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones works in her favor as far as making her a very sad character. In fact, I would even go as far as to proclaim her the best and most interesting of the Trinity in the Gods and Monsters universe, because of her extremely tragic story but also how she's still got a sense of humor and easygoing nature to her when she's in the thick of the action. She clearly likes to fight, and is quite good at it too.
And yes, she's also very sexy. And Tamara Taylor does a great job voicing her.
"...but you know who else is Riverdale? F.P. Jones. Who we were so quick to blame for Jason's murder. Jughead Jones, is Riverdale. The very soul of Riverdale. Without him, we may never have found out what happened to Jason. And yet how do we thank him? By banishing him. Which is what we do, when the truth gets too ugly in Riverdale."
Riverdale version. Yes, I like Riverdale. It's a polarizing show, but speaking as someone who has never read Archie Comics, has no desire to do so, and is generally not all that interested in Archie Comics, I for one find Riverdale enjoyable enough. And I think that Betty and Veronica are basically the main heroes of the series. I mean sure, there's Archie, but he tends to be pretty dense, and I'd argue he's really more of a decoy protagonist. It is Betty who has the commitment to the truth and to doing the right thing that Archie only has sporadically, and she also benefits from being a lot smarter and far less prone to putting her foot in her mouth. She's sweet and kindhearted, but not as perfect as her family-created image suggests (and indeed she resents it). I admit to not being crazy about "Dark Betty", which I think is overdoing it, but even so, I still like the Riverdale version of Betty, and again, I find her and her show much more interesting than most versions of Archie's world.
"Want me to 'sing' for you?"
While I've never gotten on the "Black Canary can beat Batman in hand-to-hand" bandwagon, I do still freely acknowledge that her fighting skills are very much within his range, and frankly, that's more than enough to make her a badass in my book. She also has wit sufficient to match her primary love interest Green Arrow (a relationship I tend to like quite a bit), and was as much an inspiration for Barbara Gordon's superhero career as Batman himself was. It could perhaps be said that if Oracle is the main brain of the Birds of Prey, Black Canary is the primary fighting force. Strong, tough-as-nails, but also possessed of the compassionate side that is only fitting for a true superhero, Black Canary's a fan-favorite, and really, it isn't hard to see why. You'd be hard-pressed to find a DC fan who didn't consider Black Canary one of, if not the best, of the female superheroes. Sure, it's weird that she opposes killing, but is totally BFFs with Helena Bertinelli, but I guess you can just chalk that up to her forgiving side. Or Gail Simone's writing biases. Either or.
And about that sonic scream? When Black Canary's willing to use it, it causes some damn serious damage (I'm talking about destroying buildings, namely). Not bad.
"I'm the Black Cat. And I just crossed your path."
Since I love Black Cat and Catwoman for pretty much the same reasons, I'll be quick here before going into more detail when I get to Catwoman. Suffice to say, Black Cat and Catwoman when not written as blatant villains (and in BC's case a psychotic lunatic like in current comics), are super-sexy, super-witty, funny in an often sarcastic sort of way, confident without being haughty or insufferable (at least when written well), can hold their own in a fight (which is often more than can be said for the likes of Mary Jane and Viki Vale), and are the very best women to capture my favorite superheroes' hearts. What more can you ask for?
Special mention should also be given to some of the better other-media depictions of the two. And for Black Cat, her portrayal in the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon was my favorite overall, where Tricia Heifer really made her (often amusingly and sometimes hilariously) flirty and sultry in her interactions with Spider-Man. And you have to admit, she'd probably do well with the role in live action as well.
"How many more jobs... How long will it take... I don't know if I can do it... Even if I could forgive myself... This is what I am now. And you'll never know who I was before."
While I do definitely find the Black Widow fanwanking I've seen very, very annoying (especially for the MCU version), this does not mean that Widow herself is a bad character. Quite the contrary, the uncompromising and deadly superheroine and secret agent who has become pretty much the poster girl for "Sexy secret agent femme fatale in black" is definitely a cool character. I suppose one could make a case for the Baroness being as much a face for the archetype I just described, but I prefer Black Widow on the account of her not being a sadistic and evil terrorist.
Featuring a sordid and dark but also interesting backstory, and also managing to win (or else steal), the hearts of quite a few men in the Marvel Universe (Daredevil and Hawkeye to name just two), Black Widow's also a skilled fighter and markswoman and between it all has more than just good looks to recommend herself. And again, while I don't like the fanwanking, I do still think that the Scarlett Johansson take on the character is a good one, portraying her as still a troubled soul, but with a bit more of a sense of humor than what her 616 counterpart is usually want to show.
Oh, and Black Widow's a ballerina too. Talk about being a woman of many talents, right?
"I could serve you, if you would have me. You have courage. Not battle courage, perhaps. But I don't know...a woman's kind of courage."
In a world as bleak and cynical and grim as George RR Martin's, noble and morally upright characters tend to not succeed (when they're actually around to begin with), and the concept of a "knight in shining armor" is considered a fairy tale in-universe as much as it is here. But one female knight at least, broke the mold in both. The massive, heavily armored, and totally badass Brienne is a woman of solid principles and strong moral character, but also one who doesn't hesitate to visit merciless justice down on the wicked and reprehensible. Basically, the closest thing Martin's world has to a paladin, in essence.
And yes, I do like her relationships with Jaime Lannister and Tormund Giantsbane also.
All told, I rather see Brienne as being basically a good, female counterpart to the Mountain; a big, brutish, heavily armored giant of a person who is also a knight. But where I loathe and detest Gregor Clegane, I love Brienne.
"They knew I was a big believer in law and order. Without rules, we've got nothing."
Ms. Marvel is a badass. That's really all there is to it. Being very aware of this, Marvel has over the last decade or so been going out of the way to turn Carol into almost their Wonder Woman. And overall, I'd say they've been fairly successful. Carol Danvers is a military/government superhero who's actually likable (her stint as a Pro-Registration enforcer notwithstanding), and is also fairly powerful in her own right. Her costume is also one my favorite female superhero costumes, and so is her current Captain Marvel costume. Yep, Carol's currently the (I think fourth) Captain Marvel, and every bit as cool for it. She also proves that Tony Stark does not, in fact own a monopoly on "superheroes who struggle with battles with alcohol". Sure, Carol became kind of pitiful and fell from grace during that period, but that's what makes her letter building herself back up all the more empowering and awesome.
And let's not forget to mention her depiction in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, where as voiced by Jennifer Hale she easily one of the best cartoon females ever. Again, just a total badass, as among other things her fight with Ronan shows pretty clearly. I particularly love when she takes him down, in the process pointing out how she and him have one thing in common: they're not one for surrendering.
"For hearts long lost and full of fright, for those alone in blackest night; accept our rings, join our fight. Love conquers all, with violet light!"
I think Geoff Johns and company have been good for Carol Ferris. Where once she was just another of countless cookie-cutter, boring civilian girlfriends (one of my all-time least favorite female character archetypes), or else an "evil is sexy femme fatale" (another one of my least favorite female character archetypes), now she's the Star Sapphire of Sector 2814 and as much a hero as her not-boyfriend Hal Jordan. I like her backstory well enough, and at risk to my credibility I do like her love story with Hal Jordan, or at least parts of it anyway. And to those who don't, take heart: she paired off with Kyle Rayner later (which I for one actually didn't love due to perceiving Kyle to be much younger than Hal and Carol and preferring that pairing, but oh well).
And, for all the whining about her sexy costume pre-New 52, you can take heart there as well; her current costume is still sexy and a nice, dark pink...but it also covers more of her body. So, win-win.
"I've been avoiding you. It's... your background. The assassin training and all that. It's just... my childhood's so normal. I mean, Batman and Nightwing had some rough stuff to deal with growing , but... but you -- you were raised to be that guy there, and you turned yourself into one of us. That's... pretty intimidating."
-Robin
Cassandra Cain is one of my favorites mostly for the very simple but valid reason of both being a total badass. That's just all there is to it. As one of, if not THE absolute most skilled hand-to-hand fighter in DC, Cassandra is pretty much a force of nature from a combat standpoint. How else do you explain such accomplishments as beating Lady Shiva twice and managing to top your own mentor (Batman!) in hand-to-hand? Not too shabby all in all. Plus, she can read your body-language to predict your moves before you use them!
Aside from the sheer badassery though, Cassandra is also a tragic figure, being the child of merciless villains who were anything but kind and considerate parents, and as such she has some...issues. But hey, every hero needs an origin story, and Cassandra's is (to me), appropriately tragic for a Gotham crimefighter without just feeling like a carbon copy of Batman's tragic origin.
"Just goes to show there's more honest ways of making a dishonest living. But I like my style the best"
And here's the other sexy kitty I love so much, and now I'm going to go into much detail on why I love them both:
Considering that Spider-Man and Batman are my two very favorite superheroes, it is perhaps no surprise that I took to the very best of the two's (many) lovers. Where the various "civilian love interests" as I call them often come off as little more than a near interchangeable and repetitive lot of bland throwaway characters who tend to come and go without leaving much of an impression, and after a while all start to feel more or less the same, Catwoman and Black Cat tend to come off as much more exciting and interesting.
For one, superhero love interests nearly always trump the more mundane and bland civilian ones that seem to be so much in vogue, and they also have the added benefit of feeling like they're a lot closer to being their respective partner's equal than a civilian lover would be. And aside from their incredible hotness and sexiness (well enhanced by their choice of dress), they are also confident, talented, playful, and as their often very good banter and flirting with Spidey and Bats clearly shows, witty and funny in an often sarcastic, sassy, and/or deadpan sort of way. Basically, the ultimate good bad girls.
Now, the exact nature of these women's relationships with Spider-Man and Batman and how close or not close they are does change depending on the writer and also specific versions, but whenever the two pairs of characters are shown to be romantic and intimate rather than merely enemies with a bit of superficial flirting here and there, I tend to find said romantic relationships very interesting. The fact that these two are criminals, but of a more mild and tame sort than psychopaths like Joker and Green Goblin (at least usually), ensures that the heroes are morally conflicted about whether or not they should give into their attraction to these more gray characters.
Now, I prefer Selina and Felicia when they're either Anti-Heroes and Spider-Man and Batman's partners in every sense of the word, or alternatively gray characters who sometimes help, sometimes hinder.
Special mention should also be given to some of the better other-media depictions of the two. For Catwoman, all respect to Michelle Pfiffer and especially Anne Hathaway's takes on the character, but for me, Catwoman's Arkhamverse and Telltale depictions are by far her best, perfectly capturing all that I adore about the character, and giving her in each a voice actress that did a stellar job capturing a sultry and confident Catwoman.
And so there it is. Catwoman and Black Cat are my all time favorite females. Period. And that's all there is to it. Moving on.
"Have I forgiven? Yes, I have managed to forgive and control my own wrath. I did not just kill blinded by hatred. Yet I did have my vengeance, and I will have it. By my own way."
The foster daughter of Geralt of Rivia and a capable Witcher and force to be reckoned with in her own right, Ciri's life hasn't been a bed of flowers, but that hasn't stopped her from being (at least in Witcher III anyway), one of the more straight-up good and consistently heroic characters in an often morally murky world. She brings out the best in Geralt and Yennefer too, who love her and treat her like the daughter they never had (and, thanks to their mutual infertility, never can). But for all of that, Ciri is not perfect. She can still be vengeful, as well as reckless and brash, but these flaws only help to make her more interesting. Her relationship with Geralt is a high point of the Witcher series in general, and Witcher III in particular.
And yes, her big hug with Yen is a nice "awww!!!" moment.
"I've seen a man, a blind man who can see... because his other senses are so amplified. And this other man who survived a shotgun blast to his head and recovered from a brain hemorrhage in a few hours! And they both needed my help. I think that's what I want to do. Is to help people with abilities."
Introduced in Daredevil, and serving as a consistent source of medical aid/emotional support/Jiminy Cricket wisdom and guidance to all of the Defenders to some extent or another (though less so in Jessica Jones where she wasn't around long enough to make much of an impact), Claire is the heart and soul of the MCU's Netflix corner, and the glue that holds a very dysfunctional group of people together. Altruistic and beautiful on the outside and in, but also not afraid to let loose with a sharp tongue and tell it like it is, Claire is a joy to watch. I even like her romance with Luke Cage despite my general enjoyment of the Luke Cage/Jessica Jones love story.
My understand is that Claire has become a polarizing character these days, but you can put me firmly in the "love" category. Even superheroes need friends and doctors, and Claire excels in both roles.
"We have to give everything. Even if that means our lives. We will stop at nothing. We will FIGHT, for the lost!"
Female Paragon version, by way of how everything that is awesome about male Shepard can and will also apply to Female Shepard depending on how you play. You can play male and female almost 100% exactly the same, and what differences there are are not to FemShep's detriment. And, Jennifer Hale is great. Need I say more?
"Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."
The snarky, sassy, and just plain fun smart AI of Halo fame, Cortana has basically everything the Master Chief lacks as a protagonist; an interesting personality, interesting things to say, and a sense of humor. Her running commentary and deadpan wit are one of the few spots of levity in a mostly very grim series that's even more into killing off characters needlessly than Game of Thrones is. Speaking of, with her death in Halo 4 went the last of my regrets about becoming a much less passionate Halo fan than I was previously.
Also, she and Master Chief's relationship really should have gotten romantic at some point. I mean, the mere fact that he'd be in a situation of not being able to touch the woman he loves (and vice versa), would make for a pretty nice, tragic love story in a series that tends to ignore love in favor of gunplay.
"I play to win!"
It really must be said that I love Overwatch, and out of all the many characters, D.Va is actually one of my all-time favorites, surpassed only by Tracer and Genji in this regard. Apart from the obvious sex appeal of the character, and the fact that her mech suit is also just all kinds of awesome, I also love that she's basically a fellow geek/nerd, at least where video games are concerned. So in other words, a super-hot action heroine with a laser gun and badass mech suit who loves video games as much as I do. In other words, something of a Male Nerd/Geek Fantasy. But as a male nerd/geek, I can't claim to mind that in the slightest. And if the sheer popularity of the character is anything to go by, a lot of other folks don't mind either.
"I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms. And I will."
Another fan favorite, and with good reason. Going from a timid and mousy young woman sold into marriage by her abusive bastard of a brother, Daenerys has from this humble beginning become basically the main heroine of the series to Jon Snow's main hero, transforming into the well-meaning and competent but still ruthless leader that Westeros desperately needs. Determined to be a better ruler than the mostly incompetent and/or despotic leaders of the past (including her monster of a father), Daenerys' idealism but also strength of will is such that it's won over more than one cynic and given a large number of people something that's all-too-rare in Martin's oft-depressing setting: hope.
And, you know, she's got dragons that she uses to roast slavers and Lannister scum. What's not to love?*
*Well, the incest, but to be fair she doesn't realize Jon's her nephew.
"Then their descendants shall pay! I will have blood for blood!"
One of my all-time favorite female villains period, Demona is the vicious, cruel, and sadistic but also tragic main villain of the Gargoyles series. Condemned to near perpetual isolation as a result of her multiple betrayals and defined by her unending rage and hatred towards humans for their crimes against Gargoyles, Demona also enjoys some of the most interesting relationships of all the characters in the series, namely her feud with Macbeth and her pseudo-Darth Vader relationship with her daughter Angela. Well voiced by Marina Sirtis, who delivers the right amount of righteous fury and savage cruelty, Demona is (to stress again), one of my all-time favorite female villains.
"You said maybe we don't get second chances."
"Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're my second chance."
—Dinah and Oliver
As the quote gives away, I'm thinking of the Arrowverse version. It's funny too, because when she was first introduced at the tail end of a Season 5 episode, I was unimpressed and my knee-jerk reaction was negative. And now look where we are. Dinah's grown on me a lot over two seasons. I like her tragic backstory, her very sad love story with Vigilante, and how in Season 5 she was one of the more chill and mellow members of Team Arrow. I also like her friendship with Diggle and how she's really come into her own as a proper superhero. Plus, we finally have a Black Canary in the Arrowverse who actually has the Canary Cry!
And, the fact that she's an absolutely gorgeous brunette in a black leather catsuit and gloves doesn't hurt either ;). Honestly, I'd call her the best thing about the overall sub-par and disappointing Season 6 currently, and she's the main reason I'm still invested in Season 6.
"We didn't choose to be what we are. And it could be argued that this life chose us. We live it. With all its changes and challenges. Obstacles. Disappointments. Failures. Its successes. Its joys. I have no idea where I'm going to be tomorrow. But I accept the fact that tomorrow will come. And I'm going to rise to meet it. We're all scared, sweetie. You'd be stupid not to be."
OK, OK, I'll admit that my main reason for liking this character is that she's basically B-List Wonder Woman/Wonder Woman's Dick Grayson, but what's so wrong with those things really? Plus, she tends to have really nice costumes to boot. Now if only she could actually get a good love story for a change (and no, I didn't like her with Kyle Rayner). She's got a bit more of an attitude to her than Diana usually does, but hey, everyone's got their character flaws. And it's no worse than Cassie's attitude often is. DC did wrong in keeping this character out of existence for so long post-Flashpoint.
"I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees...that was a joke."
Robot allies/heroes who start out fairly emotionless but then steadily learn to care about people and develop emotions and become more "human" have been a staple of science fiction since the days of Isaac Asimov, but EDI here is one of my personal favorite examples, mainly by way of coming from a great series and being voiced by the great Tricia Heiffer. And while her romance with Joker is not my favorite in the series, I have no real objections to it either.
Also, her robot form is pretty great too, and she's a good meat shield/tank type party member in the third Mass Effect game. It also must be said that she looks good in the Alliance variant of Miranda Lawson's catsuit.
"You need to be more...'flexible'."
I love the Incredibles. I really, really do. And Mrs. Incredible here is as worthy a superhero character as her husband, also being the more objective of the two where his superhero addiction is concerned. I think we need more superhero mothers, because it's such a great premise, and one that I think the Incredibles did a good job with. It's also just kind of nice to have a female character with stretchy powers for a change (I mean, the only other ones I can think of are Kamala Khan and Madame Rouge, and the former is a fairly new character and the latter the type of villain I tend to dislike).
And yes, I do love the scene where she takes out Syndrome's men in three different rooms at the same time. Awesome AND funny.
"I am Elektra Natchios. Not even the stars are safe in the sky."
A tragic kunoichi and one of Marvel's best anti-heroes. She manages to easily rival her long-estranged lover Daredevil as not just a hand-to-hand fighter (indeed, Elektra has the habit of beating him soundly), but also in respects to just how dang screwed up her backstory and life are. Like a warped mirror image of Daredevil, the loss of Elektra's father inspired her to seek martial arts training and to become a costumed ninja warrior to ease the pain in her heart. However, where Daredevil came to supplement his training with a desire for justice that would make his father proud, Elektra embraced murder and bloodshed in the tragically and hopelessly deluded belief that it could ease the pain in her heart. Elektra's tragic tale then comes to an especially tragic end when she's murdered by Bullseye and dies in the arms of the man she hurt both emotionally and physically so, so many times.
But then Elektra came back, in one of the few comic book character resurrections I wholeheartedly support. However, because Comic Book characters can never get a happy ending, Elektra's second chance at life has proven no less fraught with tragedy and death than her first one, and she remains a cold-hearted killer that still flirts with villainy as often as she does heroism (though at least now she tries to walk that road too). And her fighting skills, man her fighting skills. Again, this is someone who made making Daredevil look like an amateur almost a hobby, and other foes she's bested include such names as Wolverine, Taskmaster, Cape Crow, and even her one-time killer Bullseye (and that was when she was drugged, among other things). So yeah. Elektra's a badass, and also one of the most tortured and troubled characters in comic books I've seen that isn't purely villainous. A woman who seems destined to be forever surrounded by death and bloodshed no matter how hard she tries to avoid it.
"I'd love to rest...but they need me."
The heart and soul of Manhattan's Gargoyles and far and away their most dependable and longstanding human ally, Elisa Maza is a heroic cop to rival James Gordon. Beautiful outside and in, intelligent, easygoing, and approachable, Elisa helps to keep the Gargoyles grounded, but also is given a life of her own apart from them; we get introduced to her family and see her relationships with them, and these in turn enhance Elisa's character further by making her feel more like a person. Especially since it is through them that we also see her flaw of how she enjoyed the privilege of being one of the few who knew about the gargoyles and getting to keep their secret, showing that even Elisa is not quite perfect. But hey, that just makes her more interesting. As does her beauty and the beast relationship with Goliath, which is well done in both the cartoon and it's all-too-short-lived comics continuation.
"My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me"
Surprising choice to start off the list with, no? I definitely could have, if I wanted to, had this spot be filled by any one of a number of awesome superheroines that I would have loved to include on this list, but despite the name of this site I do actually like things other than Comic Books, and that includes some classic literature. Lizzie's story is sufficiently well-written that it (and she) stand out. It also happens to be one of the most iconic romance stories of all time, and with good reason; it's very well-written and the 1995 adaptation is by far the best one in that regard.
In all honesty, Lizzie's basically her world's equivalent to a feminist considering how unafraid she is to speak her mind, especially against those of higher status who always seem out to derisively dismiss her or put her down based on her "inferior" position. She is also, of course, very witty and, as her father puts it: "has something more of a quickness, then her sisters". She's pretty too, as no doubt Mr. Darcy would attest.
And yes, I do like the more action-oriented version in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies also. It helps that she's played by the lovely Lily James.
"Scott was trying to be sweet and all I felt was cold and alone because so many wonderful lights have gone out and I'm so tired from fighting against all this darkness. And I thought, I'll name them Jaye and Kurt. I'll name my gray hairs after dead friends. Dead friends and X-Men."
The super-sexy, Ms. Fanservice femme fatale of X-Men fame and one of it's most polarizing female characters, Emma has gone through many iterations, but I myself prefer her as a hero than as a sadistic villainess as she was in the 80s era. Even as a hero though, Emma's a flawed human with an icy demeanor and a razor sharp tongue that cuts close to the bone. But she's also one of Marvel's most powerful telepaths and also cares about fighting for Mutant rights same as any other X-Man, has a great romance with Cyclops as the morally ambiguous anti-hero to his usual straight arrow, and has a taste for the finer things in life that adds to her appeal. And yes, she is ridiculously hot, as every Marvel Comics fan knows. Myself, I prefer her Astonishing X-Men/Wolverine and the X-Men costume, but that's just me.
"The women of this land learned long ago that those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain"
Honestly, her being the one to kill the badass Witch-King (albeit when he was already on his knees), should be all the justification you need right there, but I'll give more anyways:
The fact that before Eowyn did the above, she actually managed to contend with him in a duel despite being obviously afraid of him, the fact that before that she both decapitated his Fell Beast, and (in the movie), beat Gothmog one on one and took down a Mumakil much more quickly and easily than Legolas did.
So yeah. Eowyn's pretty badass. And while her attraction to Aragorn was ultimately unrequited, she did manage to find happiness with Faramir, who himself could have definitely used some after losing his brother and nearly being killed by his bats*** crazy father (who then dies as well). It's just a pity that Eowyn didn't get to participate in the final battle at the Black Gates. I suspect that had she, she would have impressed just as much. Who knows? Maybe she could have killed one or two more of the Nazgul while she was at it.
All of this becomes especially impressive when you remember that Lord of the Rings came out in the 1950s, a time when empowered women in fiction were relatively uncommon. Granted, Eowyn is much more badass in the later movies proper, but so are the males actually. Eowyn is still one of my all-time favorites, and to me one of the most iconic females in all of fantasy.
"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people. You speak of justice yet you are cruel to those in need of your help!"
For more reasons than one, Hunchback of Notre Dame is, along with The Lion King one of my very favorite non-Pixar Disney films, owing to among other things it's darker tone, excellent songs, and also it's leading lady, who has the distinction of being my favorite Disney heroine.
Not quite one of the Disney Princesses in the traditional sense (and indeed not as much of a poster-child for Disney either), Esmeralda's still pretty darn hot, and benefits from being drawn a bit more..."adult", then many other Disney heroines. However, it's not just her beauty that makes her a favorite (considerable as that is), it's also her compassion and kindness to the point of a kind of saintly sort of selflessness. This is best shown in the song "God Help the Outcasts" (itself a well done song), and really drives home that she's got as much beauty on the inside as she does the outside. Furthermore, the fact that she is shown to be a bit skeptical regarding religious faith but is still very much moral, stands in direct contrast to the religious fanaticism and sociopathic disregard for life that is shown by Frollo. So she is ultimately a foil for the villain who develops a non-too-healthy obsession with her (an obsession a lot of people, creepily enough, misinterpret in the worst way, sometimes deliberately so).
She also, in a pinch, can handle herself when trouble comes her way, even if the soldiers that get sicced on her seem to have some serious mental impairments. And I also thought that Demi Moore (an actress who has unfortunately been saddled with more than her share of bad films), did a good job voicing the character. And of course, let's not forget the scene where she basically pole-dances (what? What do you mean it's for kids?)
"You should feel honoured. You are a sacrifice to the Goddess of Fire."
Yes, Firefly. Namely, the female one from Gotham. Now, before you all erupt into a chorus of "Gotham sucks!" or "I hate Gotham!", at least take a brief moment to hear me out:
Bridgit Pike Firefly is, when looked at objectively, one of the most tragic and sympathetic villains in the entire series; an orphan raised by abusive half-siblings who treated her like a slave and made her an unwitting accessory in her crimes (arson related crimes for a pyrophobe no less), when she does finally turn to villainy, it is initially murdering people who, frankly, no one will mourn or miss (her abusive siblings, men engaging in basically sex slave trading, etc.) Even her killing of a cop was an accident rather than murder. Add to that her friendship with fellow tragic orphan Selina Kyle and then getting sent to Indian Hill where Hugo Strange and company brainwashed her into thinking she was a "goddess of fire", and yes, I'd say she's probably the most sympathetic and nuanced major Gotham villain there is other than Riddler...at least at first.
On top of all of that, I like her Firefly costume designs, and not to mention that we now finally have a live action version of Firefly. So between it all, yes, I like Gotham Firefly. And I recognize that for those who despise Gotham, everything I just said will mean absolutely nothing, but I don't care. I think Bridgit Pike Firefly is a great, tragic villain, so there.
"The most dangerous woman in the Galaxy"
I love Gamora mostly for her sheer awesomeness. Again, "most dangerous woman in the Galaxy" and all. In her heyday at least, she was one of Marvel's absolute top hand to hand fighters and street-level characters, and that alone gets my attention. I love the MCU version too, because even though she's nerfed significantly, she's also a tragic and compelling heroine, and Zoe Saldana does a great job portraying her.
"You're a good cop, dad. You put on that badge and carry that gun because you know if you don't someone who shouldn't will. When I put on this mask, I only did it -- Because it freed me from responsibility. I thought I was special. And Peter Parker died because he tried to follow my example. I have to take responsibility for that. To make his death mean something. But I can't do it in a jail cell. This mask is my badge now. If I don't define what it means... monsters like this will. This is where I'm needed most."
As the quote makes clear, I mostly had Spider-Woman Gwen Stacy in mind, but I do also love the Emma Stone version from the ASM films. The truth is, I find 616 Gwen to be rather dull, and in fact contemporary readers thought so too, which is actually why Marvel killed her off; to make room for the more interesting Mary Jane.
On the other hand, the Emma Stone Gwen Stacy, though still Spider-Man's lover, has much more of a personality to her, great chemistry with Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man/Peter Parker, and as a scientist at least as smart as Peter if not more, legitimately contributes to his heroics as Spider-Man with her own brainpower. Simply put, she feels more like a contributor than your usual, generic, cookie-cutter civilian girlfriends like pre-Star Sapphire Carol Ferris, Jean Loring, Dana Tan, Mary Jane, most versions of Lois Lane, 99% of Bruce Wayne's love interests, and so on. And by the way, all of this makes her later death sadder, because now instead of killing off a boring character to make room for a better one, this time it's the tragic death of a legitimately great character.
As for Spider-Gwen, I don't think I need to explain why she's cool; confident, witty, badass, and empowered, she's everything 616 Gwen Stacy is not.
"So maybe I'm crazy. But aren't we all a little crazy...in love?"
I doubt I need to explain this one. Quite possibly the single most popular female villain from anything period (unless you count Catwoman), Harley Quinn is a great villain for many of the same reasons Joker himself is; a sadistic and manic but also gleefully over-the-top and deceptively cunning and witty clown villain who exists to vex and challenge Batman and torment Gotham's people. "Mad Love" represents one of my all-time favorite Batman stories and also super villain origin stories, and I like her friendship with Poison Ivy as well.
However for all of that, Harley does benefit from being just a bit less demonically evil than Joker, instead usually being evil in a more "impish" kind of way. This has allowed her to steadily slip into the role of anti-hero, a role she actually fills fairly well. However, I myself generally prefer her as a villain. Either way, Harley is one of the greats.
"Last man standing will be a woman!"
Hawkgirl is mostly here because of the DCAU, where she was one of only two females in the Justice League but compensated by being a fantastic character. A badass, hard-nosed, "take no crap" heroine who also gets some great moments of deadpan snark and blunt honesty, Hawkgirl in the DCAU also got a great, tragic love story with John Stewart and also just a tragic story period with the events of the excellent three-part Season 2 finale "Starcrossed". Her character arc continued in JLU, where she rejoined the Justice League and worked to win back the trust of her friends, the public, and of course, John. And, her voice actress is great.
But even apart from the "devil-may-care" DCAU depiction described in detail above, I also love her awesomely attired and hot current Earth 2 version, her Jennifer Hale voiced IGAU version, and of course, the mainstream comic version. I even like her Arrowverse version from Legends of Tomorrow, albeit not as much as the other versions (her costume's awesome though).
"When will you get this through your thick head? We're in this together!"
It's been a while since I've been seriously in to Harry Potter, but I do still enjoy and like the franchise all the same. Perhaps not as passionately as before, but still. And of course, Hermione Granger is the Harry Potter series' premiere female character, and extremely popular in her own right. Hailing from a non-magical family (that she is ultimately and tragically forced to sever her ties with to protect), Hermione doesn't let that hinder her, and instead embraces the Wizarding World by having book smarts sufficient to put her two male friends to shame. Not only is she the unambiguous brains of the outfit, she also tends to be the one to inject common sense into her two closest friends whenever they get too pig-headed, and also tends to be the most amusingly sarcastic and deadpan of the bunch (a quality she shares with my other favorite Harry Potter female McGonagall).
Though initially a stickler for the rules, she becomes pretty willing to break them whenever necessary, and is also pretty darn resourceful when it comes to helping her friends (such as how she dealt with Umbridge in Order of the Phoenix). Her love-hate relationship with Ron that eventually sees the former win out is also a pretty well-done love story, and the very simple fact is, without her, both Ron and Harry would be long dead several times over. But then, that's what friends are for, isn't it?
"Sad thing is, I think I've played roles so well... Most of the time even I don't remember who I really am but that's how it has to be."
Most people prefer Helena Bertinelli, but I find that character both overrated and usually unlikable (and Bertinelli fanboys and fangirls annoy the living hell out of me). On the other hand, Helena Wayne Huntress, who benefits from being the daughter of my very favorite DC Comics couple, tends to lack Bertinelli's more obnoxious character traits and qualities, but like her has a tragic backstory and a hardened, somewhat cynical edge to her. So basically, the best of both worlds. It also helps that she's got some of my favorite Huntress costumes (both Pre Crisis and Post-Flashpoint) and alongside Power Girl is a female World's Finest. Awesome.
"One thing is clear...the Fantastic Four have a job to do!"
Considering she's both the heart and soul of the Fantastic Four and also it's most powerful member, this shouldn't be surprising. Sue's a great character, who's going from a pretty shallow Damsel-In-Distress with an "I broke a nail" personality to one of Marvel's premiere female superheroes. I sort of like to view Invisible Woman's positive character development and transformation as serving as an analogue to the progression of feminism (something that is still, as most feminists of any denomination will tell you, unfinished business). Invisible Woman is also, among her other credentials: a scientist like her husband, a strong-willed wife who briefly left her husband when he decided to stay on the fascist boat with Iron Jerk, a caring (and fiercely protective) mother of two, a Poor Man's Green Lantern on the account of her ability to create constructs in addition to force fields, and a capable leader or alternatively second-in-command. So yeah. Invisible Woman can do an awful lot, and, to borrow a line I heard elsewhere that I agree with wholeheartedly: "The only thing transparent about Susan Storm are her powers".
"I name you the Sword of the Jedi. You are like tempered steel, purposeful and razor-keen."
-Luke Skywalker
Although spending her early years as a rare example of a fairly non-empowered female in Star Wars who too often got the DiD treatment, Jaina later came into her own as a badass Jedi in her uncle's order who even uses (black!) Force Lightning and Mace Windu's technique of Shatterpoint. The fact that she's a great pilot, was trained by Boba Fett himself, and even gets to use a purple lightsaber are all extra points in her favor. I suppose one could make a case for "Mary Sue", but I'd rather Jaina be a competent badass rather than a damsel-in-distress. And frankly, I could say the same about Jaina's Disney counterpart Rey.
"Nobody's ever sacrificed himself for any of us before. Couldn't let you go around thinking that was sensible behavior."
The main heroine of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series and a badass through and through (she even got to use Exar Kun's lightsaber once!) Boasting a tragic backstory and a fierce temper that masks an altruistic nature, Jarael was a worthy traveling companion for Zayne Carrick, and over time became something much more than that. She starts out pretty nasty and downright hostile to Zayne, but she grows and develops over time, and is allowed one heck of a character arc over the course of the comic's lengthy run. In all, a cool character.
"Jubilee, we come into the world alone -- and we leave the same way... the time we spend in-between... time spent alive, sharing, learning... together... is all that makes life worth living."
Now, to stress, I actually prefer Jean Grey as Dark Phoenix overall, and it's mostly her as that tragic villain/fallen hero who sacrifices her life redeeming herself (or not, since it wasn't actually the real Jean), is what pushes this character onto my Top 100. That being said, good Jean is a fine character too, being one of the moral anchors for the X-Men and a woman who's compassion, maturity, and moral purity are either glue that holds the X-Men together, or the posthumous example that other X-Men strive to live up to. Not a bad character premise at all. I liked her in the X-Men movies too, whether played by Famke Janssen or Sophie Turner.
I do hate the Jean/Scott/Wolverine love triangle though. I really do. Jean/Scott is fine enough as it is. We don't need a tedious love triangle.
"We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope."
The heroine of the excellent Rogue One, Jyn's story is only really one movie discounting a few supplementary books, but I think it's a perfectly fine and adequate story of a girl orphaned by the Empire's evil who goes from scared child to bitter and cynical loner to altruistic and self-sacrificing Rebel hero who's actions set in motion the turn of events that lead to the destruction of the Death Star in Disney's continuity. Truth be told, I was rather bummed out to see Jyn die. I get that that was sort of the point of Rogue One, but I still feel like at least one hero could have afforded to be spared. And I'd have wanted that hero to be Jyn Erso.
"Well, you look like you might actually be a challenge."
With Karai, I am thinking specifically of the 2012 version, who is well voiced by Kelly Hu and has a character arc that, while more kid-friendly than the stuff Elektra's been through, has still been pretty rough all in all. The fact that she's been lied to her whole life after being taken from her real parents, set against her real father and his sons, kept prisoner after learning the truth, mutated into a snake monster and in the process reduced to a more feral and animalistic state of mind, and going by upcoming episodes (MAJOR SPOILERS) destined to become brainwashed by Shredder and let loose on the Turtles once again, it's clear this poor girl can never catch a break.
Merciless character journey aside, Karai had some good banter with Leonardo in her first appearance, regularly demonstrated sound fighting abilities that were no less than what the Turtles displayed (as evidenced by her fighting evenly with Leonardo and on one occasion Raphael at different intervals), and also just had a very good character design, even if the one half black, one half blonde hair maybe looks a little weird. She gets in some good snark here and there too, and between it all, kind of reminds me almost of Catwoman, especially in respects to her relationship with Leonardo. And yes, it's nice to see that Karai finally, finally got her happy ending after so much grief she went through.
"They're really selling the 'Geth did it' message. Bet you can't even say Reapers without inciting a panic....REAPERS!"
And here's another of my favorite Mass Effect ladies, in the above quote mocking the ever-moronic Citadel Council, which also highlights one of my principal reasons for liking Kasumi: she's funny. Having a good sense of humor and levity even in fairly dark and seemingly bleak situations, Kasumi shows that not every one of Shepard's crew have to be grim, dour, and serious. Of course, Kasumi's being a text-book case of the "lovable rogue" archetype probably has something to do with this. That's also a character archetype that I (and many others besides) have a certain amount of fondness for, so that's another point in her favor. Her ability to temporarily make herself invisible is also a pretty nifty power and ability if I do say so myself, and I also like her overall outfit design, which does indeed harken to both cat burglars and also ninjas. Her alternate outfit (shown above), gives her the usually spiff black and red color scheme to boot.
Oh, and on top of all of the above, Kasumi also has fun shipping Shepard with various other party members. Not as much as others, unfortunately, but she usually has something nice to say about whoever Shepard chooses as their lover (in my Shepard's case, Miranda), and I like that because it feels like more often than not, Shepard's love life is totally ignored by everybody else. It's nice to have at least one character who acknowledges it (and approves!)
So yeah. Funny, optimistic, cheerful, and a lovable rogue with some neat tricks. Not sure what's to dislike about her.
"Every night, when I go to bed, I'm afraid that I'm gonna wake up... to be her."
Who would have thought I'd end up liking so much a character depiction that for a long while and even to a certain extent now is really just "in name only"? Maybe because, in Caitlin's case, that's an improvement. Instead of the sadistic, child-killing monster (and that's not hyperbole, she kills an innocent family before becoming Killer Frost), that we get in DC's New 52 continuity, the Caitlin Snow here is almost the total opposite. While outwardly cold and by her own admission "guarded", she comes to warm up considerably, and ultimately proves to be as much Cisco Ramone's comedic equal as she does his intellectual one. Honestly, I think I actually tend to prefer Caitlin's brand of humor (not that I don't also love Cisco), and her grieving the loss and then unwanted transformation of her fiancee (here much more amiable than he generally is in the comics), really helps to humanize her and make her very sympathetic. And, to top it all off, she's also straight-up gorgeous, easily rivaling Iris, Zari, Amaya, and Nyssa as the most attractive female character in the Arrowverse (or at least I think so).
So in all, a fine ally for CW's take on the Flash, and her villainous arc in Season 3 was one of that season's high points. I also have to say that I'm very, very relieved that she didn't become irredeemably evil. I'd have found that a rather heartbreaking turn of events.
"What do you know of justice? Behind bars or beyond them, these people never change. As long as they live, Gotham is stained."
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my favorite female villain of them all. No, seriously. Lady Shiva is my absolute favorite female villain. And as someone who usually hates the "evil black-haired beauty" archetype, that that isn't enough to keep me from loving Shiva to death. Why? Let's break it down:
For one, any martial arts virtuoso who is good enough to hold her own against Batman with the consistency that Shiva has is going to get my attention. On top of that she's also done well against Black Canary and beaten Connor Hawke, so the sheer badassery and awesomeness of Lady Shiva cannot be overstated.
But even apart from that, I like that Shiva is a cold-blooded and ruthless professional rather than mustache-twirling vamp who seduces men with relish, and I also like her Kelly Hu-voiced portrayal in Batman: Arkham Origins where she echos much of the rhetoric of Liam Neeson's Ra's al Ghul (and incidentally capturing what I love about that take on that character). And finally, she's also basically the Darth Vader to Cassandra Cain's Luke, giving us a mother/daughter variant of that famous conflict (which isn't something we get enough of, I feel). In all, Lady Shiva is pure awesome; a force of nature in the martial arts world, merciless but also professional, and her own daughter's greatest foe, Shiva is a favorite through and through.
Except when Gail Simone writes her.
"Loss does strange things to my family and I have lost a lot of people. I think when I feel things again... I'm going to be very, very afraid of the person I might be."
As the quote shows, I am thinking of the Arrowverse version specifically. The mere premise of a Luthor who is a good person instead of an egotistical murder or deranged super villain is pretty appealing all on it's own. That she's played by the screen-meltingly hot Katie McGrath in one of the actress' rare non-psychopath/non-fodder roles is an added bonus. I must confess to also loving her interactions with Kara and the frankly massive amount of Les Yay that accompanies them. Truth be told, I really do wish that they'd pair off already, but I sort of know that's neither here nor there. Oh well. She's still a great character, being the moral opposite of her largely villainous family and ever struggling to prove that to the rest of the world no matter how many times it tries to stamp her down. She's not perfect though, having a dark side that, (hopefully), she'll never allow to get the better of her as it did with Lex and Lillian...
"Jim, I knew if I saw you I might not have the courage to leave and I need to. I finally understand Gotham in a way you always have. It's a place where the strongest and most cunning rule. Where the cost for survival is paid for by others, and everyone feels alone."
I've got nothing against the mainstream version of Leslie (well, actually, that's not entirely true. There is one moment with her that I find appalling on her part), but I kind of like the Gotham version of the character more (at least before the show kind of jumped the shark), and not just she's because she's pretty. She helps Gordon and Bullock with some of their cases, and not only that, but she is also a lot more casual, easygoing, laid-back, and ultimately "closer to Earth" than the two main heroes of the show, which is good because it serves as a kind of refreshing foil to Gordon and especially Bullock's more troubled characters. Basically, Leslie proves that even in Gotham City, a hero need not be dour and screwed up (something that was sadly lost in Season 3).
She is also a WAY better love interest for Gordon then the absolutely horrible Barbara Keane (one of my least favorite female characters ever), and also gets serious extra points for, in the Season 1 finale, getting to beat up Barbara in self-defense when that kook tries to kill her, even straight up punching her. So yeah. Go Leslie.
"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: The crystal,The blade,The Jedi . You are one."
Another badass female Jedi, this one benefitting from a more unorthodox design and particularly good lightsaber skills, considering she gave a pretty darn good performance against Asajj Ventress. And, I must say I never mind hearing the sound of Olivia D'abo's voice. While I normally prefer Legends versions of SW characters to their Disney counterparts, it is worth noting that most of my favorite Luminara materials come from the second Clone Wars cartoon. Besides her fight with Asajj Ventress in "Cloak of Darkness", I also liked seeing her in action in the Geonosis episodes too. Truth be told, I was a bit disappointed that her Disney counterpart didn't actually cheat death after all, since I wouldn't mind seeing more from this character.
"I was Shira Elan Colla Brie. Now I am Lumiya. And someday, little fish man, I will spit on your grave… as I will spit on your friend, Skywalker's, after I have seen him bereft of hope, of even the will to live…"
Another of my all time favorite villains. An agent of the Empire who started out as a spy inserted into the Rebel Alliance and a would-be love interest for Luke Skywalker, her stories represented some of the stronger efforts on the part of Marvel's original Star Wars comics. Her story's ending in the Legacy of the Force novels was disappointing (but then those novels were disappointing overall), but her going from spy to rebuilt cyborg to vengeful Sith Lady was pretty good up to that point. She's certainly one of the better post-RotJ villains the original Star Wars continuity gave us.
Armed with a one-of-a-kind lightwhip, she's a skilled enough duelist to give Luke a run for his money, and a powerful practitioner of the Dark Side. And, it must be said, that she just looks plain awesome.
"Well the good news about not having balls is that I don't need to think with them all the time."
James Bond has bedded, seduced, fought, and killed his share of lovely ladies, femme fatales, and sexy babes in swimsuits. But the single greatest female in the franchise is none of them; it's Judi Dench's M, who is an absolute riot and a total joy to watch and listen to. And it's clear that the writers know it too, given how the movie people play up the scenes of her dressing Bond down over and over for all it's worth. Competent, firm, sharp-tongued, and perfectly acted, Judi Dench is truly the best M (and again, the best woman in the franchise period).
"I will not ask your forgiveness. Because what I’ve done to you is unforgivable. I was so lost in hatred and revenge...sweet Aurora, you stole what was left of my heart. And now I’ve lost you forever. I swear, no harm will come to you, as long as I live, and not a day shall pass that I don’t miss your smile."
An acquired taste, I admit, but I personally prefer the more sympathetic and nuanced Angelina Jolie Maleficent to the mustache-twirling original, who's fine enough as a villain, but again, I prefer Angelina's portrayal, who has depth and a very tragic backstory that other versions of the character lack. And though it wasn't really given the full attention that it deserved, I still liked her bond with Aurora, and the twist to the old story of how it is her maternal love that saves the Sleeping Beauty, rather than a prince's kiss of love. Also, she's one hell of a fountain of memes. Seriously. Just start typing in any of her major lines. They've all become an internet sensation. That's Angelina Jolie for you.
"I'm a fighter. I've always been a fighter. The times I've been at leisure, I've been miserable. I need challenges. I crave them."
Far and away one of the best Legends exclusive Star Wars characters ever made, the hot, badass, nuanced, and versatile Mara Jade has a decades long arc from Palpatine's femme fatale assassin to confused and lost antagonist to redeemed Jedi to Luke Skywalker's mother to one of the top masters of her husband's Jedi Order and a badass mom to boot. That's quite the resume. Really, the sheer popularity of the character and her general notoriety even among people who are not hardcore Legends fans is a pretty good indicator of how popular she is. And with good reason. Again, Mara Jade is hands down one of the best Legends characters there is. That she will almost certainly never appear in Disney's Canon is a crying shame.
"Every one of your accomplishments is due to your skill. The only things I can take credit for, are my mistakes."
Unfortunately, Miranda's probably one of the most unfairly and widely reviled and bashed characters in the Mass Effect franchise, with most other members of the ME fandom being content to treat her like the Anti-Christ. Myself, I love her for the following, simple reasons: Beauty, Brains, Badassery, and a hidden heart of gold.
The Beauty part is obvious. Her sexiness and hotness are such that she actually gets flak for it (which makes no sense). Me though, I appreciate both her lovely low-cut catsuit and also her very pretty face that comes from her voice actor, the very attractive Yvonne Strahovski. I also like how they made her a brunette, since I do tend to have that preference.
As for brains and badassery, she was the head of the Lazarus Project that brought back Commander Shepard back from the dead and in so doing gave the trilogy's hero(ine) a second chance at life and the opportunity to stop the Reapers for good. Shepard owes their very life to her. She's also a woman of tastes and culture, liking classical music and clearly favoring the sophisticated over the, well...unsophisticated. Some use this to claim she's arrogant, but it's a rather ludicrous claim in view of the above quote plus the following lines:
"The difference between you and me is, you were great before we brought you back...I'm great because of it."
(In response to Shepard's noting that Miranda sounds like she was designed to be perfect): "Maybe, but I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do, the consequences are severe."
So, in addition to being smart and sexy, she's also modest to a fault. Yet another good quality (if not also unfortunately taken too far due to her self-loathing, but this can be rectified by Shepard showing her care).
As for badassery, she lists her combat qualifications early on, and while a bit more fragile than some of Shepard's other crew-mates, she is still capable of holding her own in a fight, and in fact all of her special abilities are geared towards offense (including Overload for synthetic foes, and Biotic Warp for organics).
Lastly, we have that hidden heart of gold I mentioned earlier. Despite most members of the fandom's claims to the contrary, Miranda is not only not as arrogant or mean as she appears early in her debut game, but she is also not a monster simply for working for Cerberus. Instead, she's an example of a morally gray but well meaning person who happens to be aligned with the wrong people (who she ultimately abandons). Miranda is also very warm, polite, and pleasant when speaking to Shepard on the Normandy, and so long as she is shown civility in turn she continues to give it. She doesn't fail to praise Shepard's successes and accomplishments (even when she is colder to him/her, she admits that she has respect for their abilities), and she also has a genuine and earnest desire to see humanity succeed that is not twisted and perverted by xenophobia the way it is with most Cerberus members (and in fact Miranda laments this). Ultimately, like Jacob Taylor and Kelly Chambers, she is one of the few members of Cerberus with moral principles and standards, and that to me is an interesting character premise. Of course, I do also love how Miranda finally gets her eyes opened to the evil of Cerberus and resigns, further proof that she is nowhere near the heartless monster most members of the fandom believe her to be.
So to sum it up again: Beauty, brains, badassery, and a hidden heart of gold, plus a good character premise, good character development, and a very tragic past with a pure evil father that (to me) makes her easy to sympathize with. What more can you ask for? If I had to pick two women to save me from a bunch of giant robot squids shooting lasers, I'd definitely choose Paragon FemShep and Miranda.
"Who am I? That, my dear, is an excellent question. Though not one easily answered"
The ruthless shapeshifter of X-Men fame, I am partial to both her villainous mainstream version and her more "Anti-Hero" Jennifer Lawrence version, as well as the version in the original X-Men movies. With an extremely useful power that many a writer has had fun exploiting, Mystique is a badass villain, as well as a fairly tragic one who's dark past has helped to mold her into what she is today. That she's also the villainous mother of my favorite X-Man adds another layer to the character, and makes me like her all the more. Again, not normally a fan of the "evil is sexy" archetype, but then, I actually don't find Mystique as sexy as most other people. I do find her an awesome villain though ;)
"I am Nyssa. Daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Heir to the demon."
Arrowverse Nyssa is, for me, one of the best villains in all of Arrow. Sympathetic pretty much from the start as an Affably Evil villainess in love with the woman she's been sent to retrieve, even her stooping to kidnapping of Sarah's mother feels less like a cruel, sadistic, or petty move and more a desperate one to try and blackmail Sarah into coming with her without hurting Sarah.
However, Nyssa also has a character arc, going from cold-blooded and villainous assassin and servant of her father to an even more morally conflicted character who finally has a full Heel Face Turn in Season 4 when she renounces her late father's influence and dismantles the League of Assassins, then helping Arrow against Prometheus and company in Season 6. Say what you will about Seasons 3 and 4, but for me the best thing about them is that Nyssa's character development is concluded and reaches what is for me a satisfying conclusion. Hell, that was a large part of WHY I liked Seasons 3 and 4 when almost everyone hates them. That she's hot, has a totally badass, wicked awesome costume, and is a good swordswoman, hand-to-hand fighter, AND one of the best archers in the 'verse (she easily beat Oliver in an archery fight!), all add to her appeal. So yeah. I love Arrowverse Nyssa.
Pity she doesn't swing for my team (but I guess it's a win for the ladies!)
"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."
Another polarizing/hated/underrated character, mostly owing to her poorly written love story with Anakin. But I personally love Padme. Yeah, the love story was poorly written, but that doesn't ruin the whole character. Yeah, she's sensitive and cries, but that hardly makes her a weak female character (especially considering the context, and the fact that the widely adored Rey's cried over less). And as far as handling a blaster goes, she's more than capable of holding her own.
The fact is, Padme's beautiful, strong-willed, idealistic, noble, and ultimately, destined for a very sad ending to her story. As someone who actually likes Revenge of the Sith, I consider Padme's part in that story appropriately tragic. And yes, I do love her very, very robust fashion sense (her "snow bunny" outfit being my favorite). That she was played by the great Natalie Portman is an added bonus.
"I conducted my own investigation because nobody here listens to me. I got away with it because nobody looks at me. Because unless I have your files, your coffee, or your lunch, I'm invisible to you."
I know Peggy Carter is also a character in 616, but for me personally, I am specifically drawn to her MCU incarnation, where she is played brilliantly by Hayley Atwell. Now, I liked Peggy enough in Captain America: The First Avenger, but that wasn't what caused her to rank so high up. No, that would be the Agent Carter mini-series, which tragically did not get the ratings it deserved (but thankfully got renewed for a second season anyway).
Peggy is awesome. She's a pretty brunette with a sexy British accent and a tough-as-nails and sarcastic but also still compassionate and noble personality that is so well fleshed out in her mini-series. Peggy is so well humanized in it as a person who actually does have a bit of a life beyond her being, well, an Agent, and she's also an empowered female in a misogynistic world without it coming off as too heavy-handed. She can be bitter at times, but never unsympathetically so, and her sarcasm does get pretty funny too. I also like how she is depicted as being in mourning for her love without being weak, and concerning her non-romantic relationships with men who respect her (tragically in short supply), she has excellent, excellent chemistry with Edwin Jarvis.
Not only is she beautiful, empowered, and amusingly sarcastic, but Peggy's also pretty darn badass. For someone living in a Superhero world who's not one herself, this is someone who could among other things fight evenly with a trained killer on top of a moving vehicle with a shot leg, and then fall off the vehicle and go tumbling along a concrete road...and get up afterwards and run away. With a shot leg. Seriously. Talk about your endurance. For another example of that, Peggy later takes multiple swings from a baseball bat without much in the way of injury (something people in real life just don't do), and what makes it even more astonishing was that these were swings from a baseball bat coming from someone strong enough to effortlessly break a grown man's neck, meaning the swings are coming even harder. And still Peggy fights. Talk about being a tough customer.
I think I've summed it up quite nicely. MCU Peggy Carter kicks some serious, serious butt, and I lament the cancellation of Agent Carter.
"Your Angel of Death awaits..."
The main villain of the exemplary "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" film, Phantasm is one of several Batman villains who exists to challenge Batman's "no kill" code by being a costumed crimefighter not afraid to draw blood. Out of all of them though, I think Phantasm is one of the better thought out and more successful. A very, very tragic character who's ill-fated love story with Bruce Wayne is one of the few non-Catwoman romances of Batman's that I like, Phantasm is one of the greats, both among Batman villains and female villains in general. That's enough to justify her being on this list.
"I will protect the innocent."
As I've already noted before, I love Overwatch, and the beautiful and badass Pharah is a particular favorite. Apart from being probably one of the only Egyptian superheroes...ever, she's also got an awesome look, a sweet missile launcher, and a decent backstory as the semi-estranged daughter of an old hero who's trying to follow in her mother's footsteps. She hasn't had much in the way of appearances yet, but I still love her anyway. That Anubis skin in particular is sheer boss.
"Well, unfortunately for you, you're not dealing with Superman... You're dealing with me!"
While I prefer Supergirl, her older, sassier, more aggressive counterpart is pretty cool too. Sure, her backstory's convoluted as hell, but I still like her anyway. The important thing is that she's the older, alternate Supergirl. Much of what I like about Supergirl I like about Power Girl too, and while I (again), prefer Supergirl, I think Power Girl's a fine enough alternative.
"I'm amazed you're still alive...will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way!?"
Anyone who knows me well enough should know that I am very much a Star Wars fan (several of my Avatars alone demonstrate this, to say nothing for everything else). So with that in mind, is it any wonder that I'm also a huge fan of the premiere Star Wars female?
The thing about Leia is that not only is she a fantastic heroine in her own right, but she also set the precedent for numerous other strong women in Star Wars to follow. Even so though, the first remains the best.
Possessed of an amount of Force potential equal to that of her brother and father, and coming to realize a good portion of it in the Legends continuity, Leia grew into an incredibly powerful Jedi, but before that she was still awesome as one of the champions of the Rebel Alliance, a crack shot with a blaster who per canon sources (and feats) almost never misses, a princess who took charge of her own rescue mission, and the woman who could both trade one-liners and snark with the sarcastic and outwardly cynical Han Solo, and also kill Jabba the Hutt. And she did the latter in a golden bikini too. Not bad.
In the end, Leia remains my favorite female Star Wars character, my favorite princess, and really just an overall favorite in general.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
While I normally prefer female characters who have that winning combination of beauty, brains, badassery, and being on the side of right, one need not necessarily have the first one to be a great character. Case in point, Head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall. Outwardly stern and no-nonsense but ultimately fair and moral when all is said and done, McGonagall was also brilliantly portrayed by Maggie Smith, who made the character her own. And also, anyone who can lay a verbal smackdown on the ever-hatable Dolores Umbridge gets my vote hands down. And for those who want an example of that, I give you this:
"He has achieved high marks in all his Defense Against the Dark Arts tests..."
"I'm terribly sorry to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me..."
"I should have made my meaning plainer," said Professor McGonagall, turning at last to look Umbridge directly in the eyes. "He has achieved high marks in all Defense Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher."
-Taken from Harry Potter: And the Order of the Phoenix
Yeah. That alone gets her a spot here
"I tell myself that if I do it... If I do take lives in the course of doing what's right... Then at least it means other people won't have to. Like I'm... Like I'm saving innocent souls. But that's a lie. That's lazy guilt-dodging bollocks. The truth is this: I rejoined X-Force because I couldn't bear to stay away. My name is Elizabeth Braddock, and I'm an addict."
Okay, so Psylocke's backstory is the very definition of an inconsistent, convoluted mess. But, to offset that, she's a sexy purple clad (and purple haired) ninja with awesome telekinetic and telepathic powers, the ability to create a Psy-Blade (which to me is a lot like a lightsaber katana), and to top it all off martial arts skills sufficient to hold her own against Daredevil. So yeah. Not seeing what's not to love about all of that. There's also her romance with Angel (Warren Worthington III), which like the romances with Arwen and Luthien is ultimately a tragic one. For different reasons granted, but even so. The way it's portrayed in Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force is particularly sad, especially the way the Archangel Saga comes to an end. Her sexual tension with Fantomex was also interesting to me. So in short, Psylocke is both a lover and a fighter, and that's usually a winning combination with me.
"Flynn is teaching me about the art of the selfless. About removing one's self from the equation."
I have to say, Tron: Legacy was pretty awesome. It proved to be a bit polarizing with critics and audiences, but it's definitely still gotten a following, one that I'm a part of. Still waiting on a sequel for it that we're supposedly getting ("supposedly" being the key word). But out of all the characters in the film, I have to say that the two I liked the best were the ever-badass Rinzler, and Quorra.
Aside from being incredibly attractive (and wearing a nice black leather outfit with glowing blue lines), Quorra is also the juxtaposition of a skilled warrior mixed with a wide-eyed innocent. Said archetype tends to be one I have mixed feelings about. When it works, (as it does with Quorra), it works well. When it doesn't, it can lead to a pretty annoying character.
But myself, I did not find Quorra to be annoying. I found her innocence and earnest desire to learn more about the world beyond the Grid endearing rather than irritating, and she also has the somewhat sad backstory of being the very last of her kind. And, for those who don't like token romances, take heart: Quorra and Sam's mutual attraction is there, but very subtle. Clearly, they are saving the majority of the romance for the sequel that is (again) supposedly coming.
Oh, and, in addition to everything else, Quorra also has a sword that looks a bit like a cross between a katana and a lightsaber. And as I've already made clear with Psylocke, that's always a cool weapon.
"Azarath, metrion, ZINTHOS!"
As a fan of the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon who has also been one since he was in elementary school, I can't well not include that series' version of Raven on this list. Mind you, I like mainstream comic Raven just fine, but here's the catch: she was made more like her TT cartoon version, precisely because that version was so well received. And I definitely love her too. She starts out as a fairly one-dimensional/almost self-parodic Goth archetype, but over the course of the show she developed very nicely into a much more nuanced and sympathetic character who is ultimately one of the show's best, having that right blend of tragedy, darkness, loneliness, angst, deadpan wit, and also pragmatism that makes for one heck of a character.
"Some questions can only be answered with a mask."
I've always preferred Renee as a GCPD officer than as the female Question, but having said that, they did go out of their way to make that transition feel natural and earned, and either way, Renee is pretty awesome. Not to mention she gets bonus points for being one of the few comic book characters who is Hispanic or Lesbian, never mind a character who is both. Plus, she was Batwoman's lover for a time. Sweet.
Either way, Renee's tough-as-nails and one of the few consistently moral and upright cops in the GCPD alongside Gordon and Bullock, and that alone makes her worthy of admiration.
"I need someone to show me my place in all of this."
Yes, for all of my considering her overrated (and she is), and for all of other people deriding her as a Mary Sue (which I don't go along with), I do still like Rey a lot. Is she as revolutionary or unique or as much of a trend-setter as the people who rampantly oversell her suggest? No. Is she still a good character with a solid backstory, endearing purity, and a mix of both inner and outer beauty? Yes. And, she's basically the Luke Skywalker figure of the Sequel Trilogy, and I think it's a role she serves fairly well (and her scenes with Luke himself are some of my favorites in the Sequel Trilogy). Yes, it's been a crazy to think she'd become such a good lightsaber duelist with no training whatsoever, but in fairness to the Kylo Ren fight, he WAS injured at the time.
But yeah. I like Rey. Is she overrated? Absolutely. But as I've already stressed, that in no way makes her a bad or terrible character.
"You won't be getting any thanks from me, Gambit! Now watch your mouth and watch your back!"
Rogue is my very favorite X-Woman, and that's owing mostly to the tragic tale that the character is fairly well-known for. Like a female Edward Scissorhands, she is unable to touch that which she loves and cares about without hurting it, and it's hard not to feel bad for someone in that kind of situation. Especially when Rogue herself does frequently become tragically self-loathing and ashamed of herself for who she is.
However, it's not all gloom for Rogue, since her powers do allow her to (if only temporarily), wield the powers of other superhumans she touches. Pretty sweet ability if I do say so myself, even if again, it comes at a terrible cost. While I do not like Rogue's romance with Gambit (mostly because I'm not a Gambit fan), I do very much like her romance with Iceman in the X-Men movies, and lamented it's being derailed in X-Men 3 (one of that film's many bad calls). But as that and the above gif show, I do also like the movie version of Rogue. Sure, she's not possessed of the combative power that her 616 version has, but the tragedy and sadness of the character is well-maintained, and I also (again) liked her romance with Iceman. They even found a clever way of giving her her iconic "skunk stripe", which I do admit to being a fan of. That, and I honestly think the actress who portrays Rogue looks kind of cute in the X-Men films.
Finally, Rogue has the distinction of changing costumes even more often than the average X-Woman, and honestly, I think most of them are actually pretty good, my personal favorites being her classic green and yellow with a brown coat and also her more recent green and white costumes. So yeah. One more point in her favor.
"I had my doubts, Rau, but she came back to face her past and her bold initiative has impressed me. She has become a courageous leader. She reminds me of the best of who we were, and could inspire us to become more than we have been of late."
-Bo-Katan
My personal favorite of the Rebels heroes (though I do like/love Kanan and Ezra a lot also), and another recent SW female accused of being a Mary Sue. I disagree with that even less this time around, considering such things as making weapons for the Empire that were then used against her own people and feeling absolutely awful about it plus being estranged from her family. But you know. "Haters gonna hate" and all.
Fact is, I like Sabine. Not too many Mandalorians are straight heroes, so Sabine is a nice change of pace in that regard. I also appreciate how she gets steadily more gear and equipment over time, rather than having the full arsenal from the get-go (no flamethrower or energy shield or jetpack until later!). She's badass obviously, and while I don't love her art obsession, I don't particularly dislike it either. It's just a character quirk I take at face value. I do like her habit of changing the color of her hair regularly though. And also her character arc of a runaway from her culture driven by guilt to distance herself from Mandalore, to a symbol for her oppressed people to rally behind that also serves as a way of atoning for her inadvertent crimes against her own people. To me, that's a perfectly solid character.
"By the Code I will serve you, Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals, your wishes are my command."
For starters, Samara is a pretty powerful Biotic in her own right, rivaled in this respect only by her daughter Morinth and the convict Jack (more on the former later). Aside from her incredible power, Samara is also a tireless crusader against any and all perceived injustice and immorality, but personality-wise is not an annoying or holier-than-thou zealot. Rather, she is serene, graceful, and respectful at almost all times, having a calm tone even when angry or distraught (though then at least she usually still shows anguish in her voice). So, powerful and moral. Already we're off to a good start, and we haven't even mentioned her beauty. For a being over 900 years old, Samara still looks very beautiful, no less than her fellow (and much younger) Asari Liara. She also has a much sexier outfit on the account of the form-fitting red with the heels and V-neck. So in aesthetics she also impresses.
But what really cements Samara's position as one of the best, is not just her interesting and well-written moral outlook, her incredible Biotic power, and her hotness, but also her very tragic and sympathetic past, being the mother of a sadistic monster that she tasks herself with stopping no matter what. As if that wasn't tragic enough, she can also come to have feelings for Shepard but chooses not to act on them (talk about strong-willed, no other female in the Galaxy can resist him it seems). So bound is she to her code, for better and for worse, that she is unwilling to allow herself even that measure of happiness. So yeah. A pretty sad character all in all, and then manages to get even sadder still when one of the two daughters she had that was not evil dies, and Samara intends to kill herself to keep from killing her last daughter if not stopped. So yeah. All around a very good and interesting (and very compellingly sad) character, and no question, one of the very best party members in the whole Mass Effect trilogy.
"Thank you for your many lessons, Lord Baelish. I shall never forget them."
Much of what I like about Arya I also like about Sansa due to how they both go from fairly archetypal but also naive "tomboy and girly girl" to the more hardened, ruthless, but also more nuanced characters they would become. While Sansa doesn't become a pint-sized Inigo Montoya, she does still learn to get brutal justice in her own way and survive how she can in a world hellbent on subjecting her to seemingly endless degradations and abuses. And, the fact that she helped to bring about the annihilation of the disgusting and loathsome House Bolton and it's monstrous leader (who she brilliantly fed to his own mutts), commands a hefty amount of respect from me. So yeah. Sansa Stark is a delicate flower who turned into a rose lined with some damn sharp thorns.
Just ask Littlefinger and Ramsay.
"These are the moments we strive for, when the hope of victory becomes real. When we can see peace on the horizon."
So wise, so powerful, and looking pretty good for a woman who's supposed to be in her fifties or so. Plus, she's a descendant of Revan and voiced by the great Jennifer Hale. What's not to love? I mean, to top it all off, she ALSO has a double-bladed lightsaber!
"While I live... and until I die... I am an Avenger!"
The lovely, beautiful, powerful, and also tragic and somewhat unstable Scarlet Witch, Wanda has been a mainstay with the Avengers for years, and in that time has grown from a shy pawn of her father Magneto to a more confident and assertive young woman, only for her to then go berserk and mad during Disassembled and cause the whole House of M fiasco. Even after redeeming herself, she remained a hated figure among the X-Men and unsure of what to do next with her life. Truth be told, SHE should have been one of the reasons behind the Avengers Vs. X-Men debacle, not the tried-and-true Phoenix Force rubbish the writers resorted to instead. But, that's neither here nor there.
And yes, I do like her romance with Vision well enough, though I liked her with Nightcrawler in WATXM also, as well as that version's general character arc of going from delusional enforcer of her father's to the newer, better leader of Genosha.
"Shaak Ti's the most cunning Jedi I've met. She's even taught me a few tricks."
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
Admittedly fanwanked and oversold a lot, I still love Shaak Ti. I mean, she IS a pretty cool and resourceful Jedi, who also gave us one of the best action scenes in the original Clone Wars cartoon with that fight against the Magnaguards. Her resourcefulness, guile, and pragmatism even allowed her to survive Order 66 (in Legends anyway), for years on end before going out against Galen Marek. But even before she dies, her last words are some of the truest in the franchise: "The Sith ALWAYS betray one another." So yeah. I like Shaak Ti. Many Star Wars fans do, and I'm no exception to that.
"Think of it, people! If he's an Asgardian, the same could be true for us! We could be gods, people! Gods! So let's start acting like them! Strike now for honor! For glory! For Asgard!"
What can I say? I got a thing for badass noble warriors, and I've got a think for hot brunettes who aren't of the evil femme fatale mold. Sif scores big with me on both counts. That, and honestly, I prefer her to any of Thor's other main love interests (my general fondness for Natalie Portman notwithstanding). I liked her characterization in the MCU as well, as played by the lovely Jamie Alexander. Pity she wasn't ever given more to do (to say nothing for her total absence in Thor: Ragnarok). Granted, her appearances in it didn't make me an Agent of SHIELD fan, but then not much would.
"Okay, rally caps. My personal life? Not strong. But I did beat up a Hydra tentacle-monster-robot-thingie. So I got that going for me. Maybe I am getting the hang of this superhero stuff."
Female spider-people are a dime-a-dozen at this point, but I have to admit to liking Silk all the same. I like that she got her powers from the same spider that gave Peter his, but also that her powers is NOT 100% identical to Peter's, with the idea being that she's even faster than him but weaker than him as a trade-off being a nice touch. I also like her costumes overall (I especially liked the one that reminded me of Miranda Lawson's outfit), and I also like that she's the awkward newcomer trying to get the hang of being a superhero. That, and, to be totally honest, I'm a sucker for Spider-People due to my unabashed love of Spider-Man, so if you want to know why Silk ranks especially high with me, that's another part of it.
And hey, she's a Pokemon fan. I'm down for that. Now if only they could find a main villain for her that's not the worst version of Black Cat Marvel's ever given us...
"You don't yell Avengers Assemble every time we leave the house. ... Save it for when we need it."
I will not spend too much time going on about Spider-Woman's current costume except to say that I hate it with a passion. Moving on.
You know, I generally don't like characters who are what I call "opposite gender knock-offs" of pre-existing characters. But I do like a few of them, and Spider-Woman is one of those few. The main reason for this is because, despite the name, she really doesn't have that much in common with my favorite superhero. Yes, they're both Spider-Totems. Yes, they've worked together before and are on a first name basis. But, let's look at some other things...
Costumes: Different (and no, them both wearing red is not enough to say they have very similar looks).
Backstories: Completely different. Jess' original backstory had more in common with Captain America then it did with Spider-Man (Fish out of Temporal Water, namely)
Powers: I don't see Spider-Man hooting venom blasts out of his hands, nor have I ever seen Jessica display a Spider-Sense or use webbing.
Personalities: Also different. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that Jessica's totally humorless, she is still definitely more serious, reserved, and stoic then Spider-Man is usually want to be. So yet another instance in which they are different.
So yeah. Spider-Woman she may be called, but ultimately, Jessica Drew is very much her own woman and not just a lazy female knock-off of Spider-Man, and I really do prefer that. Granted, if she had been more like Spider-Man and perhaps even been related to him in the vein of Spider-Girl, I might not have necessarily minded that. But even so, I like that Jessica can convincingly stand separate from her male counterpart, and how she's really more a part of the Avengers corner of the Marvel Universe then she is Spider-Man's. That said, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't want to see at least one story where the two Spider-People are an item, or alternatively her and Ben Reilly if they ever bring the latter back (which will probably be around the time pigs take to the air on wings, but still). And, though it kind of goes without saying, Jessica Drew also benefits from being seriously hot.
"This princess fights her own battles."
I'm mostly thinking of the 2003 TT Cartoon version with this one, as that is the iteration I am most knowledgable of as a fan of that cartoon. I have virtually no exposure to her New Earth version and while I actually do like her Prime Earth version by way of not thinking it's wrong to have consensual, pre-martial sex, I still prefer the 2003 cartoon version. I like her naive but endearing innocence and her relationship with Robin well enough, and she was always a fairly reliable source of comic relief as well. And no matter which version of the character is, she's got a great powerset and a decent "Cain and Abel" type rivalry with her sister Blackfire. The New 52 actually tried to make this relationship a bit more nuanced, though how successful they were is perhaps questionable. In any case, I like Starfire overall.
I love playing as her in Injustice 2 also.
"Sheesh. You'd think I'd never gone up against a psychotic hostage-holding martial arts master who wants to kill Batgirl before."
As the quote sort of gives away, I most like Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, as I feel like that was a good, fun series in a city not generally known for lighthearted adventures unless it's the LEGO or Adam West versions. That, and her Batgirl costume is one of my all time favorite ones. Also, I'd rather not talk about her pre-Batgirl New Earth history given that it's basically the poster child for both criticism of how DC doesn't always treat it's women well AND also what Batman haters use to justify their Batman hating. In other words, a horribly written mess that should have never happened. So moving on.
I'd say I like Prime Earth Stephanie too, but I'd be lying. No, for me, I love Stephanie Brown...but almost entirely as Batgirl IV. The Spoiler costumes are cool and all (especially her current one), and her origin story is decent-ish, but it was her all-too short time as Batgirl that was when the character truly shined.
"You counter despair with hope! You strive forever for the best you are capable to be! Therein lies the victory!"
It's a sad fact that while Black superheroes are nowhere near the scarce sight people often make them out to be, FEMALE Black superheroes unfortunately remain rare. But at least we have one very, very good one with the long-time X-Woman (and long-time fan-favorite), Storm.
Storm's gone through a few different characterizations over the years, but myself, I prefer the way she was in her early years as the sort of "naive newcomer", who's incredible power (and also fighting and thieving skills) stood in direct contrast to her very gentle, graceful, and overall innocent personality. Definitely far preferable to the obnoxious, abrasive, and overly confrontational b*** on wheels that she was in the 1980s, which also saw her sporting that terrible mohawk hairstyle. But thankfully, Storm eventually transitioned back to a more graceful and likable kind of character, but no longer quite as innocent or naive. She eventually married Black Panther, which I personally was not a fan of, but I suppose it is nice to see Storm as royalty once more.
Then there's the Halle Barry version of Storm, who I actually do like. A lot of people think it was a poor casting choice, but I personally think that Halle Barry did a good job playing a graceful and civil yet also powerful and resolute version of Storm who believes in Xavier's dream no matter how cynical things get. I didn't like her as much in X-Men 3 granted, but that was a bad movie overall. She came back strong in Days of Future Past, even if her role was overall minimal (unfortunately).
Still, overall, Storm is a fine character with some pretty awesome superpowers, and so long as she's not in her mohawk-wearing punk phase, is definitely one of my favorites.
"Some of us try hard to make the world a better place than it was when we found it. I know that's what I try to do. I won't always be successful. But that's life. I'm Supergirl. This is my life ... and y'know what? I'm pretty happy with it. (For now at least.)"
Even before the Supergirl show on CBS gave us a near-perfect take on the character played by Melissa Benoist, I confess I always had a soft spot for Supergirl. I'm not even entirely sure why, but I guess I liked the idea of a Superman type figure who seemed younger, more inexperienced, and more like a casual, down-to-Earth teenager. Funny thing is, they tried to make Kal-El all of those things in Smallville, and for me that show is terrible.
Supergirl though, does the idea of a younger and more inexperienced Kryptonian hero, right. I like her more casual manner than what her cousin usually has, I like her relationships with Batman and Wonder Woman as additional mentor figures to her, and I like that DC has, it seems, been trying to make her more of a flagship character than she was before. And, to stress again, the CBS/Arrowverse version is basically a perfect rendition of the character, and, I think, my favorite take in any medium. There's so much heart and warmth and kindness that Benoist brings to the role, while also being able to keep her flawed and allow her to tap into anger, rage, and even at times pettiness. In all, a very well-rounded hero and one of the best of the Arrowverse.
I also like her DCAU and Injustice 2 versions as well (it certainly helps that they've got some of my favorite Supergirl costumes AND the latter is voiced by Laura Bailey). So in all, I love Supergirl. More than Superman himself, even.
"I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world! And don't you two dunderheads ever forget it!"
Toph is pure awesome. And her above claim of being the greatest Earthbender in the world also has weight, and if nothing else, she does rank among the absolute best. That, and as both a little girl and an old woman in Legend of Korra, she's funny. Hilarious, in fact. A lot of this is owing to how comically tough-as-nails and blunt she can be, and also how she's just so not sentimental, in contrast to the way that Aang and Katara sometimes get. Her particular approach to training first Aang and later Korra is quite amusing, as are her nicknames for Katara ("Sugar-Queen" being my favorite). And not to mention, this is the girl who discovered metalbending, and in so doing overcame what had long been every Earthbender's biggest weakness. Even her being a rich person's rebellious kid has an interesting wrinkle to it, in that Toph actually does know how to be a proper lady and show etiquette...she just chooses not to because she finds it more fun that way. And considering how lovable she is with her general personality, it's hard to disagree with that assessment. Overall, Toph is my favorite female character from the original Avatar show by a significant margin, and is actually my second favorite female from the overall franchise (my number one being the aforementioned Asami).
"You know...the world could always use more heroes."
The spunky, fun, good-hearted, and oh-so-British Tracer has already become a fan favorite, and with good reason. She's just so much fun and so crazy endearing. That, and her super speed via time manipulation is a pretty sweet superpower, and a nice twist on the whole super-speed idea. She's no Flash or even Quicksilver in power albeit, but she's still a cool speedster character. The dual rapid-fire laser pistols are an added bonus, as is her being the series' first LGBT character (Lesbian, namely). In all, Tracer is actually my favorite Overwatch character after Genji.
Now if she could just get an update that gives her a better and less near-useless Ultimate.
"There are certain things no one does better than Veronica Lodge. Makeovers, party planning, dance-offs, dropping vintage bon mots as if they were bonbons. Conversely, there are things that I'm not good at: grief, bedside vigils, comforting boyfriends."
I already mentioned that Betty and Veronica are the real heroes of Riverdale. Well, if I have Betty here then it follows that I'd have Veronica here too, and for more or less the same reasons; both are outwardly and inwardly gorgeous heroines who's overall strong moral characters do not preclude character flaws and shortcomings, in Veronica's case a temper and an occasionally vindictive nature (plus a willingness to condone, at least to a point, her criminal parent's actions). She's got a good sense of humor and fun too, which is always appreciated.
"A lesson needs to be taught, to this forsaken city. They WON'T look the other way. Not again!"
As the quote gives away, I am thinking of the Lady Arkham version in particular, who seems to be almost universally hated or disliked by folks on this website. I don't pretend to understand that, because Lady Arkham is a badass tragic villain with a cool design who represents a fun/unexpected twist that I didn't see coming, and also a far more interesting and compelling character than the boring, generic Lois Lane clone Vicki Vale usually is. I get that everyone on this site seems to hate her, but I for one would take a well-written, cool, and sympathetic villain over a generic Lois Lane clone any day.
"I have all the powers of Africa now. From the fox to the elephant, from the spider to the man--I am the life of Africa. And I believe in life."
DC's first black female superhero, Vixen doesn't have quite the notoriety that she ought to, or as good of a character as Storm. Having said that, she's still pretty cool. Her being able to channel the powers of literally any animal and even combine different powers for devastating combos is an awesome ability, and one that writers should never fail to take advantage of. I'm especially partial to her DCAU and Arrowverse iterations, liking the former's relationship with John Stewart and laid-back nature and sense of humor, and the latter's time traveling antics with the rest of the Legends and her character development from rigid, by-the-book hero to someone more willing to bend the rules and indulge in her darker instincts. I also like the course of her relationship with Mick too.
And yes, I know that there's also another Vixen in the Arrowverse as well, but I haven't seen her show yet and so haven't really had much exposure to her.
"Please take my hand. I give it to you as a feature of friendship and love, and of faith freely given. I give you my hand and welcome you into my dream."
This one's a no-brainer. There's a lot to love about Wonder Woman that goes beyond the (pun intended) godly sex appeal and also costume that is simultaneously memetic, revered, and reviled depending on who you ask (myself, I lean towards the former two).
Incredibly powerful (as in, often played up as being in Superman's ballpark kind of powerful), deeply immersed in the ever-interesting (and marketable) Greek Myths, and also being when necessary a highly skilled fighter, tireless and fearless warrior, and in a pinch, a good leader, Wonder Woman's got a lot going for her. That, and she's also just so iconic as the first major female superhero and for a lot of people, the first. She also happens to be my favorite female superhero ever (or at least, favorite comic book character that is consistently a superhero), and so between it all it's not hard to see why I and many others adore her so much.
One aspect where Diana has been a lot less lucky in is love, but this actually does add a tragic element to the character, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I don't love her relationship with Superman to be honest, but her attraction to Batman in the DCAU was interesting (and amusing at times). Finally, while I kind of wish they'd gone with a God other than Zeus for her father in the New 52 (Ares perhaps?), making Diana a literal child of the Gods is a good move in my book, since she's already as I said deeply immersed in Greek Mythology. Why not go all the way?
And finally, to top off all the reasons why I love Wonder Woman, she's an Amazon who is (at least when written by someone other than Frank Miller) not a bloodthirsty, man-hating psychopath who views the male sex as the spawn of the devil, but instead believes that the males of Earth can be made better than they are and shown a better way. What's not to love about that?
"I'm not X-23. I'm not your experiment. I'm not your f---ing property! You are the last person who will ever think they can own me. No one owns me! I'm not a thing. I'm Laura Kinney! I'm the daughter of Sarah. I'm the daughter of Logan. I'm Wolverine!!!"
On paper, the idea of a young, female clone of Wolverine sounds like the stuff of bad fan-fictions. But then you see the execution, and it turns out X-23 is a pretty great character. Born of a horrific and tragic set of circumstances that makes her immediately sympathetic, X-23 has ever after struggled with the idea of being a person who owns herself rather than a tool for others to use. It is this determination to get that dignity and sense of self that fuels her and makes her interesting beyond just being Wolverine's clone (not that that isn't cool too). Plus, she's the closest thing Wolverine really has to a daughter or a sidekick, so that's kind of nice too. And yes, I did love seeing her become the new Wolverine, even if it's coming at Logan's expense (IE: death) was kind of a bummer. But, X-23 is badass just like the man who's DNA is her's, and one of my favorite of the female X-Men characters. Is she as Wolverine representative of Marvel's recent craze to replace almost all of their flagship characters with minority replacements that aren't always written very well? Kind of, yeah. But is she still an overall good character apart from that recent trend? Yes, I'd say so.
"Careful what you wish for. And when your wish is granted, you must accept it with all attendant circumstances. And as for your missteps...I don't rightly see why I shouldn't laugh if they're amusing."
I only recently developed a serious interest in the very dark, very violent, and very morally gray world of the Witcher, with those above things often keeping me away from the series up until the more accessible Witcher 3 caught my attention. And along with the third entry, Yennefer caught my attention as well.
Where to begin? The magical power complete with a cool raven motif? The interesting backstory and well done romance story she is part of? Her sexy accent? Her wit? Her incredible beauty? All of these are certainly valid reasons, so let's start with the premise of the character: a quarter-Elf who is actually in her late nineties and later around 100 as the Witcher series progresses (though in the Video Game continuity she is absent until Part III). Implied in the books to have been born ugly and giving herself incredible beauty with magic, there is an air of tragedy to the character, which is highlighted by how she and her lover Geralt have been kept separate for so long, and how they've been getting together and splitting up and then getting together again. Normally, I hate love stories like that, but what I like about this one is the great sense of loyalty Geralt feels towards Yennefer, and his determination to be with her no matter what. However, what makes the story even better (and elevates it to one of my favorite romances ever), is in how Yennefer feels that Geralt's wish that they always be together actually does more harm than good, in that it makes her doubt the sincerity of their love. She wants them to be together, but only if it is their choice, not the magic of a Djinn. Thus, Yennefer seeks to undo the wish, leading to (assuming the player makes this choice) an incredibly sweet moment where Geralt and Yennefer both realize that their love remains every bit as strong and real as it was before.
So, aside from that excellent and complicated romance story she's a part of, what else does Yennefer have to her name? Well, her magic power for one, which gives her a few different nifty tricks and abilities to make use of, also allowing her to be the spells to Geralt's swords, so to speak. She also has a good capacity for wit as well, not being afraid to trade banter (and the occasional light mockery) with Geralt and poke fun at him, but never too maliciously. On top of those reasons, Yennefer also has a pretty sexy voice, a dignified English accent that the voice actress manages very well.
And of course, how can I sing Yennefer's praises, without mentioning the beauty she is renowned for in-universe? Generally, the black haired beauties (especially in Fantasy) are utter monsters; sadistic and evil femme fatales who's only beauty is on the outside. Yennefer's no saint (no one in the Witcher is), but she's hardly a monster, and especially when compared to other characters in the series. More to the point, Yennefer is truly beautiful, and her reputation for it is very well earned. She also plays it up nicely with her stylish black and white clothing that includes some nice fur, as well as black leather gloves, pants, and heeled boots. So obviously yes, Yennefer rocks on that front too.
Really, I'm not sure what else there needs to be said. I've developed a greater appreciation for the Witcher series of late (at least the third entry anyways), and Yennefer's a large part of the reason for that. So between that and everything else I've said, Yennefer gets my vote.
"Not like this. Executing a mark, someone who probably deserves it anyway, is a lot different than looking the other way while a world dies."
I'm really thinking Legends version here, who was actually expanded and built up nicely from her debut in Attack of the Clones, being portrayed less of a straight villain and more a morally gray bounty hunter who's normally ruthless, but every now and then plays the Anti-Hero, such as when she helped save Coruscant. That's right, Zam and Jango Fett helped a Jedi Master save an entire planet. I don't know about anyone else, but that seems like a nice amount of good karma for this normally roguish character, wouldn't you say? And, it must be said, but I really do love her design. One of the very best of all the costumes in the Prequel Trilogy I'd argue. Her actress liked it too. :)
"I'm not saying you can't be anything you want to be. But the whole “superhero” thing is much more than just wearing a cape and getting famous. What is it with this 'American Idol' generation?"
I've said this before elsewhere, but I'll say it again here: there's just no beating a sexy magician. Or, I suppose technically there is, since there are a FEW other females I like even more, but still. And not only is Zatanna the quintessential sexy magician and my personal favorite example of the "Hot Witch" archetype, she's also incredibly powerful on the account of (at least in mainstream continuity), being able to do almost anything and everything she wants just by saying it backwards. I suppose you could liken her to a plot device, but she's still a pretty cool one all in all. An expert in not just some seriously powerful magic but also traditional "Stage Magic" that she enhances with her powers. A performer by nature, Zatanna is also friendly, easygoing, laid-back, casual, and is generally one for having a good time. Seems like a pretty nice personality to me. Sure, she erased her childhood's friend's memories, but to her credit she did feel bad about that and the two eventually made nice in the end (as true friends do). While I'm not sure I would necessarily like seeing Zatanna and Batman as a couple (I'm far too much of a Bruce/Selina shipper for that), I'd also probably say I'd prefer her as a love interest for the Dark Knight then Talia al Ghul, Viki Vale, or worse, any of Bruce's (many) throwaway love interests. So there is that.
But Zatanna need not have a boyfriend to be interesting. Paul Dini in particular seems to share that sentiment based on the very apparent crush he has on the character that saw him write her frequently and even give her her own series (but then when your wife is a stage magician who dresses almost exactly like Zatanna, it's not hard to see why this is). And generally sweet and pleasant as she is, Zatanna's backstory does have some tragic stuff with her lost father, who she's actually had to see die more than once. So yeah. It's not all sunshine and rainbows for the Mistress of Magic, but from a writing standpoint that's probably for the best. All in all, I like Zatanna. But again, it's hard to beat a sexy magician, especially one as hot, powerful, and also as nice and compassionate as she is.
