24 Badass Female Superheroes, From Batwoman to She-Ra and More (Photos)
Just in time for this Sunday’s premiere of “Batwoman” on The CW, we’ve compiled a list of other memorable and bad-ass superheroines. From “Wonder Woman” to “Captain Marvel,” here are some super-women you don’t want to mess with.
WONDER WOMAN
Whether you met her first in DC Comics, played by Linda Carter in the 1970s, or played by Gal Gadot in Patty Jenkin’s 2017 hit film, if you know only one name on this list, chances are it’s this one. Created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, Wonder Woman is the immortal, super-strong, magical genius daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. After moving to the world of mortals as an emissary of the Amazons, she fights for justice and equality solo and as a founding member of the Justice League against a rogues list that includes literal gods and colorful criminals like Cheetah. Good thing she has a magical lasso and an invisible jet to help her out.
OKOYE
Created by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira in 1998, Okoye was long one of Marvel’s lesser-known heroes, until she became a straight up icon thanks to Danai Gurira’s performances in “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Okoye is the head of Black Panther’s personal bodyguards, the Dora Milaj. And what she lacks in Black Panther’s literal superpowers, she more than makes up for with martial arts expertise and a genius at tactical and strategic thinking. No wonder she not only went toe to toe against the children of Thanos and lived, she also single-handedly saved Wakanda after The Snap wiped out trillions, including Black Panther.
SUPERGIRL
Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El — known on earth as Kara Danvers in the very excellent The CW series starring Melissa Benoist — is another survivor of Krypton’s destruction who fights for truth and some very needed social justice while protecting earth from threats like time traveling supervillains and Martian authoritarians. She’s also a very good journalist. Her superpowers aren’t just flight, invincibility, laser vision and so on, she’s also just an excellent person.
CAPTAIN MARVEL
Originally known as Ms. Marvel (a title now used by another entry on this list), Carol Danvers assumed the Mantle of Captain Marvel in honor of her mentor, the alien hero Mar-Vell. Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan in 1968, she’s an air force pilot and feminist activist who fights supervillains as Captain Marvel, and sexism in her civilian guise. Played by Brie Larson in the 2018 film, Captain Marvel has superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and agility, and can fly faster than the speed of sound. She has the “Seventh Sense,” which allows her to predict future danger. She can also heal from injuries quickly, has immunity to toxins and poisons, and can shoot light beams from her hands.
BLACK WIDOW
Black Widow emerged as one of the crucial heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to her portrayal by Scarlett Johansson. Created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck, she’s a former Russian spy who defected to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. In the comics, her powers include resistance to disease and aging, ability to suppress and replace memories, agility. In the films, she’s just a run of the mill extreme badass, master athlete and martial artist with a talent for psychological manipulation — and a great leader too. Her backstory will be fleshed out a lot more in her self-titled solo film, due in theaters in May.
THUNDER
Thunder, AKA Anissa Pierce, is the eldest daughter of the superhero Black Lightning. But she’s more than just a family legacy. Thunder can increase her body density at will, making her immovable and almost completely invulnerable. She is also bullet proof and can create shockwaves by stomping on the ground — really handy when taking down bad guys. She’s memorably portrayed by Nafessa Williams in the CW’s “Black Lightning” series, where like her comics counterpart she’s an out lesbian.
LIGHTNING
Black Lightning’s other daughter, Jennifer Pierce can manipulate electricity and generate it from her own body, as well as fly. So don’t mess with her. She’s best known for being played by China Anne McClain on The CW’s “Black Lightning,” a show all of you should be watching.
JESSICA JONES
Created by Brian Michael Bendis for Marvel’s “Alias” comics in 2001, Jessica Jones has been a hard drinking expert private detective, an Avenger and even a high school classmate of Spider-Man. She’s strong, she can fly, and she isn’t here for your B.S., especially on her Netflix show, where she was played by Krysten Ritter.
THE WASP
More than one Marvel hero has been known as The Wasp, but the best known is Hope Van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lilly in “Ant-Man” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” In both the movies and comics, she’s the daughter of the original Ant-Man and The Wasp, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne — though unlike her comics counterpart, in the movies she doesn’t have innate powers. No worries though. She’s a gifted strategist and formidable martial artist who, thanks to some pretty sophisticated technology, is also able to shrink to the size of an insect (with proportional strength) and fly. She can also punch really, really hard.
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