How many on-screen badass women can you name?
(I’ll update the list periodically.)
Badass On-Screen Women
- Landlady (Kung Fu Hustle)
- Ellen Ripley (Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection)
- Sarah Connor (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: Dark Fate)
- Zoë Washburne (Firefly, Serenity)
- Kaylee Frye (Firefly, Serenity)
- Inara (Firefly, Serenity)
- Private Vasquez (Aliens)
- Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)
- Chrisjen Avasarala (The Expanse)
- Naomi Nagata (The Expanse)
- Roberta ‘Bobbie’ W. Draper (The Expanse)
- Camina Drummer (The Expanse)
- Yu Shu Lien (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
- Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
- The Bride (Kill Bill, Kill Bill: Vol. 2)
- Trinity (The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions)
- PrinceessLeia (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi)
There is a very interesting documentary called “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” and how they created her in 1940 as a feminist super hero.
William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph, struck upon an idea for a new kind of superhero, one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love. “Fine,” said Elizabeth. “But make her a woman.”
Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don’t want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.
Oooh, neat! I’m looking forward to watching that. Thanks for the mention and link!
Mulan (1998)
Ruth Wilson in Luther…
Samantha Carter Stargate series
Ruth Wilson played that character SO well. Chilling.
Any number of the female hunters from Supernatural.
The Bride (Kill Bill)
Lt. Riza Hawkeye (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Major Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell - the 80’s movie and the anime series. Live action one needs to die in a fire)
Jo Lupo (Eureka)
Domino (Deadpool 2)
Go-go Tamago (Big Hero 6)
Mako Mori (Pacific Rim)
Golden Sparrow (Forbidden Kingdom)
Gamora and Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Evie (V for Vendetta)
Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)
Valkyrie (Thor: Ragnarok)
Molotov Girl/Millie (Free Guy)
Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel)
Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel)
Carmilla Carmine (Hazbin Hotel)
Sypha Belnades (Castlevania)
Lisa Tepes (Castlevania)
Princess Mononoke
Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle)
Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Storm, Jean Grey (X-men)
I could keep going all day. These are just the ones that come to mind without having to dig around my watched media for ideas.
Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) in The Long Kiss Goodnight!
‘Landlady’ is the absolute correct choice.
From Wikipedia:
Cheung Cheun-Nam, known professionally as Yuen Qiu (Chinese: 元秋; born 19 April 1950), is a Hong Kong actress and martial artist. She is an expert of both Chinese martial arts and Beijing-opera skills, and was apprenticed at the Peking Opera School under the same master, Yu Jim-yuen, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
After being away from the Hong Kong film industry for nearly 20 years, she landed a role in Kung Fu Hustle only by chance. She was accompanying a junior woman fellow of the China Drama Academy at the audition but the director’s eye was on her. It was reported that Stephen Chow convinced her to take on the role only after unremitting and persistent persuasion.[citation needed]
Yuen later appeared in the movie Kung Fu Mahjong, with Yuen Wah, and has been active in cinema since then. (20 more films)
Camina Drummer from the Expanse, just one of many awesome female characters of that show
Jo Kang Ja from Angry Mom and her legendary flying kick.
That girl is legendary. Je suis allé revoir l’extrait après avoir lu ce commentaire. edit: episode 2, 11:30-13:45. That’s how Bang Wool ascended to the Beolgoopo’s Sashimi of legend.
Also, Jang Man-wol from Hotel Del Luna.
Il y en a beaucoup dans les dramas coréens. Là je pense à :
- Choi Yeon-ah dans You are the Best Lee Soon Shin
- la génialisme Park Hoo-ja dans My Fellow Citizens
- Ji Soo-Hyun dans Big Issue
- Kang Sun-ah dans Goodbye wife
- la FL dans Sell Your Haunted House
Il y a bcp de femme forte en général. Mais souvent on ne peut pas les qualités de badass parce qu’il y a un côté force physique / sexy/charismatique au personnage qu’on retrouve moins dans les personnages écrits pour un public féminin.
Do Rahe dans Be Arrogant rentre dedans, la sexualisation en moins.
Pareil pour Kang Yunhe dans Modern Farmer pourtant joué par la superbe Lee Honey.Côté Jdrama, il y a Sangenya Machi dans Your Hause Is My Business Nami dans Caution, Hazardous Wife ou Yamaguchi Kumiko dans Gokusen.
Bon, Gokusen, c’est un cas à part, mais pour les autres, se sont des rôles de femmes fortes et belles mais la beauté n’est pas sexualisée.
Oui c’est ça des femmes fortes, parfois importantes voire même imposantes mais pas forcément des badass.
Il y a aussi Cindy dans Producer que j’ai bien. C’est le rôle qui m’a fait aimé IU.
Nobody going to mention Battlestar Galactica (2004)? Starbuck, Laura Roslin, Athena, Kat… so many good examples of not just strong, but flawed and human women. Well, mostly human.
Selene from Underworld.
While my Trekkie side offers Michael Burnham (Discovery), Kira and Dax (DS9), Seven of Nine (Voyager), Una and La’an and Nurse Chapel (Strange New Worlds). I’m surely forgetting a bunch.
How about Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth (Game of Thrones)?
Not a single person mentioned Lucy Lawless? Where my 90s kids at?
Renee O’Conner also
Fran Fine, The Nanny
Samantha Carter, Stargate SG-1
Delenn, Babylon 5
Natalie Teeger, Monk
Eve, Killing Eve
Beth Harmon, Queen’s Gambit
CJ, The West Wing
Donna, The West Wing
Donna Noble, Doctor Who
And if children count:
Matilda, Matilda
Merida, Brave
Donna Noble is the best Dr. Who companion and I will not be entertaining any arguments that say otherwise.
I’m so happy to see Fran Fine mentioned here! And Fran Drescher is a total fucking badass, herself.
Thank you I was looking for Donna Noble!
Also Matilda was the person I last expected to see here but 100%
Rita Vrataski aka Full Metal Bitch from Edge of Tomorrow.