This post is going to be similar to one I did a while back on
asexual characters, though it won’t be as exhaustive (the media I consume has
more superheroines than asexuals, so I’m not going to attempt a complete list.)
Today, I’m celebrating female heroines, mostly those with powers, along with a
few costumed vigilantes who don’t have any, talking about what makes them
special to me.
Natasha
Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow
She’s not the first female superhero I ever saw onscreen – the X-Men came first for me – but she’s the
first that I really connected with, the first that it made me feel empowered to
watch. Though Natasha hasn’t always been treated well by the MCU, I love her
sick fighting skills, her solidness and determination, and the way she balances
both pragmatism and heroism. It may be coming way too late, but I can’t deny
that the first trailer for Black Widow
got me excited.
Daisy Johnson
a.k.a. Quake
I wasn’t huge fan of Skye in season 1, but seeing her go through
Terrigenesis and discover her Inhuman powers, as well as learn her family
history and reclaim her real name, is really neat. The TV format allows the
space to show a really difficult adjustment period, more than a typical origin
story would have room for in a movie. It’s great to watch Daisy go from being
afraid of her own power to harnessing it.
Jessica Jones
Peggy Carter was the first comic-book heroine I saw headlining her
own show (as usual when it comes to representation, TV was ahead of movies by a
mile,) but Jessica was the first superheroine.
Name in the title, protagonist with powers and inner demons – I devoured the
first season like I’d been in a desert and didn’t know it. It’s fascinating to
see Jessica wrestle with her trauma and fight back against the superpowered
predator (just thinking about
Kilgrave still makes my skin crawl) who violated her.
This is a smaller role than most of the characters in this post,
but I still love me some Wanda. Her shift from villain to ally in Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of my
favorite parts of that movie, and I love seeing her come to terms with the
implications of her tremendous power and how others see her as a result of
that. “I can’t control their fear, only my own.” Amazing! I have no idea what WandaVision
is going to have in store for us, but I’m eager to find out.
Oh, my wonderful Kara. I love them all, but she’s my favorite. Her
motto is “Hope, Help, and Compassion for All,” she’s known from the start that
she can’t do this without her friends by her side, she loves movie nights and
potstickers, and she never backs down from a fight. She’s my superhero, 100%.
Kamala Khan
a.k.a. Ms. Marvel
The initial Winter Soldier story in Captain America was the first superhero comic I ever read, but Ms. Marvel was the first comic where I
started at the beginning and followed it along (and in turn followed Kamala to
other comics like The Totally Awesome
Hulk.) Kamala is such a great teen superhero. Her powers are so
interesting, and I love that she’s a total superhero fangirl who’s developed
powers of her own. Her comic has put her through the wringer, but she always
manages to keep going.
The first female-led superhero movie I ever saw. I love Diana’s
warmth and belief in goodness just as much as I love her strength and fierce
fight for justice. I bawled in the theater when she walked across No Man’s
Land, not realizing how badly I needed to see a scene like that until that
movie was made. I love Natasha and Wanda, and heroines can absolutely shine in
supporting roles, but Wonder Woman is
Diana’s movie, and there’s something
about that that’s just special.
I love a good disgraced-samurai-style character arc, and Valkyrie
has a good one, magnified by her Asgardian longevity. Once among Asgard’s most
legendary warriors, she left her home after losing everything and has tried to
drown herself in drink ever since. There’s a lot to love about Thor: Ragnarok, but seeing Valkyrie
slowly come out of her stupor and rediscover her honor ranks very highly on the list.
This one’s kind of a twofer. I was first introduced to Spider-Gwen in comic form through The Edge of Spider-Verse, then enjoyed
the heck out of her in the kickass animated film Into the Spider-Verse, which gave me a nudge to go further into her
comic story. I like that she’s kind of a mess and still figuring things out.
She may not be as damaged as Jessica Jones or Valkyrie, but she’s dealing with
some serious personal crap while at the same time trying to save lives, and
that’s admirable.
Wow, do I love me some Carol! Totally focused on getting the job
done with determination for days, but also dryly sarcastic and clearly in love
with her powers. Seeing her really unleash in her first movie is so, so satisfying, and I really can’t wait
to see what happens next for her.
I love Jen too, but she’s still very much in-process on her
superhero journey, while Anissa is far more on her way. In addition to fighting
to keep the streets safe as Thunder, Black Lightning’s right hand, she also
does heavier vigilante freedom-fighter work under the name Blackbird. Two
heroes for the price of one! I love how gung-ho she is about jumping into
superhero work to start with (raiding a fetish shop for costume ideas, hehe!),
and it’s cool to see her fight to make own name for herself separate from what
her dad is doing.
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