Times change, and so do people. Experiences and tastes change, and hopefully for the better. Here is my Top 10 Favourite Female Superheroes list, done anew; updated from years ago. You get my moonlit drift cascading as ripples on a pond.
I still love superheroes, and heroines are only getting stronger and more complex than ever. Or some have always been that way, and I have only just discovered this on furthering my comic book reading and movie watching journey.
Let us celebrate these powerful, inspiring, indomitable women! Starting at:
10. Nico Minoru (Sister Grimm) (Runaways, Marvel)
She's a superhero, a witch, Asian, bisexual, gothic, and a female teen. She's pretty much a combination of everything that I love! I admit, however, that my knowledge of Nico may still be limited to a few comics. I haven't seen the Runaways TV series or have been made aware of any other adaptation. I don't watch a lot of television. But man is this magic girl with a myriad of elements to her cool! She can be shy, insecure, and overly sensitive, but brave and determined when she needs to be. Nico is a team leader and a deeply flawed but caring and loving individual. She would do anything to protect her friends. After so much heartbreak and betrayal in her life, she will find it difficult to trust anyone and accept anyone as her family. She can work on her own, but works best in a team - as part of a family, lost and founded, blood relations not applicable. Nico's magic is extremely powerful - drawn from her Staff of One - and she knows this, and will want to be extra careful lest she hurt anyone. She's a formidable opponent all around, never to be underestimated. Sister Grimm is a sensitive girl - very emotional but in one so young this is understandable - and has faced as much tragedy as any Marvel superhero. But clinging to who she has left, Nico and the other runaway misfits will make it. What an admirable heroine for girls to look up to. For Asian people and people of the LBGTQ community to proudly mirror themselves on in the pop culture hemisphere. A superhero and witch who's as real as can be. And she looks great! What cosplay potential!
Read my review of 'Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home' here.
9. Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green) (Marvel)
Such a fresh, fun and bouncy superheroine! She's curvy - a rarity in a comic book female character, even today - red-haired, buck-toothed, and the most optimistic person in the Marvel universe - and literally the most powerful. Squirrel Girl has beaten Thanos, Galactus, M. O. D. U. K., and Doctor Doom. She is called unbeatable for a reason. Doreen Green has the abilities of super strength, speed, agility, hearing, healing, resilience, deduction, and talking to squirrels; plus a bushy tail! Too fun and cute and self-aware to be angsting - she's got lives to save, friends to make, and nuts to eat! all the while making sure that everybody has a great time - even the villains! Cartoony, yet so charming, endearing, and infectious in her altruism and spunk, Squirrel Girl is virtually impossible not to love. Like a female Deadpool (whom she has actually beaten, more than once) for kids, she's a big, softhearted refresher in a world filled with countless dark, angsty and depressed super people, who can barely catch a break. Squirrel Girl may be a vehicle for humour - and was originally created as a one-off joke in an Iron Man comic in the nineties - but she isn't one dimensional: She is very smart, possessing a high IQ; she has a computer science PHD, and can teach college kids. And babysit - for babies and animals. She does what she does simply because she loves it. Loyal and faithful to no end, everybody will want to be friends with this friend to all living creatures (mostly squirrels); never mind that she can beat them in any fight! In any challenge! With her equally adorable squirrel sidekick and bestie Tippy-Toe on her shoulder and up a tree, nothing can stop this charming force of nature; in all her sunshine glory. Her limitless, timeless river of confidence is her bright shine; she is incapable of hate. She sings her own theme tune while beating up bad guys. Nuff said. Squirrel Girl - a highly underrated Avenger who is meta and upbeat to the nuts--max!
I've written about this great character loads of times before. Here they are for you to enjoy:
Heroines of Legend: Fictional Universes - 20: Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl)
'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol.1: Squirrel Power'
'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe'
'Marvel Rising (Marvel Rising 0-4)'
'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World'
8. Spider-Gwen (Gwen Stacy) (Marvel)
Talk about a surprise combination from a parallel universe! Gwen Stacy, when she isn't one of the original fridged women, is a capable and quippy superheroine, as Spider-Woman. As a civilian she is a police officer's daughter - her father, refreshingly, knows her secret, which causes their bond to grow stronger instead of distancing them further due to how they both handle the law. Gwen is also a drummer in a female band that's led by Mary-Jane Watson, whom she shares a rather complicated friendship with, considering... well, everything. And not just relating to Spider-Man. Gwen has got a lot of rage issues to drum out and vent out. She is moody and angsty, dealing with a trauma and tragedy involving the death of a loved one, as all Spider people have to go through, but even when shouldering all that baggage (and police brutality), she's still got spunk and charisma. And style - I absolutely love her Spider costume. I could look at it all day. Gwen can be a natural leader when she wants to be. She's gotten so popular in such a short amount of time - she has a lead role in the hit 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse! She's awesome in that, too. I hope she will star in her own movie vehicle after that in the future. I adore this kick-butt, witty, yet vulnerable girl who has been through a lot of tough crap. Spider-Gwen is a rebel who doesn't take PTSD lightly in the slightest; an intelligent martyr with a cause and affect. Like many of the ladies and girls on this list, she is also part of some great, supportive and loving female friendships. What a chance she's been given after being dead for decades!
Read my review of 'Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted?' here.
7. Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel) (DC)
I can technically count her as a hero now, instead of a villain, based on her recent incarnations. Harley Quinn's powerhouse popularity cannot be overstated. She is simply amazing. A colourful, psychopathic, tragic, incredibly complex and complicated, and kind of sweet and friendly clown princess of anarchy, this former victim of domestic abuse will rise above everything from her past, and mark her own path; her own independence; in the bright blaze of an inferno. She's cookie cutter only in that she may look sweet, edible and easy, but she will cut you up if you mistreat her or her friends. Friends like Poison Ivy, whom she's developing a romantic and sexual relationship with after decades of "just friends". As much as I vehemently despise the Suicide Squad movie and how Harley is portrayed in it, in her first mainstream Hollywood appearance, I admit that I am looking forward to the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, where she plays center stage and no doubt has tremendous fun doing it. The film looks like it might be fun, at least, and it having a female director has given me more faith in it not being yet another wasted-millions-of-dollars, straight white adolescent-and-toxic masculinity violence fantasy. Hardly anything can be worse than Suicide Squad, at any rate.
I've written about Harley Quinn so many times now. Here is an exerpt from my previous Favourite Female Superheroes list:
She's spent most of her twenty-plus-years career as a villain. However nowadays Harley Quinn is an independent anti-heroine, growing out of the Joker's shadow. And most people prefer her that way; she is that strong a character. Harley is a survivor in every sense - of abuse, and time. She's a pop culture figure who's defied expectations and transcended barriers in all shapes and sizes.
And here is me talking about her from an entry in my Favourite Female Characters list:
As for Harley Quinn... yeah, enough said, really. She is Barbara [Gordon]'s opposite, not only in that she's a villain (in the majority of her incarnations). Harley is the Clown Queen of Crime, beginning her creation as the Joker's sidekick, then his lover, then his tragic abuse victim, then a survivor who has her own wacky adventures. Harley is a perfect example of someone who is both very funny and entertaining, and horrifically tragic: Caught in a cycle of abuse at the hands of the psychopathic and narcissistic Joker, she makes bad decision after bad decision, despite being a smart woman with a psychology degree. Harley is fun to watch and read about: She's a fun clown lady, yet I also feel terribly sorry for her. She is so interesting and fascinating, it's no wonder a lot of people prefer her without being associated with her puddin'. They prefer her with her female best friend, Poison Ivy, who really is better for her. I'm happy that comic writers are getting this and are starting to seriously pair Harley and Ivy together romantically. She isn't silly or disposable at all: As her colossal fanbase proves, people care deeply about her. It's a damn shame then that Harley Quinn has been turned into a masturbatory fantasy and fanservice object in her later incarnations (I will NOT get into her first major film appearance in 'Suicide Squad', otherwise the world will come to an end before I'm done ranting about that). Reducing her to a blow-up sex doll and the Joker's legit girlfriend is entirely missing the point of Harley's character! Let her move on and be her own person!
And last but not least, my reviews of comic books about Harley:
'Batman: Harley Quinn' by Various
'Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories'
'Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass'
6. Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) (X-Men, Marvel)
The newest edition on my favourite superheroines list. It's been a very long time coming, considering Kitty Pryde has been around since the early eighties. In the original Uncanny X-Men comics, Kitty is a young teen X-Man - or that's how she started off as - who's got spunk, courage, tenacity, caution yet determination, a high IQ, and so much potential packed into her small, nimble body. She could grow up to be anything she wants. A Jewish dancer and a mutant with phasing abilities (and flight!), Kitty is adorable and a joy. Any tragedy and trauma she goes through, she will bravely and assuredly fight back against; for her friends' and family's sake as well as her own. She is stronger than she realises. She isn't some whiny and disposable teen who's hardly worth the trouble of being given any screen time and character development - get her right already, every adaptation ever! Kitty is one of the most relatable X-Men I've read about. She reminds me of who I would have liked to have been as a teenager. She even has thick brown hair like me! A true inspiration to young girls; she does justice to them. I've only read a few of the more recent comics featuring Kitty - where she has a pet dragon named Lockheed, somehow, because comics I guess, and she becomes a leader of the X-Men and their headmistress/professor, taking over from Professor X (told you she could be whatever she wants), and she is OTP with Peter Quill/Star-Lord (less creepy than when she was with the far older Colossus, I suppose).
Read my review of 'X-Men: Kitty Pryde & Wolverine (Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #1-6)' here,
and my review of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past (Uncanny X-Men (1963) #138-143, Annual #4)' here.
Seriously, I highly recommend these comics in order to get a true taste of who Kitty Pryde is, and who she was always supposed to be.
5. Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) (Marvel)
The first ever Muslim superhero. And she's a super relatable, Pakistani-American teenage girl, and a huge fangirl, from Marvel comics. Kamala Khan is revolutionary for a lot of reasons, and practically everybody loves her; both within the Marvel universe (she's been a part of MANY superhero teams and team ups), and in the fandom community the world over. Her inspirational character, her impact - you can't not have heard of her. Kamala is a fantastic character in her own right: Like a lot of teens she's insecure and deeply unsure of herself and of her place in the world and in her communities, and she struggles between meeting her parents' expectations and what she wants for herself. Funny, awkward but touchingly caring, she possesses a clear sense of right and wrong, and will protect and save as many people as she possibly can. It isn't naivety, it's simple: Justice is what she does. She will fight for the underprivileged, the sidelined; as she comes from such a background herself, in terms of race, gender, and religion, and she doesn't understand why so many adults struggle to do the obviously right thing sometimes. When Kamala makes mistakes, as everyone does, especially someone so young and coming into her own as she is, she will try to right them with a fierce determination. With all of her powers, as an Inhuman, deep down Kamala is a normal teenager, navigating her own feelings about a great deal of things. Most concerning her identity crises. She is the epitome of youth growth and the coming of age journey. Her potential to do good is boundless. Even when things become far too much for her to handle, eventually she will bounce back from her depression with the help of her dear, loyal civilian friends. They more than her superhero camaraderie are her anchor in her fun yet hectic superheroing existence. Although her relationship with her idol Captain Marvel is a complicated one that is thankfully being rebuilt as a positive, and she is buddies with Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green. Despite the quality of Ms. Marvel's comic run in recent years not being up to snuff compared to the massively high quality of her first several volumes, I still love Kamala/Ms. Marvel herself. She is as full of heart as ever. and her appearances in the Marvel Rising animated adaptations do her justice (I keep using that word, don't I? in a list all about superheroes). Where's her live action debut now!? I don't want to reveal much more about Kamala due to comic spoilers, but I wish to impart this feature: in one possible future, she is the President of the United States. A Pakistani-American Muslim woman as the President of the United States. Just... I want you to realise the full impact of that bold yet really simple statement. I've disclosed more revolutionary and inspiring fiction than I ever anticipated in this world of ours. Kamala Khan is a perfectly imperfect hero who is much needed for this generation and in future ones. She is desperately needed.
I've also said a ton about Kamala Khan in the past. Click on and read the following for more information and pure goodness:
'Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal'
'Ms. Marvel Omnibus Vol. 1 (Ms. Marvel #1-4)'
'Ms. Marvel, Vol. 5: Super Famous'
'Marvel Rising (Marvel Rising 0-4)'
Heroines of Legend: Fictional Universes - 19: Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)
4. Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) (Marvel)
Right after that is Captain Marvel herself! Earth's Mightiest Hero! Whose character and comic book run has gone straight down the toilet in recent years thanks to incompetent writers at Marvel, but in a ray of hope she looks to be rising from the faeces-ridden ashes now. For rise she shall. Higher, further, faster, more. Always. Carol Danvers knows no limits. She's a superhero with decades of experience under her belt - from the fanservice-y and abysmally-treated Ms. Marvel, to a powerful space heroine thanks to the guiding pen of Kelly Sue DeConnick. Carol is brave, headstrong, confident, bright, sassy, funny, friendly, caring, and rather aggressive, impulsive, and thoughtless - preferring to punch things instead of thinking and talking things out first - but nonetheless an immovable diplomat in multiple planetary relations. Her alien Kree genes, given to her by accident when she was a young scientist (this is canon and I'm sticking to it - fuck you, The Life of Captain Marvel), are just one part of her. She is still very much human, and that is what makes her so special, so relatable, and so popular; no matter how powerful she is. Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers is awesome, and if you think that Marvel comics don't give her the care and respect she deserves, then watch her film. It's freaking great.
For more on this woman who is a leader, a scientist, a pilot, a space captain, and all the things that make a hero legendary, read my past thoughts on her in the following:
'Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More'
'Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: In Pursuit of Flight'
'Captain Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Hero Vol. 1'
'Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Rise of Alpha Flight'
'Avengers: The Enemy Within'
'Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Re-Entry'
'Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster'
Heroines of Legend: Fictional Universes - 16: Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)
3. Sailor Moon (Usagi Tsukino)
Seriously, what could I possible add that I haven't before, hundreds of times? Sailor Moon is my number one childhood icon and who I revere to this day. She's the original Magical Girl as we know that term today. She's a champion of love and justice, the defender of the earth and the moon, the hero of the universe, the future queen of the earth, and the kindest, most caring and vulnerable and still damn hopeful soul in classic manga and anime. She's a popular superhero in Japan and in anime circles, so I'm including her on this list. Any chance to gush about a heroine who I adore and emulate to tears. Sailor Moon/Usagi's capacity for love and friendship is astronomical. Her heart is pure and purely human. So sensitive, like me; she cares so much for people and will try to protect everyone at all costs. Failure to save loved ones is unthinkable to her. Sailor Moon also goes by the titles: the Soldier of Love and Justice, the Soldier of Mystery, the Sovereign of the Earth, and the future Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo, aka Earth.
An excerpt from a previous Favourites list of mine discussing this girl of magic and of the cosmos:
Sailor Moon - star of my gateway drug into anime and my first introduction to girl power - is who I looked up to as a child; who I related to the most, and still do. I was starstruck that a seemingly lazy, non-special and overly-sensitive schoolgirl could be a fighter, even a reluctant one; someone who saves the world time and again through love and compassion, and through all kinds of hardships, rises to become a queen. The growth of Usagi Tsukino is of a royal magnitude. She is better developed in the manga than the anime, making her more likeable and well-rounded. Plus she is the picture of femininity: Pink, skirts, jewellery, sparkles, heart! She's a princess, a friend to all, and future mother of a princess. But these things are not depicted as lesser or weak. They add to Sailor Moon's strengths as a hero, and I was partly a girly-girl myself as well. She grows stronger and more powerful through her own heart and courage rather than through any deus-ex-machina crystal. She will do anything to protect those she loves dearly, and she practically created hope itself.
Click and read here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
*deeeeeeeeep breath* and here, here, and especially here, for more info on my all encompassing love of Sailor Moon.
2. Wonder Woman (Princess Diana of Themyscira) (DC)
Again, just like with Sailor Moon, I have discussed this character enough times to write a dissertation on. The world's most famous female superhero, one of DC's Holy Trinity of heroes, a feminist icon for eighty years, an original star, an Amazon warrior, a princess, a god, a truth seeker, an ambassador, a diplomat, a peacekeeper, a lover of all things worth loving, a loyal and compassionate and caring friend, most recently and more expressively a bisexual icon, and I could go on and on. Wonder Woman/Diana is many, many, many, many, womanly things. She's a phenomenon.
What I have already written about her in a past Favourite Female Characters list:
Do I need to say anything here? It's Wonder Woman! The most famous, iconic feminist character and superheroine in the world. As I've come to read more and more about her, and watch films and her 70s TV show starring Lynda Carter, I grew to love her unconditionally. Wonder Woman, aka Diana of Themyscira, is the spirit of truth, a champion of the Greek gods. She has a unique backstory as an Amazon princess born out of clay. She's been a superhero, a warrior, a goddess, an ambassador, a writer, a secret agent - she's had more jobs and identities than Barbie. Sure she's had her fair share of bad treatment by comic book writers over the decades, but what superhero hasn't? She's been subjected to all sorts of sexist stereotyping as well, but I don't like to talk about the poorer history of Wonder Woman. After seventy-five-plus years of growth and development, she's had her ups and downs, but her status as a feminist icon hasn't changed. Wondy's saved the world hundreds of times, some without having to even be a violent warrior - she will use her intelligence and determination to seek peaceful solutions towards making the patriarchal world and her homeland Themyscira places for everyone to live in fairly and happily. Overall she is a smart, caring and loving person; as strong in personality as in super strength and flight. I adore her Lynda Carter portrayal. A symbol in every sense of the world, Wonder Woman is queen - still going strong. She is worthy of admiration, inspiration, and respect.
Just go to here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnd here and here.
Finally, here we are: My favourite female superhero of all time is...
1. Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) (DC)
I was going to attempt to make a grander introduction here, but really, to those who know me, are you in the least surprised by my number one choice of female superhero? I've been a superhero and comics fan for over six years now, and Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, aka Oracle, remains my favourite superheroine, and my number one superhero icon and idol. She's so smart, strategic, cunning, resourceful, brave, adaptable, creative, capricious, human. She's an expert martial artist and an unrivalled computer genius. She's a survivor, and doesn't need powers to prove herself. Ever. Barbara Gordon - a librarian, a college student, and a Gotham police commissioner's daughter; turned Batman's protege, turned hero in her own right, throughout the years.
From my previous Favourite Female Superheroes list:
Ad nauseam. Batgirl is a superheroine without powers, and a distaff counterpart to a male hero. But she's stood out and proved herself capable on her own for many years now, and has been through so much, that I see her as a hero in her own damn right. Barbara is a computer genius, and a very brave and human young woman. Heroes in the DCU come to her for their protection and expert advice; she is at their beck and call. A lot of plans would have fallen apart without her. She is important to the DCU, and doesn't often receive respect and recognition for it. A sad reality of the life of a woman who lives behind the successes of a man.
From another Favourite Female Characters list from years ago:
Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, aka Oracle, is amazing. She's a martial artist, a daredevil, a world expert computer genius, and is all around an incredibly brave and goodhearted individual. She's an example of how the comic book industry can treat females characters both well and appallingly. Look no further than 'The Killing Joke' (the animated adaption is even worse, and I could go on forever about how I hate that atrocity with a passion, but that's neither here nor there). Barbara has been a fridged woman, but she's bounced back many times - as Oracle, and a revived Batgirl. Because people love and respect her character that much, and recognise that she isn't significant due to her relationships with established male characters (again, glaring at you, 'The Killing Joke'). And I realise I've included several redheads on my list, and Babs is one of the reasons I think people with red hair are awesome. Smart, noble, loyal, and fiercely tenacious - in the comics and the various 'Batman' animated series' - Barbara Gordon overcomes and adapts to anything that comes her way. She never takes anything lying down.
And I'm sure you know where I'm going next: Read every one of my previously established thoughts on Batgirl here, here, here, here, here, here, and here and here.
One more thing: Fuck you, The Killing Joke animated adaptation, you misogynistic, incompetent sack of shit.
I'm tired now. No more thoughts. Only have a good day and night. Remember to love and be kind to others always and every day.
Every woman and girl is a superhero in her own right. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.
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