The Best and Strongest Women Characters
The best female characters in cinema and television break molds, defy expectations, and blaze trails, becoming true icons in the fictional worlds they inhabit. They captivate fans with their resilience, intelligence, and combat prowess, embodying the essence of badass female characters, reinventing the type of roles that women have played on screen in the past.
The breadth and diversity of these characters is surprising. These strong female characters include everything from skilled assassins to intellectuals to fearless leaders. They're not just etched in pop culture history for their strength but also for their complexity, vulnerabilities, and unapologetic determination. These characters find themselves in harrowing and high-stakes environments, where they emerge as heroes not because of an absence of fear, but through their resolve to confront and overcome it.
Take Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley, and The Bride, for example. Sarah Connor’s transformation from a seemingly inconspicuous woman into a formidable defender of humanity makes her one of the strongest female characters in science fiction. Ellen Ripley, on the other hand, shines in the Alien series by combining tactical brilliance with courage, proving that strength comes in many forms. Meanwhile, The Bride's journey of vengeance in Kill Bill is a raw and unfiltered depiction of female empowerment, skill, and resilience.
Ultimately, these female characters represent more than just fictional heroes; they are emblematic of real-world struggles, triumphs, and perseverance. Whether battling cyborgs, outsmarting extraterrestrial threats, or avenging personal betrayals, they demonstrate the diversity of strong female leads.
- Photo:
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- TriStar Pictures
What would you do if the entire fate of the human race rested on your shoulders? Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from the Terminator films went from regular working gal to pumped up heroine fighting Terminator cyborgs in order to protect her son John, and ultimately saved the world.
- Appears In: Terminator Series
- Played By: Lena Headey, Linda Hamilton
Incredible character?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Aliens
- 20th Century Fox
Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in four different Alien films, is not just considered one of the greatest female protagonists in cinema history. She's considered one of the greatest heroes ever, male or female.
The warrant officer is, in fact, the only character that has the brains and bravado to survive the attack in the first Alien film. Ripley is a true feminist icon.
- Appears In: Alien, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Aliens, Alien Quadrilogy
- Played By: Sigourney Weaver
Incredible character?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Kill Bill: Volume 1
- Miramax Films
Perhaps no female character in cinema history kicks more butt than The Bride (Uma Thurman) in Quentin Tarantino's two Kill Bill movies. The Bride awakes from a four-year coma and discovers that the child she was carrying is gone.
The former assassin seeks vengeance and goes after her former partners, who are responsible for ruining her wedding by offing several of her guests.
- Appears In: Kill Bill
- Played By: Uma Thurman
Incredible character?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Captain America: Civil War
- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Appears In: Marvel Universe
- Played By: Olivia d'Abo, Scarlett Johansson
Incredible character?- 1Black Widow (Yelena Belova)226 Votes
- 2Elektra191 Votes
- 3Red Guardian179 Votes
- Photo:
- Photo:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- 20th Century Fox
Twin sister of Luke Skywalker and daughter of Darth Vader, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) more than holds her own in the male-dominated galaxy of the Star Wars films. Leia was the youngest senator ever elected to the Imperial Senate.
When she was kidnapped by Vader, the princess was severely tortured. However, she never gave in, and vehemently refused to give the enemy the location of the Rebel base.
- Appears In: Star Wars Universe
- Played By: Carrie Fisher, Amy Smart, Carrie Fisher
Incredible character?- Photo:
- Photo:
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) appears in all eight Harry Potter films and is the glue that holds Ron and Harry together throughout the seven-book series. She is hyper-intelligent and some would - in fact, often do - call her a know-it-all.
However, her encyclopedia-like knowledge saved her pals Harry and Ron more than a few times. Hermione is also morally righteous and can always be counted on to be there for her friends.
- Appears In: Harry Potter Universe
- Played By: Emma Watson
Incredible character?- Photo:
