Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes
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When we talk about icons of the action genre, the list of names that come up is, inevitably, predominantly male. Yet Hollywood history is filled with formidable female characters who have gone head-to-head with their enemies and come out on top, standing out in a field that the film industry has often held as a male-only space. As we prepare for a summer box office full of fierce new female action heroes, we take a look at the fictional women who have burst through the screen and etched themselves into cinema folklore.

By Victoria Luxford

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Furiosa (Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015) – Anya Taylor-Joy takes over the role in new prequel Furiosa, but it was Charlize Theron who made the character an action icon. Stealing the film away from Tom Hardy’s eponymous Mad Max, Furiosa leads a group of young women away from a tyrannical dictator, taking part in a hellacious desert chase and fighting her way to freedom. The Oscar winner set the standard for modern action heroes of any gender, and made sure that viewers leaving the cinema were only talking about one performance.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Ellen Ripley (The Alien films, 1979-1997) – Furiosa might have set the bar high, but Ellen Ripley created it. At a time when sci-fi and action films were considered ‘men only’, Sigourney Weaver portrayed a character who was courageous, intelligent and tough. Surviving the nightmare of the first Alien film, she reinvented herself in the all-action sequel to become a no-nonsense hero, with her maternal care for stowaway Newt (Carrie Henn) motivating her to face off with the alien queen in one of the most memorable moments in cinema history. Decades on from her debut, Ripley remains a true game-changer for the action genre – and Hollywood in general.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Charlie’s Angels (Charlie’s Angels, 2000) – There are, of course, three iterations of Charlie’s Angels that have saved the world in style. We, however, are partial to the early 2000s super team of Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, all of whom brought an irresistible mix of humour, action and star power to the movie adaptation of the ‘70s TV show. The film and its sequel proved so influential that they inspired a Destiny’s Child song, and Kristen Stewart, the star of the 2019 reboot, admitted that the task of following the iconic trio was a daunting one.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Wonder Woman (The DC Universe, 2016-2023) – Actor Gal Gadot would play Amazon warrior Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, six times in various appearances, redefining the role for a new generation. For years, comic book movies focussed on male leads, with her solo outing in 2017’s Wonder Woman marking the first time a solo female character had led a big-budget DC or Marvel Universe film. Charismatic, athletic and inspired by the noble superheroes of classic comic books, she gave children around the world a new icon to look up to. Whoever takes up the lasso of truth as the next Wonder Woman has very big boots to fill.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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General Nanisca (The Woman King, 2022) – Oscar winner Viola Davis is normally known for heart-wrenching dramatic performances, but in 2022 she combined that acting prowess with an incredible physical transformation to play a general who teaches a group of warriors to defend their kingdom in 19th-century West Africa. Critics hailed the performance as a career best for Davis, known for fully inhabiting her roles, saying she brought a nuance to what could have been an emotionless character. Moreso, her performance represented women of colour and actresses over 40 in a genre that doesn’t normally hold space for either of them.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Lara Croft (The Tomb Raider Films, 2000-2018) – We include both portrayals of this video game icon, brought to life in the 2000s by Angelina Jolie and then rebooted in 2018 with Alicia Vikander in the lead. An adventuring heiress with a passion for rare artefacts, the character was often touted as a ‘female Indiana Jones’, but she soon came to define her own legacy with a series of adventures that captivated cinema audiences. With a new film currently being developed in tandem with a TV show written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it looks as though Croft will be adventuring for some time yet.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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The Bride (Kill Bill, 2003-2004) – Even if you’ve never watched Quentin Tarantino’s roaring rampage of revenge, chances are you’ve at least seen the famous image of Uma Thurman in a yellow-and-black jumpsuit, holding a sword, ready to do battle. Some images stick in movie lovers’ minds forever, and that’s exactly what happened when Tarantino reunited with Pulp Fiction star Thurman to create a two-part cult classic. Better still, the character was her own – the concept behind the story was created by Thurman herself, who built on the idea with Tarantino.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel, 2019) – Incredibly, it took 11 years for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to release its first major film with a female lead. That moment came with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, a pilot-turned-intergalactic-warrior in this ‘90s-set adventure, co-starring Samuel L Jackson and an adorable cat named Goose. Captain Marvel was an instant hit, making over USD1 billion at the worldwide box office and spawning a sequel, as well as becoming heavily involved in the climactic crossover Avengers: Endgame. Fiction reflected reality when the sequel, The Marvels, showed her teaming up with a young superfan – who could have been one of the character’s millions of real-life admirers.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Black Widow (The Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2010-2021) – Prior to Captain Marvel, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was the most prominent female Marvel hero. Although she wouldn’t star in her own movie until 2021, she would make a huge impact as part of the original Avengers group, and proved the difference in the fight between earth’s mightiest heroes and Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Her tough, no-nonsense disposition and dry wit made her a cult hero among comic book fans, making a solo movie the obvious choice for this beloved hero’s final bow.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Harley Quinn (The DC Universe, 2016-2021) – In a very short time, Harley Quinn became a superhero legend. She wasn’t a comic book creation, but rather a henchwoman for The Joker in the 1990s Batman cartoon. Nonetheless, the character built a large following and was eventually redefined by Margot Robbie in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Turning the giddy criminal groupie into a tougher, more independent lead, she certainly isn’t the noblest person on this list, but few anti-heroes conjure up as much mayhem as Ms. Quinn! She’s soon to be played in a non-action capacity by Lady Gaga in the musical sequel to 2019’s Joker.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Private Vasquez (Aliens, 1986) – The film debut of actor Jenette Goldstein became one of her most widely embraced performances, and also gave us a different kind of cult hero. Private Vasquez was part of the team in James Cameron’s Alien sequel that was ravaged by the deadly alien attackers. What made Vasquez stand out in a star-studded cast were her toughness, as well as her unapologetically masculine presentation that was ahead of its time in the 1980s. Despite only appearing in one film, the character remains a franchise favourite and, alongside Ellen Ripley, an example of how the Alien movies moved the needle for female representation in action movies.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Selene (The Underworld Films) – You don’t appear in five movies, numerous novels, comic books and a video game without making an impression! Portrayed in the films by Kate Beckinsale, Selene is a vampire who plays a pivotal part in the underworld war between her kind and the Lycans (werewolves), only to fall for a mysterious human who is wanted by both sides. Possessing a variety of supernatural abilities, and a cool attitude that won her a legion of fans, Selene could have been a very broad, one-off movie hero, but thanks to some incredible action scenes, she became so much more.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Jyn Erso (Star Wars: Rogue One, 2016) – There are many strong women to choose from in the Star Wars franchise, from the timeless Princess Leia to rebel Jedi Rey, but we chose to focus on the character who made it all happen. Rogue One is a prequel film that depicts the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, without which none of the events in the original trilogy would have been possible. At the centre of this was Jyn Erso, a lone criminal who is roped into the plan without much enthusiasm, only to become the catalyst for the fight for freedom in the galaxy. A terrific performance from Felicity Jones, who, in just one film, staked her place in sci-fi lore.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Sarah Connor (The Terminator Franchise, 1984-2019) – Another character who laid a blueprint for female action heroes: in 1984’s The Terminator, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was an ordinary woman thrust into a deadly chase when she’s pursued by an android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent from the future to kill her before she could become pregnant with her son, a future leader. The first film made her an unlikely hero, but 1991’s Terminator 2 saw her evolve into a toughened warrior. Both performances show how femininity and maternal instincts can be woven into the action formula to make for compelling storytelling. Returning in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, she remains an icon.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes.
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Yu Shu Lien (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000) – She may only have just been honoured with an Oscar for action film Everything Everywhere All At Once, but Michelle Yeoh has been an action icon since the 1980s. From the many memorable performances she has offered over the years, our favourite is that of Yu Shu Lien from 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. With a tantalising mix of heart-stopping action and moving emotional stakes, it’s easy to see why Yeoh is considered a giant of the genre around the world.

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Queens Of Action: 15 Iconic Female Action Heroes

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