Sure, when discussing the headliners of the female characters who kick serious ass—the conversation always goes to Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and currently Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). But who are the cinematic souls that are just as badass, but don’t get the spotlight when the lists are made extolling the virtues of the movie world’s greatest women warriors.
The Movie Mensch, inspired by the power of Captain Marvel and Brie Larson—who brought her to life in the most sensational of ways—presents its list of top 10 female characters who we’d turn to to arrive on the scene, and who need no reinforcements, backup or whatever support others may require! These sisters are doing it for themselves.
10. Shuri from Black Panther
Letitia Wright reveled in the role of Shuri in Black Pantherand we adored watching her be a fierce female by using her mind and her might. Where would T’Challa be, seriously, without what Shuri provided him—on many levels? I have always loved the fact that Shuri and T’Challa were half-siblings and as illustrated in Ryan Coogler’s Oscar winning Marvel film, the pair’s relationship was key to the Black Panther succeeding in everything he did.
Sure, Shuri is beyond brilliant and it is her innovations that partially allow the king/superhero to succeed. But just because she crafts gadgets that are otherworldly doesn’t mean that she’s a pushover should she need to get in the battle. Witness how she handles herself when the kingdom is taken over by forces whose will leave the country vulnerable. Some could argue that T’Challa would not have been able to take back what was rightfully his without Shuri. This writer firmly being one of those people.
9. Ava from Ex Machina
I firmly believe that it was Alicia Vikander’s role in Ex Machina that brought her into the world of Lara Croft. Yes, her acting chops are what put that Academy Award on her shelf and that didn’t hurt getting her the gig in Tomb Raider. Witnessing her in writer-director Alex Garland’s stunning sci-fi mind-bending thriller put her in the firmly in “best” of the powerful women characters list because of what Vikander achieved with the Ava character.
She is an AI-driven robot. She is cunning. She is trained to use her feminine wiles to work over Domhnall Gleeson’s Caleb and before all is said and done, Vikander’s Ava has worked over everyone—including the audience who never saw her true motivation and kiss-assery coming. It is a stunning turn by a stunning actress and what she does with her mind and her fists of fury blew us away.
8. Rita Vrataski from Edge of Tomorrow
Emily Blunt can do everything in the art-form known as the cinema. But given the landscape of this particular “best of” list, we must spotlight her badass ways as Rita Vrataski in the time traveling, post-apocalyptic thrill ride that is Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow. I mean, her character is given the nickname the Killer Angel of Verdun.
Sure, Tom Cruise is the headline name here, but after witnessing the entirety that is Edge of Tomorrow, one can easily see that Blunt’s character deserves equal footing. If not for her, Cruise would still be reliving that fateful day. But because of her and the training she gives him over that repeated day over and over, something happens that breaks the cycle of horror he has been experiencing and enables him and society as a whole to turn a page. She is tough. She is fierce. She is a warrior for the 21st century that is exactly the soul we need to beat back those nasty aliens. She’s one tough mother.
7. Jen Yu from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon not only found director Ang Lee bridging cultures by shining a spotlight on the stellar Chinese cinema and its stars, such as Michelle Yeoh, but it gave us one of the toughest and badass characters in cinema from any geographical locale. That would be Jen Yu (stunningly portrayed by Ziyi Zhang).
There is something so unabashedly tough about Jen Yu that permeates throughout Lee’s Oscar winning action opus. Sure, she is graceful, but don’t let that lull her adversaries into thinking that placid outward demeanor gives you a “leg up” on her when combat ensues. In fact, it is her occasionally reckless way of approaching a foe that firmly culls her internal intensity. Like many badass female characters, she has bucked what is expected of her (specifically from her parents) and instead has carved out a path (literally and figuratively) that finds her having to fight for what she wants and as such, Jen Yu is richly rewarded in a manner that is fatefully hers.
6. Hanna from Hanna
Many have stated that it was Joe Wright’s Atonement that had them first discovering the titanic talent that is Saoirse Ronan. For this guy, it was another one of Wright’s movies. Hanna landed in 2011 and the story of a genetically altered young teenager utterly electrified me and had me enthralled and wrapped around Ronan’s Irish finger for the entirety that was that intense thriller.
Hanna was a weapon of the highest order. Her father (played by Eric Bana) had taken her off the grid to train her in his own way and away from those who sought to use her for nefarious purposes. When it becomes clear that Cate Blanchett’s Marissa Wiegler was getting close to figuring out where she has been hiding all these years, Bana’s Erik Heller knows its time to turn his daughter out on the world and let the body count commence. In the hands of Ronan, Hanna is equally as ferocious as she is feared and rightfully so. She knows a myriad of ways to disarm you at the least and kill you at the most and often times, there is very little you can do about it. When you are head to head with Hanna, you don’t know it—but it is already too late for you.
5. Leeloo from The Fifth Element
She may have a singsongy name and come off as naively innocent at first glance, but don’t let that leave you into thinking that Milla Jovovich’s The Fifth Element alter-ego isn’t as deadly dangerous as killer characters come.
Luc Besson is no stranger to crafting strong female characters that stand the test of time. His most recent, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) could easily make our next list of this type. Back in 1997 when The Fifth Element debuted on screens the world over, Leeloo initially comes off as passive and a feigned figure that it seems everyone in this flick wants to get their hands on. Then, soon after she lands in (or is it on?) Bruce Willis’ taxi we learn that this is a badass female character for the ages. The emotion of love may permeate her being and exponentially affect all those around her, but she is not to be messed with. She is as sharp as any dagger and as deadly as one too. Got to adore a character whose pure existence personifies a peaceful passion whose bodacious battle-ready abilities can decimate and destroy anyone who doesn’t share her amorous aiming.
4. X-23 from Logan
Laura, aka X-23, is the glue that keeps the power that is Logan bright—at least from a watching the movie point of view. Actress Dafne Keen did something extraordinary with her star-making turn in the Wolverine send-off film—she stole the movie from Sir Patrick Stewart and the man whose moniker is also what the film is called.
She puts on a clinic for actresses emitting power and perseverance in the face of forces that will do anything to extinguish that fire. Our favorite scene is when Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) sends his goons into an abandoned warehouse to secure the little girl and after a harrowing barrage of screams and yelling, it is she who emerges solo without those who sought to capture her anywhere near her. It’s just one moment, but is indicative of the bodacious badass-ness that the character possesses.
3. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter
Looking back on those Harry Potter movies, does anybody really think the titular character would have been able to do what he does without the unshakable strength and fortitude put forth by his good friend, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson)? Hardly!
Her gifts go beyond her magical use her wand, they include her unmatched wisdom. The thing about her too is that she has compassion, something that cannot be taught at Hogwarts. It either exists or it doesn’t. She is the real hero of this series because is it not she who is the real impetus to start Dumbledore’s Army? Isn’t she the one who used the time-turner so Harry could save Sirius Black and Buckbeak? Oh, and remember those Ordinary Wizarding Level exams? Harry scored a 7. Hermione? Her score was a 11! Actually, here’s a moment that did it completely for this argument that she is among the most badass characters ever to grace a screen—when she slapped Malfoy! I mean, come on! OK, one more thought … doesn’t she always put the needs of others ahead of herself? That is a true sign of a heroine of the highest order.
2. The Bride from Kill Bill
From Hermione to The Bride?! Yes, we have diverse tastes. Uma Thurman’s triumphant take on the driven by revenge character that is The Bride rocked the world with her unwavering drive to Kill Bill. Love the way she methodically works her way down the list of people who wronged her when she was left for dead and how each’s demise at her hand provides a fresh piece of evidence that she is among the top kick butt female movie characters ever to grace the screen.
Quentin Tarantino and Thurman co-created the character, nine years after they teamed up for Pulp Fiction. The samurai sword wielding, walking vengeance machine, went through her list, one by one, and achieved the most violent and satisfactory revenge-fests in cinematic history. At its heart was this yellow-athletic-suit wearing heroine who had been wronged in the most unholy of ways and who would slice her way across the world until she had achieved the titular goal. The Bride is driven. She is tough as nails and wickedly intelligent in that she uses her wits to gain the upper hand when in the midst of a fight sequence. Just jaw-dropping what she is able to achieve. She would have been number one on this list, but how could she when there is …
1. Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road was supposed to be the triumphant return of the titular post-apocalyptic character. Tom Hardy can do no wrong as there is no question he was sensational in the role made famous by Mel Gibson. But upon leaving the theater, it was immediately clear that the force of nature that anchored this film was Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa.
Theron’s performance showed the incredible depth and rich edge that Furiosa has and through her actions over the course of Mad Max: Fury Road, she extolled her own unique version of justice in a way that progressed what women could represent on the big screen into the stratosphere. Sure, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel would do their stuff in following years, but there was something utterly raw, revolutionary and reverberating about the fierceness of Furiosa. So, when is that sequel coming, Warner Bros.?
Honorary mentions: Cherry Darling from Planet Terror, MaMa from 2012’s Dredd, Rey from Star Wars’ newest trilogy, Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok, Jackie Brown from Jackie Brown, Elastigirl from The Incredibles, Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs, Ryan Stone from Gravity and Selene from the Underworld series.