Netflix released all 13 episodes of Jessica Jones this week, and it got us thinking; who is the best superheroine of all time?
I’m looking only at Marvel and DC characters for this list, and anti-heroes don’t qualify. Mostly because that meant I could whittle the list of names closer to 10. This was really hard.
Just a quick warning before we get started: if you’re one of the nine people in the world who’s never read a comic or seen a superhero movie, there might be some spoilers ahead.
10) Captain Marvel
Just beating out fellow Avenger Scarlet Witch, Carol Danvers will become the first woman to lead a Marvel film in 2017. Danvers took over the reigns of Captain Marvel when an alien explosion gave her enhanced strength, flight and energy projection, but she was a badass way before she got her powers.
Initially an Air Force pilot, she was recruited by Nick Fury because she was way too good at punching sh*t to just be flying planes, and eventually went on assignment, and became close friends with, a man named Logan. She spent a few powerless years pretty much saving Wolverine’s life, and it was only after she left the C.I.A. that she became Captain Marvel.
9) Black Canary
Arrow may be doing its best to ruin her reputation (I’m talking Laurel Lance, not Sara Lance. Sara was the Canary. Laurel is the only Black Canary), but comic book Black Canary is not only on par with the Green Arrow, she has even been known to teach Batman some moves. A regular Justice League member and super smart-talker, her Canary Cry is one of the more unique weapons in the DC universe.
8) Wasp
A founding Avenger, Janet van Dyne has Ant-Man’s ability to shrink to the size of an insect, but she possesses the added bonus of flight. The MCU’s Wasp, Hope van Dyne, was only a side character in this year’s Ant-Man, even though it was evident that she was better at everything than Scott Lang, but Marvel has realised its mistake. The 2018 sequel will be titled Ant-Man and the Wasp.
7) Batgirl
Barbara Gordon started her vigilante career by accident, but she stuck around when it turned out she was pretty damn good at it. The daughter of Jim Gordon, even being shot and paralysed by the Joker wasn’t enough to keep her out of action.
She briefly took up the name Oracle, and continued to hunt the Joker as Batman’s technical advisor. Not one to stay on the sidelines however, she returned to the Batgirl mantle in 2011 more determined than ever.
6) Storm
Whether you’re duelling deadly foes or it’s just a little bit chilly, Aurora Munroe is someone you want on your side. An on-and-off leader of both The X-Men and Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Storm is highly intelligent and a proven leader, and her powers extend beyond weather manipulation.
She can create electric blasts in any environment, bend light to make herself invisible and plenty more, but what makes her an iconic superhero, as much as anything, is her sense of right and wrong. She has taken down as many villains as anyone on this list without ever taking a life.
5) Supergirl
Kara Zor-El is Superman’s cousin, and anything he can do, she can do too. Recent versions of Supergirl stripped the character of her Kryptonian origins, but the latest reboot has restored Kara to her rightful heritage.
Live action versions of the character have been rocky in the past, as her own 1981 movie completely bombed at the box office, but CBS is looking to return Supergirl to her comic book origins this year, and Kara has every reason to be looking up following the first few episodes.
4) The Invisible Woman
We might never get a good live action Fantastic Four, but that doesn’t make one of its original members, Sue Storm, any less iconic. Arguably the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four, and one of Marvel’s earliest creations, Sue has been setting the bar for female superheroes since her first appearance in 1961.
3) Black Widow
If we were just talking comic books, Natalia Romanova might not have made this list at all, but Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of the character (renamed Natasha Romanoff) has massively elevated her status.
Not only does she have a major part to play alongside household names like Captain America, Thor and the Hulk, she can go toe-to-toe with any of them when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, one-liners and work ethic, and her backstory is just as interesting, so much so that fans are demanding a solo Black Widow movie. If Sue Storm set the bar for female superheroes in comics, Black Widow set it in live action.
2) Jean Grey
Already a powerful telekinetic, and with telepathic powers to rival Professor X, Jean Grey became a comic book legend in 1980, when Chris Claremont published The Dark Phoenix Saga.
When Jean’s Phoenix powers are unleashed, she becomes the most powerful mutant in the Marvel universe, arguably able to take out everyone on this list put together. Sometimes though, her powers become too much for her, and she ultimately sacrificed herself by the end of the saga. Fortunately, they don’t call her the Phoenix for nothing.
1) Wonder Woman
I don’t know what you expected. When you think of female superheroes, Wonder Woman is in a league of her own. Alongside Batman and Superman, she completes the trinity of DC comics’ (and possibly comics in general) most iconic characters.
She is a princess of the Amazons, blessed by the Gods, where she learnt compassion, grace and diplomacy, but above all, she is a warrior, and she is not afraid to kill when it is necessary. And if this doesn’t set her apart from other comic book good guys, she also has her own set of weapons, including the Lasso of Truth and two indestructible bracelets.
Feared by her enemies and loved by her friends, Wonder Woman has gained the respect of everyone in the DC universe, and is the best female superhero.
