A list of movie and TV heroines who kicked ass in the dark ages before Wonder Woman
Action Women Movie Montage from ClaraDarko on Vimeo.
Lali sent me this.
Okay, lots of people haven’t seen Aliens, Buffy or Xena. Maybe they’re too young to have seen them and they didn’t grow up in pop culture-mad households. But surely they’ve seen Marvel movies, and Black Widow isn’t exactly bupkiss, even if they haven’t seen fit to give her a much-deserved solo movie. And duh, Hunger Games? I hope they also saw Mad Max: Fury Road, which infuriated many male viewers by relegating Max to second lead/tripod and having Imperator Furiosa, an armless female in a buzzcut, as the hero. (Also, some of us can recite large chunks of Casablanca and we weren’t alive in WWII, so youth is not an argument.)
Here then is a list, in no particular order, of ass-kicking movie and TV heroines from the ancient times before Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman appeared on the big screen.
Buffy Anne Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series, 1997-2003)
Joss Whedon (of whom we have more to say) took the classic movie victim type—the cute blonde cheerleader—and cast her as the warrior chosen to protect the world from vampires, demons, and supernatural threats. For seven seasons Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) kicked demon ass and saved the world from a series of apocalypses, to the detriment of her family life, her academic standing, and even her personal growth (Can’t make plans if your priority is slayage). Fine, the last two seasons were more concerned with the rediscovered humanity of Spike the vampire, and even if we are Team Spike we acknowledge that the series sort of abandoned its core nerds (Willow, Xander, Giles) in its embrace of the cool undead with Billy Idol hair. But BtVS grappled with the real-world problems of adolescence and early adulthood by turning them into actual battles with monsters, turned the metaphorical into the literal, and used the English language in ways that would not be matched until Deadwood (which sounds like a vampire-killing stake).
Ellen Louise Ripley in Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)
In Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic space horror masterwork Alien, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, my imaginary mom) was the warrant officer of the salvage ship Nostromo, which was attacked by a vicious acid-spewing xenomorph. Ripley survived the carnage by keeping her composure under horrible stress, using her head, and following the advice of the ship’s ginger cat Jonesy (the last part my opinion). She returned seven years later—or 57 years, which is how much earth-time passed while she was in space—in James Cameron’s Aliens, where she really and truly kicked ass. Unable to find work back on earth—her flight license was revoked because no one believed her story about aliens—she gets a job operating a power loader, which is a kind of forklift exoskeleton. (When that power loader appears again, I stand up and clap. I’ve always thought that all girls should have “Ripley” as their middle name.)
Then the Weyland-Yutani Corporation loses contact with their colony on the planet where the Nostromo encountered the xenomorph. As the only human survivor of an alien encounter, Ripley is hired as consultant to a group of marines sent to investigate the planet. She boards the spaceship Sulaco (You have to love a movie franchise that keeps alluding to Joseph Conrad), where she is disparaged by the marines as a civilian, possibly nuts. One of the marines, Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), is female; to survive in the marines she is even more intimidatingly macho asshole than the men, who include Hudson (the late Bill Paxton, whom we miss more than we know). Note: Real equality means accepting that women can be just as assholey as men. Vasquez turns out to be the toughest of them all.
When the crew of Sulaco reaches the planet, Ripley is proven right about the aliens, and all the military training and weaponry will not save the marines. Ripley can. Jonesy the cat stayed at home on earth (Brilliant decision), but Ripley finds a little girl named Newt (Carrie Henn) who has managed to survive the alien attacks. And Ripley’s innate badassness is magnified by her maternal feelings for Newt. Leading up to that stupendous showdown with the Alien Mother. Ripley appeared in two more Alien sequels, but they do not come near the first two movies. The most recent Alien movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, also have female protagonists, and while they are not Ripley, they make a point for women being in charge.
* * * * *
This was going to be a quick listicle, but I would not shut up and now it’s an article. Lali gave me the idea, so she has dibs on it. The full piece will appear in BusinessWorld next weekend. It will include
Gina Carano in Haywire
The Bride in Kill Bill
Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road
Trinity in The Matrix
Hit Girl in Kickass
Angelina Jolie in Wanted (a deranged movie, but an awesome character)
River in Firefly/Serenity
Sarah Connor in Terminator 2
Jessica Jones
Michelle Yeoh in all her movies
Rita Vratasky in Edge of Tomorrow
Saoirse Ronan in Hanna
Scarlett Johansson in Lucy and Marvel movies
Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita
Duh, Princess Leia in Star Wars
Kick myself in the head for forgetting: Elizabeth Jenkins (Keri Russell) in The Americans
Unfortunately I never saw Xena, Warrior Princess. I haven’t seen any Underworld movies, but I do not doubt Kate Beckinsale’s ass-kicking prowess as she was formidable using just language in Whit Stillman movies. Nor have I seen Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil series.
Remind me of anyone I’ve missed. Better, make the case for them (I’ll give you credit).
P.S. Saffy wrote the article, which appears on Friday. I forgot to get all your full names so Saffy gets the credit.
Extra: Girls fronting rock bands
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
June 25th, 2017 at 23:19
Darna!
June 26th, 2017 at 00:15
Arya Stark in Game of Thrones
Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Mulan
Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things / Eleven in Stranger Things
Franka Potente in Run Lola Run
June 26th, 2017 at 00:16
Maggie Q – Nikita (TV), The Priest, Mission Impossible III, etc
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones, 300, Terminator (TV)
June 26th, 2017 at 01:13
Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels (original, plus the 2000s big-screen version also), and Bionic Woman. Despite being 70s cheesy, they were all pretty badass for the limitations of the genre in that era. True, maybe the special effects and writing may not have been able to fully convey this, but if one rewatches them, they sure made short work of their enemies. While looking fab.
Both Selena (Underworld) and Alice (Resident Evil) also deserve to be on the list despite uneven quality across the respective franchises. Both routinely give the patriarchy a middle finger as they battle vampires, werewolves, hybrids, and zombies. In leather no less.
Actually, Resident Evil has an array of kickass ladies other than Alice, with a fairly good amount of racial diversity thrown into the mix as well (Rain Ocampo, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong). In fact, across Resident Evil, most of the asskicking were being done by the women, and they ultimately always save the day. The guys just keep on dying.
Aside from the Bride, I think pretty much all the women in Kill Bill were badass.
Many of Angelina Jolie’s action movies, despite being inconsistent in terms of quality, usually have her being badass.
Eowyn in LOTR was pretty badass. (Arwen? Hisssss)
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman went toe-to-toe with Batman and kicked all sorts of ass in Batman Returns. Anne Hathaway’s version also, though she seemed… tame.
If I may add to Buffy: it’s also not just Buffy herself. Willow is badass both as good force and as an evil force, and not even Buffy could defeat her. Faith is one of the most complex characters to hit the screen while being totally badasss; heck, I found her hot. Anya was also pretty powerful as a demon (and hilarious whether a demon or not). Cordelia found her badassery over on Angel along with several females there. Glory is also arguably the most powerful Big Bad on the show (sorry, the First just bored me).
Eliza Dushku’s Tru in her failed Tru Calling show (which I watched fully) was pretty badass. Maybe not in the combat way, her “powers” were not physical at all, but she used her wits and cunning all the time to beat the odds. I guess we’ll never know how she would’ve ultimately defeated Jason Priestly.
The Charmed sisters were part of a show that often had supremely bad writing. But I cannot deny that despite that I watched and still enjoyed the first few seasons. They were pretty badass women, but mostly I think Piper Halliwell was the best of them.
DC’s own Arrowverse features a good lineup of kickass women, but the best ones in my own opinion are White Canary, Thea Queen / Speedy, Huntress, Nyssa Al Ghul, Killer Frost, Gypsy, and Vixen. Supergirl herself is pretty strong and powerful as expected, but I don’t find her “badass” badass; however, her foster sister and DEO agent Alex Danvers is truly badass and in many ways is a more interesting character than the star of the show. Felicity Smoak is a divisive character, but the “bitch with wifi” (as she calls herself) who may not be a physical badass is also a pretty badass character in many aspects when she manages to take down enemies fro, behind a computer screen.
I never watched Jennifer Garner’s Alias, but I hear she’s pretty badass there.
Animationwise, I always thought Jamie Robinson was the best of the Voltes team. Teenage ninja girl routinely taking down her foes hand to hand and with her sword trumps the somewhat whiny Armstrong brothers and the cocky Mark Gordon.
June 26th, 2017 at 01:20
Oh, as for Joss, I still am a huge fan. Even when recent sites have begun questioning how feminist he truly is when they started analyzing some of his work outside Buffy (amd even some Buffy stuff), I still hold him in high regard.
That said, his 2005 script for Wonder Woman (when he was tied to the project back then) was recently leaked on the internet, and it slightly shook my faith in him. It is one of the most sexist scripts I’ve ever read (couldn’t even really finish it), and his Wonder Woman is unrecognizable to anyone who has followed WW for decades. I couldn’t believe it came from the same guy who gave us Buffy. DC dodged a bullet and luckily found Patty Jenkins, if a decade late.
I still think he’s awesome, but I worry about anything he’d incorporate into WW now that he’s doing post-prod and reshoots for Justice League in behalf of Snyder. And I also worry now for Batgirl, which he’s recently been hired for.
June 26th, 2017 at 10:44
howcomebubblegum: I was going to yell back, “Copyright infringement!” But the costume aside, Darna has a very Filipino origin story. Thanks.
June 26th, 2017 at 10:50
mayang: Thank you! This reminds me to establish a distinction between badass (a way of being) and kickass (a subset of badass involving physical fighting).
June 26th, 2017 at 10:52
adcaquino: Thanks! I’ll stick with the movie Nikita and mention TV successors. 300 reminds me that Eva Green was the main villain in the terrible sequel and that Eva Green is badass.
June 26th, 2017 at 11:03
allancarreon: Alias! Featuring a protagonist so badass, Quentin Tarantino himself asked to be a guest so he could fight her onscreen. That JJ Abrams show also introduced Bradley Cooper to the public. He played the beta male.
Thanks for the reminders. The reason Charlie’s Angels does not get enough respect is that they were working for the man (and overly concerned with their hair) but considering the state of 70s TV they were badass.
Interesting that some of the most financially successful directors usually have strong female characters in their movies: James Cameron, JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon, Tarantino. It’s taken Hollywood ages to realize that women kicking ass equals blockbuster box office.
June 26th, 2017 at 11:03
Dana Katherine Scully, medical doctor and FBI agent – The X-Files
June 26th, 2017 at 11:11
allancarreon: With great fame comes great backlash as supporters begin to feel embarrassed about their open devotion. Some years ago it was reported that more academic treatises had been written about Buffy than any other TV show, so Whedon’s work has received closer, more critical attention than most. As to his failed script, good thing it wasn’t filmed. As to Justice League, could it be worse than Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch? Now there’s a topic: A movie about women who are playthings who dream of kicking ass.
PS I read a book called Difficult Men, about how the current golden age of TV is defined by male antiheroes like Tony Soprano and Walter White. It barely mentions Sex and the City, which was groundbreaking, beginning with its acknowledgment of women’s desires.
June 26th, 2017 at 11:18
juleste: Aha! Leading to distinction between badass and kickass.
June 26th, 2017 at 11:32
Salt
June 26th, 2017 at 12:14
isaak: Thanks. Angelina Jolie’s characters in action movies are always badass.
June 26th, 2017 at 12:17
allancarreon: I started re-watching Buffy recently to get myself out of the anxiety pit. I’ve climbed out, but I’m continuing till the last episode. In season 7, at The Bronze, a very familiar band was playing, and after I had blinked I realized it was The Breeders! Guitar-playing girls fronting rock bands are a subset of badassery.
June 26th, 2017 at 14:37
I like the distinction of “badass” and “kickass.” Makes a lot of sense!
I still have high hopes for Justice League. I have my misgivings about throwing Joss in so late into the game (i.e. that it risks becoming the schizophrenic love child of Whedon and Zach), but Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa should be enough for me. And I like Ezra Miller in general, and anything to see Henry Cavill. Preferably shirtless.
I actually never watched Sucker Punch as the trailer never drew me in (and seemed incoherent). Reviews were also pretty bad, though maybe I should check it out if it falls in the realm of “so bad it’s worth a watch.”
I didn’t know about the Alias/Tarantino story. Maybe I should add Alias to my bucket list.
You’re right about Charlie’s Angels. For some reason, and to think his name is right there on the title, I totally forgot Charlie himself when I noted them. Maybe they should do another reboot, and Charlie can be a woman this time? Judy Dench could do great (another badass woman).
I can’t believe I forgot Eva Green. Aside from her Penny Dreadful and 300 roles, she was the only thing I remember in that Golden Compass movie. And she was hilarious in Dark Shadows. I still am crossing my fingers that they cast her as Circe in a Wonder Woman sequel.
I’ll find myself a copy of Difficult Men. It seems intriguing. I agree that Sex and the City was groundbreaking.
Since you mentioned JJ Abrams and Star Trek, that reminded me of another badass rising star: former Madonna backup dancer Sofia Boutella. She was the assassin Gazelle in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Jaylah in last year’s Star Trek Beyond, and the titular mummy in Tom Cruise’s recent Mummy Impossible. Sure, that last one was supremely awful, but I can’t blame her for what they saddled her with, and she was pretty badass with what she was given. I think she has a great future as an action heroine/villain. Maybe the Cheetah in a Wonder Woman sequel?
Nice coincidence that I’ve also been re-watching Buffy again. I’m just in Season 2, though. I stopped for a bit after finishing Surprise because I always find it hard to get through Innocence (not because it’s bad – it’s excellent). I’ll definitely push my way through it soon. I can’t believe I missed The Breeders, too. I need to check that one out.
June 26th, 2017 at 22:01
Shu Qi, Zhao Wei, and Karen Mok collectively in so close. I think Shu Qi launched the rebonding industry all on her own with her gorgeous locks flowing while kicking ass.
Audrey Tautou as Amelie, on the other, hand is also a bad ass. She may not have physically wrestled bad guys, but she dispensed justice in her own way. She did dream that she had a cape and mask but it was more a flight of fancy of hers. Most importantly she changed her world and those of the people around her with her wit and imagination.
June 26th, 2017 at 23:11
90’s TV badass:
Peta Wilson: Le Femme Nikita, later as the vampire Mina in LXG
Maria Belo: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Melissa George: Thieves (2001)
June 27th, 2017 at 01:50
lea bustamante
June 27th, 2017 at 06:49
Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
June 27th, 2017 at 11:41
Anyone remember Tank Girl?
June 27th, 2017 at 11:43
turmukoy: We’ll have to limit the list to badass women who kick ass or else Scarlett O’Hara etc would be on it.
June 28th, 2017 at 19:50
I quite enjoyed the Conan movies as a kid, so I’m gonna say Red Sonja, and Grace Jones as Zula
June 29th, 2017 at 18:11
The Charmed Ones. Because Piper Halliwell in Season 4.
June 29th, 2017 at 21:44
Annie in Shaider
July 1st, 2017 at 16:20
Ay Offred is after WonderWoman.
I like Lisa Simpson. :-)
Princess Leia ?
I wanna say Mariposa from Westworld.
July 5th, 2017 at 10:46
I would add Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter, Bridget Regan’s Dottie Underwood, Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander and Emma Watson’s Hermione.
July 6th, 2017 at 21:32
More of badass than kickass but i would like to nominate: Alicia Florrick of The Good Wife