The Female Avengers

Ever since Rachel mentioned that during the climactic scene in The Avengers, Scarlett Johannsen is holding an itty bitty gun while all the other Avengers (men) are holding weapons, shields, or are actually gods.  This was a little sad for little girls looking for a role model of a superhero.  While Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff does a good job throughout the movie, particularly her opening interrogation scene, I think she could have been better backed up by some more kick ass women.  One of the things about The Avengers is that only Thor actually has real super powers.  Captain America is supernaturally strong, but he's not magic.  Tony Stark is really smart and crafty, but not endowed with anything beyond that power source in his chest and obviously the suit. Hawkeye's powers are fairly obvious, and the Hulk is mostly smart until he becomes a nearly uncontrollable monster.  So here is my group of female Avengers Black Widow could have called upon to save womankind. I have collected them from throughout comics, films, and entertainment.  Feel free to suggest others or argue my choices.

1. Katniss Everdeen - If you haven't read all of the books yet, this might seem like a weaker choice for a person to save the world.  In the first Hunger Games novel, she's mostly really good at saving herself.  But by the end of the trilogy she could give Hawkeye a run for his money.  She's also smart enough to be a leader, but willing to work for a group.  Also, her loyalty (while divided) never wavers so she'd be an ideal Avenger if her motivation was clear.

2. Buffy Summers - As strong as Captain America and able to wrangle monsters like the Hulk, Buffy would be an incredible asset.  As she grew up, she's been better able to work with others and it might help her psyche to know there are others around her that are freaks that have these extraordinary abilities.  Also, her knowledge of the supernatural/underworld would probably come in extremely handy.  And you know the Scooby gang wouldn't be far away if needed.


3.  Storm (Ororo Munroe) -  It wasn't until I was trying to put this list together that I realized Storm really is the female equivalent of Thor, but even better.  While Thor has the hammer and can control thunder (and perhaps the lightning that accompanies it), Storm can do all kinds of things to control the weather.  Storm rarely has to get involved with hand to hand combat, but she's definitely badass enough to fight her way through anything.

4.  Lara Croft - In some ways Lara would bring the Tony Stark with the billionaire playboy philanthropist element. Lots and lots of money, toys, technology, and she's wicked smaht.  However, she's also insanely connected within the world of villains and other rich crazies, so her knowledge as well as money and jets and scuba gear would definitely come in handy for any fight.  She is incredibly badass in hand to hand combat, but it's usually in a most clever way.

5. Kaylee Frye - If you haven't see the Serenity/Firefly universe, this might be lost on you.  But in terms of having their backs, Kaylee is heads and shoulders above Jarvis/Tony Stark.  She can fix/create any machine necessary.  She would be the one sent in to breakdown the machine that was set up to end the world in The Avengers.  She would also benefit from all the female companionship as she's the youngest amongst this group and has the most potential to become the greatest asset to the ladies.

Honorable mentions:  Minerva McGonagall - she should be on this list, but at her age, she's a bit fragile to really kick ass.  Catwoman - she's seriously badass, but the crazy kept her from becoming a serious contender.

Let me know who else I've missed.



16 comments:

  1. How could you forget Wonder Woman!? :)

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  2. While I'm a child of the '70s (barely), I don't think the Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) image is necessarily one of female empowerment. When compared to what the men wear (there's barely an inch of skin showing on Batman, Captain America, and Iron Man) Wonder Woman gets a pretty terrible outfit in comparison. If they let Joss Whedon revamp/modernize Wonder Woman, I have no doubt she'd belong on this list.

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  3. See that, I wasn't even thinking of the image of her visually. I almost feel like I should be disappointed in myself for admitting that.

    It just pains me that Halle Berry's Storm is included. I'd rather see Jennifer Garner's Elektra or Chloe Moretz' Hit Girl included.

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  4. Why don't you like Storm? And I wanted to include Elektra, but I wasn't sure she was up to the challenge of saving the world.

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  5. I like her in the comic books, but I think she was incredibly under utilized in the films; and although I like Halle Berry, I think she was miscast here.

    Elektra has an entire army of ninjas at her disposal. lol

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  6. How about Sigourney Weaver's Ripley from Alien?

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  7. Yeah, I just didn't have enough background on Elektra, but perhaps her comic book persona.

    As for Ripley, I don't think she plays well with others. And other than bad-assery, doesn't really have a superhero skill. Now that I've finally seen Aliens I can say she belongs on almost any list of amazing female characters, but I'm not sure she was right for the small group here.

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  8. Jess, I think you're list is perfectly fine. I think Katniss is great, Buffy and Lara are as bad ass as they come...and I'm ashamed, as a Nathan Fillion fan, to say I've never seen Serenity/Firefly.

    How about Kate Beckinsale's Selene from Underworld? Although, I don't know that she'd classify as a hero.

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  9. River Tam!!! No she doesn't play well with others, but she'd be like The Hulk card, just bring her out when really needed. And she has psychic powers!

    Oh, and The Bride of course.

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    1. OMG - You NAILED the Hulk character. River Tam it is! Unleash the monster when necessary and hope you can calm it down later.

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  10. Whilst a bit young, Hit Girl could be part of the Next Generation of female super heroes.

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    1. Like an Avengers training program? That'd be awesome. I wonder if they have scholarships available.

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    2. I love the Next Generation concept. Thanks for the future post idea!

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  11. A few other options:

    Miho - Sin City (Hawkeye type)
    Sarah Conner - Terminator 2 (she would be the Nick Fury of the team)
    Nikita - La Femme Nikita (Black Widow type)

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    1. Lovely list, Courtney! Especially love the inclusion of Miho!

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  12. Aeryn Sun from Firefly.
    Doesn't technically have superpowers, but as a Sebacean ex-Peacekeeper she is made of badass, knowledgeable in a variety of high tech weapons and gear, hand to hand, and a great pilot. She also knows how to work with others after a few years with Moya's motley crew.

    Max from Dark Angel.
    DOES have superpowers due to genetic engineering, can work in a group, and has leadership qualities. I know less about her than any of the others though, because although I bought season 1 on DVD I have yet to actually watch it.

    I also heartily second Buffy. In my headcanon of a BTVS/Marvel-world AU crossover, she's Captain America's daughter from an experiment to see if the secret of the super-soldier serum locked in his genetics could be passed down.

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