this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2024
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How many on-screen badass women can you name?

(I'll update the list periodically.)


Badass On-Screen Women


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[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 66 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Where is the love for Chrisjen Avasarala? The UN General Secretary ~~Queen of the Earth~~ from The Expanse lore? The Space Iron Lady!

I admire her more than other traditional depiction of bad ass action stars who are either a man or a woman. I realised I admire mental acuity more than raw strength. Avasarala is Machiavellian but a pragmatist, and ready to get her hands dirty if needs be in spite of her privileged upbringing. Her main drawbacks though is that she is too willing to get her hands dirty, especially at the first episode when she personally oversaw the torture of a Belter in a blacksite. She was also willing to use her family image to gain political sympathy. But one could argue it's for the greater good, not that I am excusing both of her egregious and questionable actions. As I said, she is a pragmatist after all and looks at the bigger picture and have long term scope. She was right about slowly colonising the New Worlds. Avasarala is an anti-hero but she's right in more ways than none.

[–] thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"i know you love sticking your dick in everything, but try not to fuck this one"

top 20 one liners for me. she was one of my favorites in that series.

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[–] BaronVonBort@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Avasarala and (TV) Drummer were absolute badasses.

“Let’s go hydrate… with some beers” is said too much in my household.

[–] Krzd@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Avasarala is absolutely the top, Bobby is IMO a close second though. (Going by the books)

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[–] TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 55 points 1 year ago

Not a single person mentioned Lucy Lawless? Where my 90s kids at?

[–] rynzcycle@kbin.social 47 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)
[–] Flumpkin@slrpnk.net 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Honestly, just 90 minutes of Summer Glau beating up annoying MAGA fascists. Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez could make it work!

[–] geissi@feddit.de 12 points 1 year ago

There's an xkcd for that:
https://xkcd.com/311/

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[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago

'Landlady' is the absolute correct choice.

From Wikipedia:

Cheung Cheun-Nam, known professionally as Yuen Qiu (Chinese: 元秋; born 19 April 1950), is a Hong Kong actress and martial artist. She is an expert of both Chinese martial arts and Beijing-opera skills, and was apprenticed at the Peking Opera School under the same master, Yu Jim-yuen, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.

After being away from the Hong Kong film industry for nearly 20 years, she landed a role in Kung Fu Hustle only by chance. She was accompanying a junior woman fellow of the China Drama Academy at the audition but the director's eye was on her. It was reported that Stephen Chow convinced her to take on the role only after unremitting and persistent persuasion.[citation needed]

Yuen later appeared in the movie Kung Fu Mahjong, with Yuen Wah, and has been active in cinema since then. (20 more films)

[–] SapphironZA@lemmings.world 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ellen Ripley, no contest.

No superpowers, no special training, no special technology. Simply the wisdom to see a job that needs done and the bravery and determination to do it.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Her first interactions with newt were so soft too. Really amazing character played by the perfect actress for the role.

Aliens is my favourite movie of all time.

[–] Rolando@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Newt was badass too.

Hudson: Seventeen DAYS!? Hey man, I don't wanna rain on your parade, but we're not gonna last seventeen HOURS!!! Those things are gonna come in here just like they did before! And they're gonna come in here AND THEY'RE GONNA GET US!!!

Ripley: Hudson! This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training!

Newt: [salutes]

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[–] Shurimal@kbin.social 32 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Every female character in The Expanse. There simply were no non-badasses in that show🙃

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[–] ericatty@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 year ago

Michelle Yeoh

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 year ago

Beatrice Kiddo from Kill Bill

[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you've never seen kung fu hustle don't sleep on it any longer.

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[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] friendlymessage@feddit.de 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Camina Drummer from the Expanse, just one of many awesome female characters of that show

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago
  • Tank Girl
  • Wynonna Earp
  • Tokyo Gore Police
  • Buffy and Xena are classic
  • Ghost in the Shell if counting anime
[–] Mr_Fish@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)
  • princess Leia, padme amidala (star wars)

  • Elisabeth Swann (potc)

  • eowyn of Rohan (lotr)

  • katara, toph (atla) + azula, mai, tai Lee of we're counting villains

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[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes I see all these, but how many had a private, white slimline telephone?

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[–] shatterling@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Lt Kusanagi from Ghost In The Shell for me

Trinity from the Matrix

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[–] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Nobody going to mention Battlestar Galactica (2004)? Starbuck, Laura Roslin, Athena, Kat.. so many good examples of not just strong, but flawed and human women. Well, mostly human.

[–] TengoDosVacas@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The Bride (Kill Bill), aka Beatrix Kiddo

Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor

[–] Artyom@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This meme forgot that Katniss Everdeen was the first female lead in an action movie.

[–] Rodeo@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Literally every example OP gave predates the hunger games.

[–] thelasttoot@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Not according to Jennifer Lawrence, “I remember when I was doing ‘Hunger Games,’ nobody had ever put a woman in the lead of an action movie because it wouldn’t work — we were told girls and boys can both identify with a male lead, but boys cannot identify with a female lead.”

[–] soliloquy@startrek.website 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

She said that but she was wrong lol Off the top of my head both the Terminator and Alien series had lead female action hero's that predate the Hunger Games

Also I don't mean to be pedantic, I can't tell if this is a stealth /s discussion or not

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[–] thisistricky@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road

[–] ThatFembyWho@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 year ago

Selene from Underworld.

While my Trekkie side offers Michael Burnham (Discovery), Kira and Dax (DS9), Seven of Nine (Voyager), Una and La'an and Nurse Chapel (Strange New Worlds). I'm surely forgetting a bunch.

How about Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth (Game of Thrones)?

[–] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My biggest issue with most strong women characters in action movies is they seem to be swappable with a male and nothing changes.

They're strong characters who are portrayed as a woman.

Take Ellen Ripley for example: strong woman. Can't be played by a man as the character no longer makes sense. Has to be a woman. Someone else would get it wrong.

Also I'm getting tired of the "I had X amount of brothers" or "dad taught me Y" as justification. Why can't a woman be strong on her own? Why does it have to be a man making her strong?

[–] geissi@feddit.de 21 points 1 year ago

Take Ellen Ripley for example: strong woman. Can’t be played by a man as the character no longer makes sense.

Ripley was originally not even written as a woman.
There is not a single scene in the original Alien where her being a woman is in any way relevant.

[–] THE_MASTERMIND@feddit.ch 12 points 1 year ago

Lisbeth from girl with the dragon tattoo.

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago
[–] DharmaCurious@startrek.website 11 points 1 year ago

Willow Rosenberg

[–] stufkes@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Fran Fine, The Nanny

Samantha Carter, Stargate SG-1

Delenn, Babylon 5

Natalie Teeger, Monk

Eve, Killing Eve

Beth Harmon, Queen's Gambit

CJ, The West Wing

Donna, The West Wing

Donna Noble, Doctor Who

And if children count:

Matilda, Matilda

Merida, Brave

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[–] Aviandelight@mander.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

Okoye (Danai Guria) from the Black Panther movies. Went with my husband to see this movie and when we were walking back to the car he said "Damn, Okoye was hot, she reminds me of you." ❤️ He also has a thing for Grace Mallory from the show The Boys. I think I created a monster.

[–] calypsopub@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I would say that all the women in Kill Bill are bad ass. Some just align differently than others.

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[–] jadedwench@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Kung Foo Hustle is just amazing. I need to get that later and watch it again.

A potentially lesser known movie is 'Kimi'. Not your typical example, but watching her get past her trauma enough to kick ass in the end was great.

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[–] tenchiken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Samantha Carter Stargate series

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[–] Naich@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil
Han So-hee, My Name

[–] Underwaterbob@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) in The Long Kiss Goodnight!

[–] Truffle@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

The original Lisbeth Salander from the european movies!

[–] Flumpkin@slrpnk.net 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There is a very interesting documentary called "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" and how they created her in 1940 as a feminist super hero.

William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph, struck upon an idea for a new kind of superhero, one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love. "Fine," said Elizabeth. "But make her a woman."

Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.

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Dorothy aka Dot from season 5 of fargo was fantastic imo!

Ellen (and I guess some would argue Jo) from supernatural is imo. WIthout going into spoilers but the reason I pick her out of a series full of "badass women" is she is the typical tough lady superficial stuff but also extremely compassionate, a supportive and devoted mother.

Does Leslie Knope parks and rec count? She's a badass to me.

[–] THE_MASTERMIND@feddit.ch 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] Blackout@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

Mrs. Doyle

When Mrs. Doyle offers you a cup of tea it is not a request!

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