7 Fearless Female Characters That Fans Love

The bulk of science fiction, fantasy and horror works, typically straight white, have based on men throughout their life. Perhaps all the more remarkable, then is that women are the most dominant, inspiring characters in the genre. Although there is still a long way to go to make the genre-less white, less cis and less competent, we are thankful to the women who have shown us that the genre is not just about "boys" and that not all heroes are male. These are the best female protagonists of all time.

Posted On February 18th, 2021

Hermione Granger, The Harry Potter Series

Hermione Jean Granger is a character in The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, she appears first as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. She becomes best friends with them after Harry and Ron rescue her from a mountain troll in the girls' bathroom and also uses her quick wit, deft memory, and encyclopedic expertise to provide support in desperate circumstances. Rowling has said that, with her vulnerability and fear of disappointment, Hermione resembles herself as a young child.

Black Widow, The MCU Universe

One of the most skilled agents and killers in the whole world, Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, was a founding member of the Avengers. Originally a KGB agent and dangerous rapist, Clint Barton recruited Romanoff into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Black Widow is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most effective agents, possessing thorough martial arts mastery and armed with her Widow's Bite. She was sent undercover to Stark Industries to watch Tony Stark during one mission out of the suspicion that he was dead. Romanoff aided Stark during this quest to defeat Ivan Vanko's terrorist plots against him.

Princess Leia, Star Wars

When the audience sees Princess Leia for the first time, she is a tiny hologram asking Obi-Wan Kenobi for help as the only chance of resistance in Star Wars. But the fact is, while always cultivating teamwork and solidarity among her peers, she can handle her own fights, and with several precisely executed lines, too. When she first played this part, Carrie Fisher was just a child, but the maturity she showed during the series in this character is what made her a legend.

Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs

For its cool, methodical protagonist Hannibal Lecter, as well as the serial murderer he's asked to help catch Buffalo Bill, Silence of the Lambs might be recalled, but Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) still deserves the spotlight. She's the FBI trainee, after all, who's charged first and foremost with investigating the imprisoned Hannibal, which drives her to try to find out who Buffalo Bill is and where his last victim is buried. Much of this she performs on her own, in places that are to put it gently, far from hospitable.

Catherine, Basic Instinct

In the movie Basic Instinct and its sequel, Basic Instinct 2, Catherine Tramell is a fictional character and major villain protagonist. In both films, Catherine Tramell, produced by writer Joe Eszterhas, is played by Sharon Stone.

Maleficent, Maleficent

A dominant dark fey, Maleficent is the eponymous villain of the Maleficent film series. She grew up in the Moors, Maleficent thought of herself as the last of her kind. She became the de facto guardian of the Moors as she got older. Malifecent suffers a ruthless deception one day which turns her pure heart into a brick. Maleficent, greedy for retribution, cruelly sets an irrevocable curse on the unborn daughter of King Stefan, Princess Aurora, only to discover later that the infant may be the only one who can restore stability, causing her to take dramatic steps that will permanently transform both worlds.

Okoye, Black Panther

Okoye is the Dora Milaje General and the head of the Wakandan Armed Forces and Security. Witnessing the coronation of T'Challa, she joins him in tracking Ulysses Klaue down. Okoye found herself conflicted between her relationship with T'Challa or her duty to her new leader after Erik Killmonger overthrew T'Challa. T'Challa soon returned and Okoye soon joined him in the war against Killmonger and won back the throne successfully.