Historically, the patriarchal nature of Hollywood studios have tended to relegate female characters to smaller, side roles. They were rarely placed up front, and when they were, they were just one part of a larger, all-male team. For instance, when the modern era of comic book movies kicked off with 2000’s X-Men, we saw the powerful Rogue now depicted as a damsel in distress. Truthfully, Bryan Singer did give us upfront strong versions of Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). However, despite their star status, they were far from the lead characters in the film. When you think about this, and when you realize that we’re entering a new chapter in superhero films, studios and filmmakers are beginning to rethink the traditional structure. Many of these same characters are now playing larger roles in what will be remembered as some of the best films the genre has to offer.

We have grown used to seeing most television and movie versions of our favorite superhero teams featuring the tough, chiseled, square-jawed male heroes front and center. Now, we are beginning to see their female counterparts stealing the limelight. Take 2017’s Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot. This powerful award-winning film made audiences, and studios, take notice. We, as a movie-going society, are ready to see our share of powerful female superheroes on screen. Join us as we take a look back, and in some cases forward to the near future, and attempt to rank the 30 most powerful female superheroes ever depicted on screen.

30 MANTIS

Mantis lacks many social skills due to her many years of isolation living only with the Ego the Living Planet. Though she might easily be dismissed as weak, as we witnessed in the movies that she starred in, Mantis is both physically resilient, and mentally strong.

As a powerful empath, what she lacks in physical strength she makes up for in her ability to sense other people’s feelings and, in some cases, alter them. However, we’ll have to wait and see what other abilities Mantis, portrayed by Pom Klementieff in the MCU, possesses when the Guardians return.

29 HIT GIRL

Chloë Grace Moretz was only eleven when she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of the costumed superhero and overall icon in 2010’s Kick-Ass. In the original comic book she was a supporting character, but thanks to Moretz, she ended up getting her own comic.

Hit Girl’s persistent, foul-mouthed crimefighting dynamo is a definite highlight of the film. Her expertise in martial arts and assassin-like skills make her a formidable adversary. We can only hope to one day see her again. It would be nice to see her a little more grown up, with a deadlier persona.

28 BATGIRL

Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl

As of yet, the only live-action version we have of Batgirl is Alicia Silverstone as seen in 1997’s Batman and Robin. It was a forgettable film and the character was not much to applaud. Batgirl came off as a thrill-seeking wannabe who dug dressing up in tight leather.

While the Batgirl of the comics might have ranked much higher in this list, unfortunately, Silverstone’s portrayal ranks lower. However, the character may soon be redeemed as a new live-action role is in the works. With names like Katherine Langford, Jane Levy, and Margaret Qualley being mentioned as frontrunners to portray the hero, we might soon have to revise this list.

27 JESSICA JONES

Originally a somewhat minor character, her story was nonetheless tragic on the pages of the series Alias. The sometime-Avenger ended up translating well from comic book to screen. Krysten Ritter brought the angry and tortured hero to life in a way that fans loved. Despite her icy loner status, she forged new relationships with Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

She’s superhumanly strong, resilient, and though she can’t fly, she can jump really high. Even with her raw strength, she lacks any formal training and, for now, rests on the lower end of this list.

26 VIXEN

Vixen is a fan-favorite DC superhero. She is one of the first African American heroes and she debuted in the early 1980s. She possesses the gift to channel the abilities of any creature in the whole animal kingdom.

The character has appeared in various animated series and currently can be seen on the live-action show Legends of Tomorrow. Vixen is portrayed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and is a WWII-era Justice Society of America member who joins the team of time-traveling crimefighters. Her animal abilities make her one of the most powerful members of the team.

25 NEGASONIC TEENAGE WARHEAD

In Marvel Comics, Negasonic Teenage Warhead was a mutant with telepathic and precognitive powers. The on-screen version, portrayed by Brianna Hildebrand in 2016’s Deadpool and 2018’s Deadpool 2, is a totally different take on the character.

Selected because they liked her name, her look was changed and her given powers became the ability to deliver high-impact kinetic charges. Her others powers include disapproving stares, surly comments, and goth-like tendencies, which are all quite formidable! As a young trainee in the first film and then a full-fledged member of the X-Men in the sequel, look to see her stock rise hopefully in future films.

24 KILLER FROST

KILLER FROST The Flash

Caitlin Snow was the victim of a freak lab accident which granted her ice-casting and manipulating powers. With her birth name being a little on-the-nose, the newly-powered Killer Frost would go on to vacillate back and forth between being a force for good and at times an evil-doer. Her small-screen depiction is much the same.

She is portrayed by Danielle Panabaker on The CW’s The Flash. Snow works alongside Team Flash at S.T.A.R. Labs and, despite her anti-hero status, is an integral part of the team. Her icy abilities make her a powerful ally or a potent adversary.

23 LIZ SHERMAN

hellboy selma blair liz sherman

At a young age, Liz Sherman accidentally incinerated her family with her uncontrollable fire-starting abilities. Alongside Hellboy, she eventually hones her powers and becomes a dominant force for good as a field agent.

Sherman’s powers are quite extensive. An example of this is when she was shown in a flashback as having nearly incinerated an entire building when she loses control. While her power is great, her control is not, thus her current ranking is not as high as a fully-matured Sherman could be.

22 BUFFY SUMMERS

Buffy Summers

Buffy Summers was introduced to the live-action cinema in 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Kristy Swanson. Joss Whedon’s original script was watered-down and the gritty, dark superhero was relegated to a stereotypical Valley Girl in a vampire satire. It would be a few years before Whedon’s vision could be realized and it worth the wait.

Buffy was reborn in a TV series, courtesy of Whedon and Sarah Michelle Gellar, as the vampire-slaying, butt-kicking, wise-cracking hero we knew she could be. Her superhuman strength and agility, not to mention her skill with a wooden stake made her a threat to any and all paranormal entities. Despite all this, her kindness and empathy kept her human and made the viewers love her even more.

21 WHITE CANARY

Originally a character on The CW’s Arrow, Sara Lance, sister to the original Black Canary, Laurel Lance, has gone on to be a central figure on Legends of Tomorrow. Portrayed by Caity Lotz, Lance is trained as an assassin by the shadowy League of Assassins, where she gets a lot of her skills. The White Canary is in peak physical condition and, despite her petite frame, possesses extraordinary strength, honed senses, and swift reflexes.

She is an expert martial artist, tactician, and a master of weapons. Any object can be made lethal in her hands. She is also an expert marksman and speaks four languages.

20 ELEKTRA

Elektra was originally depicted on the big screen by Jennifer Garner, as Elektra Natchios appeared in 2003’s Daredevil and 2005’s Elektra. Her martial arts skills were portrayed as quite intimidating but the lack of decent story writing made the portrayal of her forgettable.

When Elodie Yung assumed the role on Netflix’s Daredevil and The Defenders series, Elektra was redeemed. The character showcased her ruthless assassin skills that made her so dangerous a foe. Though the character goes back and forth between a superhero and a supervillain, either way, she’s dangerous!

19 BLACK WIDOW

Captain America The Winter Soldier Black Widow

Despite the prowess of White Canary and Elektra, the most dangerous assassin-turned-hero, for our money, has to be the Black Widow. When Scarlett Johansson debuted as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in 2010’s Iron Man 2, fans were impressed. Though a well-known actress before, Johansson’s portrayal of the Black Widow in the MCU propelled her even further to super-stardom.

Though she doesn’t possess any superhuman abilities, she has shown herself more than capable of taking on and defeating foes much more powerful than herself. She’s highly trained and extremely dangerous, and she is a legend to all those in the spy world.

18 GAMORA

The Black Widow might be the pinnacle of human assassin-turned-hero, but if we expand that galaxy-wide (probably more like multi-galaxy), we’d have to put Gamora just a notch above. We first met her on screen in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, where she was portrayed by Zoe Saldana.

Gamora was raised to be a living weapon who was both merciless and ruthless. She has the reputation of being the deadliest woman in the galaxy. However, she is also a skilled tactician, often preferring to employ a strategy to achieve her goals. She possesses heightened agility, durability, and stamina. Her cybernetic enhancements give her physical capabilities far beyond those of humans.

17 DOMINO

Domino Deadpool 2 Zazie Beetz

How did Domino rank higher than Black Widow and Gamora? On paper, both could easily defeat her, and honestly, they could do it quite easily. However, if we factor in the hero’s mutant ability, luck would probably have it that Domino could hold off them both off, if not luck herself into defeating either in a fight.

Portrayed by Zazie Beetz in 2018’s Deadpool 2, Domino possesses probability-altering powers. Basically, she’s lucky, very lucky. This, compared with her amazing fighting skills allows her to be one of the best fighters around.

16 SHURI

Princess of Wakanda and sister of King T’Challa, Shuri is the advanced nation’s chief innovator. Portrayed in 2018’s Black Panther by Letitia Wright, Shuri is a tech genius and responsible for creating much of Wakanda’s futuristic technology.

With the aid of the rare metal Vibranium, she managed to forge a number of technological improvements and weaponry. She has also shown that she’s not just a brain, but can fight too. She showed no fear in taking on the deadly Killmonger by herself and proved her fierceness by surviving.

15 MERA

We’ve only briefly seen Mera in 2017’s Justice League, but she will reprise her role in this year’s Aquaman. Portrayed by Amber Heard, Mera has the ability to create and control water objects that can hit with the force of similar solid objects.

She is known to be powerful enough to control vast amounts of water, such as would be needed to wash an entire army off a shore. As an Atlantean living under the great pressures of the sea, Mera also possesses enhanced strength, durability, and other traits related to years of underwater living.

14 THE WASP

We first meet Hope Van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lilly, in 2015’s Ant-Man. She is a skilled fighter, possesses a genius-level intellect, and has mastered the use of her father’s ant-communication and shrinking technology. All this was before she ever put on the super-powered outfit of the Wasp.

In 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp, we got to see Van Dyne in her all costumed glory. She’s able to reduce to the size of an insect utilizing her father’s Pym Particles. While small, she still maintains her full-size strength and durability. Also, the process by which she shrinks allows for compression of force and momentum which is augmented when used as she returns to full size. Plus she’s got some cool gauntlets that fire energy blasts and can fly. Bottom line: she’s one tough cookie!

13 KITTY PRYDE

Kitty Pryde Secondary Mutation

We first officially meet Kitty Pryde in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, where she was portrayed by Ellen Page. She then reprised her role in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Though the comics have showcased how important and truly incredible her abilities are, the first film she appeared in initially relegated her to a second-tier hero even though she can walk through walls and that’s kind of unstoppable.

In her second portrayal, we’re introduced to a Kitty Pryde who enables time-travel and allowed for Wolverine to go back and alter history, saving all mutant-kind from a tragic dystopian future.

12 POLARIS

the gifted polaris header

In the comics, Polaris mistakenly becomes a villain but eventually sees her potential and joins the X-Men. She’s also occasionally the daughter of Magneto (they seem to go back and forth on this point). On Fox’s The Gifted, Polaris is portrayed by Emma Dumont.

She’s the co-leader of the Mutant Underground, who have risen to take the place of the now-missing X-Men. When the series began, Polaris’ magnetic abilities (think of a mini-Magneto) are still developing. They eventually mature enough where she can throw cars and rip airplanes apart. Now that’s power.

11 KAROLINA DEAN

Karolina Dean is a fan-favorite from Marvel’s Runaways. She’s the daughter of alien supervillains and is portrayed by Virginia Gardner in the Hulu live-action series that fans have become obsessed with. Once she freed herself from the power-draining bracelet she has always worn, Dean learns of her amazing solar abilities.

She can fly, create blinding rainbow-colored light beams, and shoot rays of pure energy. She’s the most powerful member of the group and, like her teammates, she is determined to forge a path separate from the evil ways of her parents.