Guardians of the Galaxy: The MCU and its female superheroes

Okay girl, you absolutely slayed it, just like we knew you would. Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel killed it at the box office and in our hearts. So with Black Widow being the top topic on our lips right now, we think it’s high time for more femmes fronting Marvel movies.

Our all-time fave Netflix show, hard-drinking detective Jessica Jones, dropped its third season. A proposed Marvel all-female superhero movie is apparently in discussion – but not anywhere near production. We’re still waiting for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Sophie Turner’s Dark Phoenix came and went with a whimper, so we may as well look at the other coolest female heroes of the MCU.

Here’s our ranking of ten powerful Marvel women we’ve enjoyed watching on the big and small screens so far.

Lady Sif: Thor (2011)

Jaimie Alexander’s Asgardian warrior was missing from Thor: Ragnarok (probably for the best considering how kill-happy Cate Blanchett’s Hela was), but she quickly became a fan favorite in Thor and Thor: The Dark World. Lady Sif is cool & regal when she’s kicking it with her Asgard buds, but she’s utterly savage when it comes to protecting her world.

Hope van Dyne (Wasp): Ant-Man (2015)

We’re still yet to see the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) in her supersuit fighting alongside Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), but by all accounts from what we’ve seen of Hope van Dyne in the first movie, her intellect and martial arts skills are more than enough for us to get hyped for.

Elektra: Daredevil (2015 – )

Elodie Yung (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) brought some intense fresh life to this iconic female superhero in The Defenders & Daredevil. Unpredictable and masterful with a sword are two qualities nobody wants in an ex – which is what made this antihero such a ferocious opponent of Matt Murdock / Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and the entirety of New York City to boot.

Dora Milaje: Black Panther (2018)

Female or otherwise, the Wakandan special forces group features some of the most ferocious warriors of the entire Marvel universe. Led by Okoye (Danai Gurira), the elite group is the absolute definition of badass.

Scarlet Witch: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Elizabeth Olsen’s Eastern European energy manipulator is like something Stephen King would create if he decided to swap horror for heroes. Though not as physically dynamic as some of the other ladies on this list, Scarlet Witch nonetheless earns her place by boasting abilities such as telepathy, levitation, and psionic energy manipulation. Who needs muscles when you can throw folk around with the power of your mind?

Nakia: Black Panther (2018)

Portrayed by the consistently supreme Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Nakia is the perfect mixture of expert smarts, sneaky spy tricks, and lethal brawn, making her a formidable hero in every possible respect. Nakia is what James Bond would look & act like if he wasn’t such a stuffy, womanizing white dude.

Shuri: Black Panther (2018)

As Vulture once described her, Shuri is “young, gifted, black, and already rolling her eyes at your ignorance.” Portrayed by Letitia Wright (Black Mirror), the precocious princess boasted an immense intellect and some insane engineer skills. Most importantly, she spouted the sort of sniping one-liners that could fatally wound a man.

Gamora: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

It’s incredibly refreshing to see a female character not immediately puckering up for a potential romantic lead (in this case, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord.) It’s also great to see a female character like Guardians of the Galaxy’s Gamora – portrayed with fire by Zoe Saldana – balance out her supreme superhuman powers with some relatable everyday flaws. Who doesn’t have an endless ongoing squabble happening with their sister?

Black Widow: Iron Man 2 (2010)

There’s a reason why fans have been rallying for a standalone Black Widow movie and it isn’t just to do with how awesome Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) looks in the costume. Natasha Romanoff (better known as Black Widow) is an erudite assassin so seriously cool, she could probably slaughter an entire room of baddies with one hand while sending a text with the other.

Valkyrie: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Any superhero who can guzzle an entire bottle of hooch in one breath and still stay sober enough to kick some serious ass is a winner in our books. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie was salty and crude, but she was also a real sweetheart to Hulk, which made us want to share a beer with her. Most importantly, she’s a goddamn unstoppable fighting machine and we totally want to be part of her gang.