Top 10 Female Comic Book Movie Heroes That Ended Up Outshining Their Male Leads
Most seem to feel that Hope Van Dyne is the standout of Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp, but Evangeline Lilly's character is far from first female superhero to outshine her male co-star. Here are 10 others.
The general consensus seems to be that Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) steals the show in Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp, but this wouldn't be the first time a female superhero was the highlight of a male-led comic book movie.
With the likes of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel leading the charge, the ladies will soon begin to claim their rightful share of the spotlight, but in years past they had to be content with attempting to stand out in supporting roles, and this lot most definitely succeeded.
In no particular order, we've gathered together 10 female heroes (okay, we cheated a bit with Catwoman!) who ended up stealing their male leads' thunder.
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Gamora In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Zoe Saldana's Gamora kinda got lost in the shuffle in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but she really came into her own in James Gunn's bonkers follow-up.
Gamora's dynamic with her sister Nebula ended up being one of the most engaging elements of the film, and the "deadliest woman in the galaxy" was also involved in some of the best action sequences.
Star-Lord may lead the team of intergalactic A-holes, but Gamora is the one that holds it together.
Elektra In Daredevil
Daredevil is not generally considered to be a very good movie (to put it kindly) but it did have its bright spots, and one of 'em was Jennifer Garner's Elektra.
Garner is a magnetic presence in the film, exuding sex appeal and lethal physicality as Matt Murdock's love interest/adversary.
Shame the same can't be said for Ben Affleck's Man Without Fear!
Hit-Girl In Kick Ass
Aaron Johnson's titular vigilante is a worthy lead, but his pint-sized partner definitely emerges as the main attraction of Kick-Ass.
Chloe Grace Moretz shows range beyond her years as young Mindy MCready, as she slices and dices her way through hordes of goons while showering them with C words and F bombs.
Hit-Girl was also a highlight of the sequel, but the film itself was far less successful on every level.
Black Widow In Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has now appeared in 6 MCU movies, but most fans would agree that her standout turn was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
It's probably a bit unfair to say she outshines Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), but Johansson is given the chance to add some ambiguity to her performance as the former Russian spy, and this ensures that she emerges as a very memorable component of an overall excellent film.
Plus, she gets to kick a serious amount of ass!
Yukio In The Wolverine
James Mangold's The Wolverine was a damn fine movie right up until it wasn't, and that was due in large part to Rila Fukushima's performance as Yukio.
The character left such as impression that fans were disappointed that we never got to see her continuing adventures with Logan after the pair decided to remain a team at the end of the movie.
Yukio did pop up briefly in Deadpool 2, but she was played by a different actress and the timeline... ah, don't even get go there. Let's just say it's a shame we'll probably never get to see Fukushima reprise the role.
Harley Quinn In Suicide Squad
Will Smith's name may be first on the credits, but Margot Robbie was the star of Suicide Squad.
The movie itself was not well received by fans or critics, but that doesn't mean it was a total washout. Robbie's wild-eyed performance as The Joker's right-hand woman was a definite bright spot, and Warner Bros. is clearly well aware of it.
There are currently several Harley Quinn-related spinoffs in the works.
Valkyrie In Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok was a blast in most respects, but would it have been half as much fun without Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie? We think not.
The former Asgardian warrior is brilliantly introduced as a drunken misanthrope whose only concern is a chunk of change, but she soon warms to Thor and Banner and decides to join "The Revengers."
Valkyrie skipped out on Infinity War, but she will make a welcome return to The MCU at some point.
Okoye In Black Panther
Really, there are several female characters from Marvel's Black Panther that would be at home on this list, but for us, Okoye just clinches it.
Leader of the Dora Milaje and King T'Challa's main protector, Okoye is pretty much the ultimate badass - however, The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira also injects the Wakandan warrior with plenty of warmth and humour.
Okoye made a brief, but memorable appearance in Infinity War, and we can't wait to see what's next for the character.
Catwoman In Batman Returns
When you think of Tim Burton's Batman Returns, the first image that pops into your head is probably Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.
Her now iconic performance as The Dark Knight's (Michael Keaton) enemy/lover is one for the ages, and she avoids making the character a mere lust object by injecting just as much menace and raw anger as sexiness.
Anne Hathaway made a pretty good Catwoman many years later and we'll no doubt see a DCEU take some point, but we don't think anyone will ever top Pfeiffer's ferocious feline.
X-23 In Logan
Logan is a film full of superb performances, but Dafne Keen's Laura, a.k.a. X-23, is a revelation.
Just 10 years old at the time of shooting, Keen delivers a startling turn as the young mutant that's both jaw-dropping and heart-breaking in equal measure. If Laura's reciting of the speech from Shane by her father's grave doesn't make you misty-eyed, you should probably check your pulse.
We're still not certain if we'll see Keen return as X-23, but it would be a huge missed opportunity not to have her reprise the role.
What do you guys think? Did we miss anyone out? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.