By Ralph Greco Jr., ReMIND Magazine
Be they partners or relatives of super-duper (and super popular) guys, or ladies living their own stand-alone adventures, we have seen quite a few women leap, fight and thwart evil across our comics, up on our movie screens and in our television shows over the past few decades. Let’s meet some of these more fanciful and fantastic superhero heroines.
Supergirl
Before the 2015 CBS series, Supergirl was created in 1959 as a counterpart to Superman. (In her most popular and well-known incarnation, Supergirl is actually named Kara Zor-El and is Superman’s cousin.) This almost indestructible young woman has not only fought alongside Superman, but also has flown and fought in comic runs unrelated to the “Man of Steel.” Supergirl has even enjoyed starring roles in her own comic series.
The Bionic Woman
Lindsay Wagner was recognized worldwide when she broke the mold for women on television with her iconic portrayal of Jaime Sommers on the ’70s series The Bionic Woman. That girl could hear anything, run at freeway speeds and had one wickedly strong arm.
Wonder Woman
As one of the first widely recognized superheroines, Wonder Woman was a warrior woman with class. She represented all things good and did it with compassion and diplomacy, and her beauty was just a bonus.
Officer Ellen Ripley
Warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) of the mining craft Nostromo was an unlikely heroine in the 1979 thriller Alien. When an alien started killing all of her crew, Ripley proved the toughest of the bunch, dueling the creature to the finish. She was so tough, in fact, that Weaver would reprise the role in three sequels.
Dana Scully
The X-Files’ female lead had no superpower or even a cape. Still, Dana Scully, played by actress Gillian Anderson, is a more than capable woman of modern times. Accompanying Fox Mulder on his conspiracy-laced explorations, Scully was a true equal partner in the show, never a sidekick, casting sound scientific doubt over the fanciful alien conspiracies of Mulder’s raison d’etre. Scully was the living embodiment of a truth comic book readers have always known: Smart is sexy — even if the lady in question isn’t wearing a tight-fitting costume.
Starfire
Starfire first appeared in DC Comics in 1980. Koriand’r, the fourth lady to use the Starfire name — and arguably the most popular of all this character’s incarnations — escaped her planet in a stolen spacecraft and met Robin the Boy Wonder when landing on Earth. Yes, the rumors you heard about the two of them are true, but you don’t need to go around gossiping now, do you? As one of the original Teen Titans, Starfire has superhuman strength, can fly, and uses ultraviolet radiation she absorbs to release bright green energy starbolts.
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Photo Caption: Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman
