The 10 Most Badass Female Characters

Much has been made (most especially of late) of the role of women in cinema. As recently as last week, there’s been controversy surrounding gender inequality both on and around the silver screen, with megastar Jennifer Lawrence penning an essay asking why she was paid less than her male co-stars, despite the fact that she’s, well, much more famous than they are. It’s a question worth asking, and it got us thinking quite a bit about how the fairer sex fits into Hollywood life, most especially in regards to their representation on-screen.

It goes without saying that women in Hollywood should be paid just as much as their male counterparts, but what we really want to see is more women given strong, empowering roles that accurately represent what contemporary women are going through and what they’re capable of. That’s why we’ve taken some time to pull together 10 of the biggest badasses in the history of cinema (and a little bit of television; sorry, we couldn’t help it), all of whom happen to be women. We feel the need to communicate that we were extremely disappointed in the overall quantity (although not the quality, as these characters and the actresses who play them are all exceptional) of female badasses made available for selection; it’s our sincere hope that whoever is running things in Los Angeles wakes up and starts giving women the opportunities and the roles they deserve.

10. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace)

It was a damn close race for the number 10 spot on this list, as there’s a myriad of incredible female characters we could have slotted in here to kick off this list. We went with Lisbeth Salander, as played by Noomi Rapace in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and its relevant sequels, for being an absolute badass who takes vengeance into her own hands when the time is appropriate. Salander, who was also portrayed by Rooney Mara in the American remake of the original Swedish film, is a smart and tenacious individual with a plurality of skills which trend towards success in the contemporary world, part of the reason why we chose her over some other women who could’ve made their way on here (Lara Croft, for example). We like that Salander is a hacker whose cinematic experience has a real world counterpart, and a counterpart that’s been traditionally defined as a male space. She’s the perfect individual to launch this list.