As we approach International Women’s Day 2023, it’s time to look up to some of the best Women Superheroes we’ve encountered in the present day onscreen portrayals of these characters. While representation is on the rise, it’s not always accurate through and through. Most of these women superheroes have been stripped off their emotions and turned into stoic beings. These tactics are often followed to stay in line with men’s stories on the superhero front, but it in turn rules women out as effigies trying to push for a particular agenda more than making them human.

Nevertheless, there are quite a few women superheroes in the lore, both corresponding to DC and Marvel, who have still been authentically imagined and brought alive on screen. They unapologetically accept their femininity as a part of their identity instead of discarding it as a liability, a lesson goes a long way.

Best Women Superheroes Who’ve Stayed True to Themselves

Wonder Woman (Played by Gal Godot in the DCU)

Although there may be no end to the raging Marvel Vs DC debates, there’s one thing that both parties can readily agree upon and that’s how empowering Wonder Woman or Diana of Themyscira/ Diana Prince is. Walking straight ahead into a warring no man’s land is just one of the awe-inspiring moments from her life. She’s well known to be the feminist icon we all need in our lives.

She has it all – super strength, agility, flight and whatnot, but it’s not these abilities that make her one of the most loved superheroes of all time. As one of the pioneering members of the Justice League, she keeps the light on for justice. Despite being a demigod, she’s probably one of the most human superheroes of all time, and her compassion and empathy make her the well-rounded and grounded hero.

Scarlet Witch – Wanda Maximoff (Played by Elizabeth Olsen in the MCU)

If there’s anything we’ve discerned about Wanda during her time in the MCU, it’s that she wears her feelings on her sleeve. The moment something wrong goes down with her family, she loses all calm and unleashes one of the deadliest sides to her personality. While the mainstream representation of women superheroes has switched over to illustrating them as dispassionate superhero counterparts, thereby deriding them of any and every kind of emotion in order to mislead the audience by shaping them into hyper Femi-nazi versions of themselves, Wanda has sworn by her feminine core.

Her debuting MCU performance with Avengers: Age of Ultron clearly had us underestimating her, when in reality she was able to bring Thanos down to his knees with magic in the palm of her hands. WandaVision may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but it again explored her character from a grieving perspective, letting us into what would happen if a super-powered individual were to lose control of their powers after losing their loved ones.

Black Widow – Natasha Romanoff (Played by Scarlett Johansson in the MCU)

She was the first official woman superhero of the MCU, and yet she never got the respect that was due for her. Even her extremely late solo movie wasn’t placed right, neither into the superhero universe nor in terms of defining the depths of her character. When all hope was lost, it was she who took the burdening responsibility to keep the Avengers bandwagon going. She alone took on the charge in Endgame to lead the team in the initial half, yet unfortunately all it got her was her death being turned into a mere meme.

You can easily chart out her development from being on the dark side to her becoming a force to reckon with despite the lack of superpowers. In the midst of gods, and super-soldiers, she was one of the very few human beings out on the field in the beginning, and that was her ultimate strength because it allowed her to blend in and gain access to closed doors with her acrobatic-assassin-self of a history, leaving behind tonnes of lessons for life.

Harley Quinn (Played by Margot Robbie in the DCU)

Some would question as to what Harley is doing here even though she’s been in cahoots with the Clown Prince of Crime himself. Well, for as long as we’ve known this character, she’s been categorised alongside the supervillains, but Harley has never been just one thing. The closest we’ve gotten to take a peak into her personality and not just viewing her as the ‘eye candy’ figure that she’s been portrayed in the Suicide Squad movies, is when Birds of Prey came out.

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With this film, we finally got to know her as the harbinger of chaos, who was also just as vexed by her relationship issues as a regular person. It also allowed her to climb over that thin line differentiating a villain from a hero. To cut it close, she’s never really been a villain. Her unhinged homicidal side has more shades than other anti heroes. Moreover, she’s never shied away from her feminine attributes, and her relationship with Poison Ivy, as illustrated in the comics, is a far more interesting take than her toxic exchanges with the Joker.

Supergirl

Storm – Ororo Munroe

Invisible Woman – Susan ‘Sue’ Storm–Richards

Gamora (Played by Zoe Saldana in the MCU)

Jessica Jones (Played by Krysten Ritter in the Marvel TV series)

Not your average cape-wearing superhero, Jessica Jones has a lot on her plate – from dealing with alcoholism, PTSD, and being mind-controlled by the infamous Killgrave. Having renounced her title as a ‘superhero’, she’s now adopted the role of a private investigator who uses her super abilities like flight, super strength, and more surprises in the mix, to finish all the cases assigned to ‘Alias Investigations’ (her agency) in her own style.

Shuri (Played by Letitia Wright in the MCU)

Currently portrayed by Letitia Wright in the MCU, Shuri isn’t just all about blasting villains away, but also concerned with designing and developing the gear that makes all that action possible. Introduced as the Wakandan Princess and T’Challa’s sister, her ingenious and resourceful inventions have made the Wakandan kingdom an indomitable force. Following the King, aka her brother’s death, she taken on an even bigger role by accepting the Black Panther mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. So, the upcoming chapters of her life will not only be showing her in action, but also being the genius inventor she’s always been.

Jean Grey (Played by Famke Janssenn and Sophie Turner in the MCU)

The MCU severely did this character wrong, and due to the same reason, we’ve still not been able to comprehend the grave extent of her powers. She’s obviously the most powerful mutant on Earth, to whose powers even Professor X succumbed at one point. While the movies may not have been able to capture the gravity of the trauma that she’s suffered through, they do convey how it painfully weighs her conscience down, and yet she rises from the ashes like the invincible Phoenix she is.

Batgirl – Barbara Gordon

Having evolved from leading the team as Batgirl to taking on the role of the Oracle (in the comics), Barbara aka the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon is one genius character we can’t ignore. At one point, she was even the leader of the Birds of Prey. Although she too has a painful past that connects with the misdoings of the Joker and nearly got killed her as well. Yet, in spite of that, she’s never put off her leadership duties, and risen high as one of the most memorable counterparts of the Bat family.

Which one of these icons is your favourite superhero? Is there any other woman superhero who inspires you to be yourself and be the better version of yourself? Let us know your picks in the comments section below.

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