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16 Strong Female Leads That Prove Action Isn't Just for the Guys

Strong Female Leads That Prove Action Isn't Just for the Guys

By Deanne Kaczerski

May 14, 2014

The Everett Collection

Whether human or superhuman, these gals are all kinds of badass.

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Batgirl

She's the true triple threat: She's smart (super tech savvy and an exceptional sleuth), she's beautiful, and she can stand on her own while saving Batman and Robin along the way.

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Black Widow

Hiding her true identity by pretending to study as a ballerina (because why not?!), the Black Widow is woman of many talents: An ingenuous spy, part of an elite group of female sleeper agents, and has some serious tactile training.

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Cat Woman

While she may teeter on which side of the fence she fights for from time to time, she certainly takes cat burglary to a sexy, wickedly divine new level. She's the modern day Robin Hood--stealing from Gotham's rich and corrupt to help those less fortunate. She is an adept acrobat, skilled ninja, and is a master of picking locks...with her long purrrfectly manicured nails, natch.

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Cheetara

Being the only adult female Thundercat, she is a force to be reckoned with despite her caring nature for the rest of her pack. She has a sixth sense which allows her to detect when danger is close, she's crucially brave, and earns her spots being able to run at a whopping 120 mph!

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Elastigirl

Mrs. Incredible (AKA Elastigirl) is not only a modern feminist (back in the '60s she was a strong supporter of the Women's Rights movement), but is what all working moms aspire to be: flexible, have the ability to be everywhere at once, and have a stronger-than-glue bond with her family.

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Sue Storm

A founding member of the Fantastic Four (talk about women entrepreneurs), her super power is the ability to turn anything she touches invisible. Pretty handy. Sue Storm not only has a grueling job of kicking butt on a daily basis, but she is married with children. All in a day's work for this super woman.

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Scarlett O'Hara

Scarlett is the first woman to join the G.I. Joe brigade. Not only is she one of the team's most lethal members (skilled at Commando Ops, obvi), but she's also an expert in weaponry, proving that women can do anything a man can do...and better.

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Hit-Girl

Proving that age and gender are irrelevant in matters of crime fighting, ten-year old Mindy McCready (AKA Hit-Girl) is a deadly force. Like a true modern woman, she's not above teaching her sidekick, Kick-Ass, a lesson now and again, especially when he deserves it.

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Jem

Jem is the lead singer of the all-female group Jem and the Holograms and owner of Starlight Music. Her former partner and current CEO of Misfit Music (later Stinger Sound), Eric Raymond, tries to take back control over Jem's company through corrupt actions. All-female bands signed to Misfit Music constantly try to upstage Jem and the Holograms always leading to some serious girl-on-girl rivalry.

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Lara Croft

A highly proficient archaeologist, Lara travels all over the world looking for ancient, and often mystical, artifacts. Like Indiana Jones, she is skilled with hand-on-hand combat, but it's her incredible quick wit that helps her to escape just about every situation.

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Mystique

A woman after all of our hearts, her ability to never age has us all envious. While she comes across as a mutant determined to bring an end to humanity, we think she's just misinformed and truly has a good heart. Mystique is a shape-shifter and can take on any phsical appearance, thus making her a paramount ally of the X-Men.

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April O'Neil

A computer programmer, this female techy helps the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles battle everyone from Shredder and his thugs to robots. She trains with Splinter to become skilled in the katana and fighting. What we love most is that she's a woman in the sciences.

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She-Ra

Being the "most powerful woman in the universe" (talk about hard to live up to), She-Ra protects the planet Etheria from evil doings. She can lift grown men, has the ability to heal others through touch (she's a nurturer), and has a keen sense of hearing (like most women). Her horse, Swift Wind, allows her to fly and travel back in time. Her true raw power makes her a force no one can beat.

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Storm

With the ability to manipulate elements, she's one mutant you don't want to piss off. She can resist telepaths, extreme temperatures (the polar vortex would have her laughing), and can use just about any weapon. She is an extremely intelligent tactician and is a natural born leader--a woman you'd want on your side, no doubt.

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Selene

Sure, Selene has great physical strength (she can lift over 8,000 pounds), speed, endurance, and hightened senses--what one would expect from a vampire (haven't you seen Twilight?), but it's her ability to join two unlikely groups (Romeo and Juliet, anyone?) through conflict resolution that puts her on our list.

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Wonder Woman

Born to Amazon warriors, Wonder Woman came to America to fight for peace, justice, and truth. Defying the feminine achetype of the time, her character had all that comes with super-human abilities but it was also paired with beauty and a covetable closet of accessories.

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