From queer women to women of color to alien women, Marvel has a cast of incredible heroines in their comics and their films. These ten women below are my top ten favorites, though it's hard to choose! These women are awesome role models for girls especially, but they also show men that women can kick some serious butt, too.
1. Captain Marvel
AKA Carol Danvers, Binary, Warbird, or Ms. Marvel. She first appeared in 1968. A pilot and captain in the United States Air Force, Captain Marvel has led both military teams on earth and in space. She has superhuman strength and durability, can fly at about six times the speed of sound, and can discharge blasts of energy from her hands/body. She can absorb electricity and other forms of energy to augment her own powers. She will appear in an introductory style movie in 2019!
2. Nico Minoru
AKA Sister Grimm. She first appeared in 2003. Nico discovers that she and her friends are the children of villains who call themselves the Pride when they accidentally witness their parents kill a girl. The teens run away, but their parents chase after them. In the fight that ensues, Nico absorbs her mother's magical Staff of One, and can thus do magic and spells with it. Nico is Japanese-American! She can be seen in Hulu's "Runaways".
3. Singularity
AKA Little Blue. She first appeared in 2015. Singularity is an odd character. She first appeared as a meteorite that crashed into the earth near Nico Minoru (#2). Little is known of her background or abilities, other than being able to make a pocket dimension inside of herself. She can transport people in this pocket dimension and also shield them from attack. She is portrayed as naive and childlike.
4. Negasonic Teenage Warhead
AKA Ellie Phimister. She first appeared in 2001. In the comics, she is a minor villain with telepathy powers. In 2016, she was introduced in the film "Deadpool" as being able to detonate atomic blasts from her body. She is one of the first out LGBT heroes in superhero cinema. I like the movie version way better that the comic version!
5. Shuri
She first appeared in 2005. Shuri is the younger sister of T'Challa, the Black Panther and King of Wakanda. A technological genius and capable martial artist, Shuri occasionally takes over as Ruler of Wakanda when her brother is away on another mission or is injured.
6. Ms. Marvel
AKA Kamala Khan. She first appeared in 2013. Ms. Marvel has shapeshifting powers and is an Inhuman (a set of humans genetically altered by aliens). She took up the name after her idol, Carol Danvers (#1), became Captain Marvel. She is the first Muslim superhero to lead her own story!
7. Kitty Pryde
AKA Katherine Ann, Shadowcat, Sprite, or Ariel. She first appeared in 1980. A mutant with the ability to make herself and anyone or anything she touches intangible. She can also disrupt electric fields when she passes through them. She eventually goes on to marry Star-Lord of "Guardians of the Galaxy".
8. Rogue
AKA Anna Marie. She first appeared in 1981. Originally appearing as a villain, Rogue is a mutant with the ability to steal, absorb, or erase another person's memories, powers, abilities, and, in some cases, their life. She does this through skin-to-skin contact. She joined the X-Men after accidentally absorbing Ms. Marvel's psyche and fearing that she would lose her own mind.
9. X-23
AKA Laura Kinney or Wolverine. First appeared in 2004. The scientists in charge of the Wolverine project decided to clone him but removed his emotions to create the perfect killing machine. Laura, though created to be a killer and assassin, rejected her destiny to become a member of the X-Men. Wolverine adopted her as his daughter!
Dazzler
AKA Allison Blaire or Disco Dazzler. She first appeared in 1980. She can turn sound waves into light and energy beams. She was created in response to the disco era!
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