3. Storm - X-Men. Probably my favorite female superhero. Such a distinct personality.
3. Storm - X-Men. Probably my favorite female superhero. Such a distinct personality.
4. Piper - Fallout 4. My favorite of the companions. A great rogue, utterly contemptuous of authority, but with a genuine desire to help people.
5. Adèle Blanc-Sec. Edwardian-era girl reporter who runs into mummies and rides a pterosaur. I mean c'mon.
6. Jennifer Marlowe - WKRP In Cincinnati. Making the blond bombshell character the smartest person in the ensemble is some serious subversion.
7. Miss Thief Catcher - The Heroic Trio. Mercenary motorcycle ninja turns hero. I hope I don't get sent to horny jail for this, but I don't understand how anyone of any gender expression or orientation would not be fascinated by Maggie Cheung's portrayal here.
8. Coffy. Still my go to example for a woman who is absolutely done with your shit.
9. Lucille Bluth - Arrested Development. One of the funniest clueless rich people ever. "How much does a banana cost, ten dollars?!" is a line I quote often.
10. Furiosa - Mad Max universe. Almost certainly a very common choice for this topic, but there are reasons for that.
11. K'Ehleyr - Star Trek: TNG. Worf's one-time fling. One of the best guest characters in all of Star Trek. Man, it pissed me off that she only got two episodes before getting offed. Suzie Plakson should be so much better known.
12. American Maid - The Tick animated series. As almost the only competent person in the whole universe, she had to pull a lot of straight character weight. And she does. And kicks ass while doing it.