17 of Hollywood’s Most Badass Female Movie Characters

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17 of Hollywood’s Most Badass Female Movie Characters

Fierce females! Whether a super power, inner strength or emotional muscles, women have been crushing roles on the big screen for decades. Over the years, fans have fallen for the talents of those including Taraji P. Henson in Hidden Figures, Emily Blunt in a Quiet Place and many more. Blunt starred as Evelyn Abbott in the 2018 drama/thriller in which her character, a pregnant mom of two, must help her family survive in a world where they need to avoid making noise due to mysterious creatures who hunt by sound. “This was so personal to me, and I think it was a very personal character for me, and a sort of intimate experience doing this film because it was so close to home, understanding this woman and what she’s going through, and the desire she has to just, amidst this brutal world, want to inject into her children’s lives some kind of warmth and ability to thrive,” Blunt told Screen Crush of the role. “And, I’m someone who’s probably worried, unnecessarily, all the time about my children. So this character’s experience would be the depth of hell for me. But I understood her plight and understood everything about her, so it was an intimate thing, playing this part.” The Mary Poppins actress added of filming the intense scenes: “By the end of that week, I was like, I need to check myself into an institution. [Laughs] Like a spa or rehab, I mean, something. It was crazy.” [jwplayer DIvLVkC6-l3ahXupL] Henson, meanwhile, stole the show as the powerful Katherine Johnson in the 2017 drama/history film about the women — and the brains — behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in the 1960s. “This movie I had to do, I just felt like it was my duty,” the Empire star told TheWrap in December 2016. “We always celebrate the astronauts, but we don’t celebrate the mathematicians behind it. But I didn’t know that these women existed and I was like, ‘Why are we just learning about them?’ And I couldn’t wait to meet Katherine Johnson, she’s still very much alive. She’s 98 now.” Scroll down to see more of Hollywood’s most talented actresses in their roles that broke barriers. [podcast_block]

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‘Black Widow’

Scarlett Johannsson has played the former Russian spy turned Avenger since Iron Man 2, and in July 2021, the empowering superhero gets her own titular film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the spy thriller, Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her history when a dangerous conspiracy comes to light in the prequel film.

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Shuri in ‘Black Panther’

Starring alongside the late Chadwick Boseman in the Oscar-winning MCU flick, Letitia Wright plays T’Challa’s younger sister, Shuri, who’s a genius tech inventor in her own right. Shuri created many of the Black Panther’s signature battle tools in the origin movie, and she also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

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Katniss Everdeen in ‘The Hunger Games’

Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence played the young archer in the 2012 movie based on the young adult novel of the same name. In the film, Katniss Everdeen takes her younger sister’s place in the annual fight-to-the-death competition. Lawrence went on to reprise her role in three more films.

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Letty Ortiz in ‘F9’

Michelle Rodriguez plays Leticia “Letty” Ortiz in the Fast and the Furious franchise. Ortiz is the wife of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and the surrogate mother to Dom’s son Brian, who's introduced in F8. Rodriguez's Letty has been a part of the Fast and the Furious crew since the very beginning and has continuously proved that she can hold her own in the driver’s seat.

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Hermione Granger in ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’

From the very beginning of the Harry Potter series, fans were introduced to the incredibly smart and driven young witch. Emma Watson brought the over-achieving student to life. Once Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) gets settled at Hogwarts, Hermione, along with Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), soon becomes one of the young Gryffindor’s best friends.

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Princess Leia in ‘Star Wars: Return of the Jedi’

Princess Leia Organa (later General Leia Organa) first appeared in the original Star Wars movie in 1977. Played by the late Carrie Fisher, Leia is one of the greatest Rebel Alliance leaders, who’s equally fearless and dedicated to saving the galaxy in every film.

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Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’

Perhaps one of Angelina Jolie’s most recognizable roles was her portrayal of the archaeologist Lara Croft in the 2001 action flick. The film was based on the “Tomb Raider” video game series and follows the adventurer as she races against time and villains to recover valuable, powerful artifacts.

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‘Mulan’

The 1998 animated Disney picture followed the young maiden (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) as she secretly went undercover with the army in her ailing father’s place to save him from death. A live-action film was released in 2020 starring Liu Yifei as the titular warrior.

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Lisbeth Salander in 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’

Rooney Mara played the antisocial computer hacker and investigator in the 2011 film, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. Lisbeth Salander was a victim of severe abuse, and she channeled the vulnerable, emotional pain she felt into becoming a vigilante who fights for justice. In the film, Salander is tasked with working alongside disgraced journalist Michael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) on an investigation of a girl from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years earlier.

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Katherine Johnson in 'Hidden Figures'

Henson starred alongside Octavia Spencer (Dorothy Vaughan) and Janelle Monáe (Mary Jackson) in the inspiring film that tells the story of the three women who helped John Glenn become the first American to orbit the Earth.

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Eveyln Abbott in 'A Quiet Place'

Blunt’s character was not only powerful, but also endearing. The film’s sequel was released in May 2021.

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'Wonder Woman'

Gal Gadot played the title character on the 2017 fantasy film, proving men aren’t the only ones who can play superheroes. Wonder Woman was born Diana, Princess of the Amazons, and was trained to be an untouchable warrior. When a pilot crashes on the sheltered island in which she lives, Wonder Woman chooses to accompany him back to the outside world and help battle the war to end all wars.

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Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde'

Reese Witherspoon portrayed the Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy that saw her pursue law school after she was dumped by her boyfriend. Though Woods is mostly focused on her appearance — and tiny chihuahua — when she first follows him to the university, she ultimately learns important life lessons and finds out there is more to life than her looks.

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Gracie Hart in 'Miss Congeniality'

Sandra Bullock’s character, an F.B.I. agent, must go out of her comfort zone and appear in the Miss United States pageant in order to help stop a terrorist.

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'Captain Marvel'

Brie Larson also took on the role of a superhero who finds herself in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Marvel uses her special powers to help end the war with the Skrulls while attempting to uncover the secrets of her past that haunt her.

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Sarah Connor in 'Terminator'

Linda Hamilton has shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger in two of the sci-fi films, proving she is just as badass as one of the strongest men in Hollywood. Hamilton’s character is forced to save herself from Schwarzenegger, a cyborg disguised as a human, who is sent to kill her and her unborn son.

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Veronica Rawlins in 'Widows'

Viola Davis plays the role of a widow who lost her husband during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Following his death, Veronica must join forces with three other women whose husbands were left dead in order to forge a future of their own.