Who is your favourite female super hero/villian? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Strange Famous · 03-19-2011, 06:33 PM

I would have to say Aornis Hades

(from the Thursday Next series of novels)

She has two basic superpowers... she can control memory after being in close proximity to someone (especially she can alter people's memories of herself, but she also can affect it in other ways)

She can cause and to some extent contol the probability for random events. If she fully concentrates on it, and again close to her physically, she can cause and control completely impossible things to happen. (think Scarlet Witch from Marvel comics but without any theoertical limits and not mad)

In the books she gets caught.... but given her special powers, how sure can you be? Maybe the people that collared her, sentenced her, imprisoned her just seem to remember that they did....

She is a basically evil character, but her powers just strike me as awesome.

Willravel · 03-19-2011, 07:07 PM

Sydney Bristow from Alias is my favorite. I know it seems like I'm stretching it a bit calling her a superhero, but she's a superhero in the same way Batman is a superhero.

There's something compelling about a character that behaves in a very real way despite being in fantastic circumstances. Sure, the character kicked ass and went on adventures and saved the world, but the way the character was written and performed always seemed grounded and whole. She was a character I could relate to, a character complete to a point that, if she were real, I'd want to know and be friends with her. Part of this was carried out in Sydney's evolving relationship with her father, part of it is her friendship and eventually her romantic relationship with (spoiler) Vaugn, a bit part of it was her relationship with her friends, and perhaps most importantly from a plot perspective, part of it was how she managed to respond to wild science fiction and fantasy plots the way a real person would.

Then again, my exposure to female superheroes is somewhat limited. I've read She-Hulk and Wonder Woman comics, I've seen the few female superhero movies that have managed to get released (Elektra, Catwoman, Red Sonja, X-Men, Aeon Flux) and a few old myths about the Amazons, but really I'm not up on female superheroes. If anyone knows some decent novels, I'd appreciate the recommendations.

levite · 03-19-2011, 07:23 PM

I always had a soft spot for Storm (X-Men), and for Barbara Gordon (the original Batgirl). But I think my favorite all-time has got to be Kitty Pryde. Maybe it's the geek thing. Maybe it's the Jewish thing. I like her. A lot. I like her powers, I like how she's had to deal with horrible shit and has done so beautifully, I like her ninja training and streak of bad-assery from hanging out with Wolverine, and I like her smarts.

Supervillains? Dark Phoenix. Easy. Although I suppose Granny Goodness also comes to mind.

dlish · 03-19-2011, 07:48 PM

nuff said...

Fremen · 03-20-2011, 05:49 AM

Favorite is hard to narrow down...

For superhero, I'll go with Medusa from The Inhumans, because of her cool power of being able to control her prehensile hair. Sue Storm would've been my second choice.

Favorite super-villainess...
I don't know her name, but I recently saw her on the new Young Justice cartoons on Cartoon Network. She's an assassin sent to kill/and or retrieve information that the teen heroes are guarding for the JLA members. She's a cross between Katana from The Outsiders and Lady Deathshrike over at Marvel. She nearly kicked the whole team's collective ass by herself.

Baraka_Guru · 03-20-2011, 06:13 AM

Red Sonja:

Seriously. A sword-wielding, scale-mail-bikini-wearing, superhot, fiery redhead.... what's not to like?

Supervillain?

Mystique. Hot shapeshifters are hot.

[Editorial note: Yes, I often choose female comic characters based largely on their sex appeal. However, I think sex appeal is intentionally built into these characters, so it's not like it's entirely my fault. My appreciation of other female character types (film, television, literature) does have other, more important criteria.]

dlish · 03-20-2011, 07:04 AM

since when did you ever see a fat ugly supervillian or superhero?

ok, except Homer. He's a bloody legend. ok, and maybe Fat Albert.

Baraka_Guru · 03-20-2011, 07:19 AM

Whenever I see "Homer," I still think of the Greek poet first.

Code:

Baraka_Guru   1
Pop Culture   0

dlish · 03-20-2011, 08:50 AM

who?

..ok ok that was a joke. im sorry your levitating highness

Patrin · 03-20-2011, 12:34 PM

Do underaged female heros factor into this discussion?

I thoroughly enjoyed Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass as a super-tough, ninja-trained, weapons-wielding, quick-thinking, and yes, even cute female superhero.

She'd make just about any Dad proud.

Charlatan · 03-20-2011, 04:10 PM

Back when I used to read comics all the time, I liked Illyana Rasputin. She was both villain and heroine.

I was also a fan of the powerless Storm. Despite losing her powers she was still able to best Wolverine in hand to hand combat and win the role of leader of the X-Men.

Bonkai · 03-21-2011, 01:05 AM

Rogue of X-Men

She steals other mutants powers with just the touch of her hand, how awesome is that?! Plus she's shacking up with Gambit!

Charlatan · 03-21-2011, 01:28 AM

She also steals hearts... I'm just sayin'.

Anxst · 03-21-2011, 03:36 AM

I'd have to go with Death:

I always loved how realistic she seems. So few people ever portray Death in such a manner. Plus, she seems like she'd be nice to sit down and have a beer with. When she's done, she'll put the chairs on the tables, turn off the lights, and lock up the Universe behind her.

Strange Famous · 03-21-2011, 11:14 AM

second favourite... although whether or not you can count a Goddess in such things is uncertain:

ralphie250 · 03-21-2011, 11:25 AM

charlize theron in Hancock.

Zeraph · 03-21-2011, 01:06 PM

What's that from Anxt?

Willravel · 03-21-2011, 01:54 PM

That's from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. If you've not had a chance, The Sandman is a terrific comic book, it's very smart and very mature.

Zeraph · 03-22-2011, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

That's from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. If you've not had a chance, The Sandman is a terrific comic book, it's very smart and very mature.

I've heard about it. Wanted to read it for years. But I've been having difficulty finding it that does cost a shit ton.

Strange Famous · 03-22-2011, 02:16 PM

I think its ok but a bit adolescent really. The main character always struck me as a jerk. I think the writer kind of thought of him in those terms sometimes (although it also seems very autobiographical). Death is definitely the most likeable character. A story doesnt have to have a sympathetic character to be good, but you kind of have to care one way or the other. But its worth checking out... but I read it after I read American Gods, and it was a bit of a let down for me.

The best thing for me about Sandman was it introduced me to John Constantine.

m0rpheus · 03-22-2011, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anxst

I'd have to go with Death:

I always loved how realistic she seems. So few people ever portray Death in such a manner. Plus, she seems like she'd be nice to sit down and have a beer with. When she's done, she'll put the chairs on the tables, turn off the lights, and lock up the Universe behind her.

Surprise the guy with the name Morpheus agrees with you.

Also even though it only ran 12 issues, I do love the ladies of nextwave.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nextwave
Btw the ladies are
Elsa Bloodstone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Bloodstone)
Monica Rambeau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Rambeau)
and Tabitha Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabitha_Smith)

Anxst · 03-22-2011, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strange Famous

I think its ok but a bit adolescent really. The main character always struck me as a jerk. I think the writer kind of thought of him in those terms sometimes (although it also seems very autobiographical). Death is definitely the most likeable character. A story doesnt have to have a sympathetic character to be good, but you kind of have to care one way or the other. But its worth checking out... but I read it after I read American Gods, and it was a bit of a let down for me.

The best thing for me about Sandman was it introduced me to John Constantine.

Dream was always supposed to be a bit of a jerk. He's flawed, just like all the Endless, and he has trouble recognizing it. when you're a near eternal incarnation, these things happen.

I always liked Dream because of his "jerkiness", because after Death points it out to him (in the issue "The Sound of Her Wings") he actually tries to stop being such a big jerk.

Although it rambles all over, as dreams often do, I feel the story from that point on is Dream's attempts to be less of a jerk. Sometimes he succeeds, and sometimes he fails. Just like the rest of us.

Also, John Constantine is absolutely incredible. He's not a girl, or he would likely have been my choice.

flat5 · 03-24-2011, 07:29 AM

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Zeraph · 03-24-2011, 07:52 AM

So after a bit of thought, I'd have to go with Raven. I have a soft spot for goths, and her powers are sweet. Almost limitless if she lets go of control.

Strange Famous · 03-26-2011, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anxst

Dream was always supposed to be a bit of a jerk. He's flawed, just like all the Endless, and he has trouble recognizing it. when you're a near eternal incarnation, these things happen.

I always liked Dream because of his "jerkiness", because after Death points it out to him (in the issue "The Sound of Her Wings") he actually tries to stop being such a big jerk.

Although it rambles all over, as dreams often do, I feel the story from that point on is Dream's attempts to be less of a jerk. Sometimes he succeeds, and sometimes he fails. Just like the rest of us.

Also, John Constantine is absolutely incredible. He's not a girl, or he would likely have been my choice.

I guess I think it is worth reading, just not as good as American Gods.

I get that Dream is supposed to be flawed, brave, selfish, basically good... I guess it was his surrender before the Kindly Ones that I disliked the most (even though I guess he understood what being "Endless" meant perhaps better than any of the others, even Death)

and I agree on Constantine... the movie was horrible but I think nearly every comic book Ive read has been awesome.

dlish · 03-27-2011, 11:10 AM

if theres a single male out there who didnt have a crush on wonder woman, ill eat my words

03-19-2011, 06:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Strange Famous follower of the child's crusade?	Who is your favourite female super hero/villian? I would have to say Aornis Hades (from the Thursday Next series of novels) She has two basic superpowers... she can control memory after being in close proximity to someone (especially she can alter people's memories of herself, but she also can affect it in other ways) She can cause and to some extent contol the probability for random events. If she fully concentrates on it, and again close to her physically, she can cause and control completely impossible things to happen. (think Scarlet Witch from Marvel comics but without any theoertical limits and not mad) In the books she gets caught.... but given her special powers, how sure can you be? Maybe the people that collared her, sentenced her, imprisoned her just seem to remember that they did.... She is a basically evil character, but her powers just strike me as awesome. __________________ "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." The Gospel of Thomas

03-19-2011, 07:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
levite Minion of Joss Location: The Windy City	I always had a soft spot for Storm (X-Men), and for Barbara Gordon (the original Batgirl). But I think my favorite all-time has got to be Kitty Pryde. Maybe it's the geek thing. Maybe it's the Jewish thing. I like her. A lot. I like her powers, I like how she's had to deal with horrible shit and has done so beautifully, I like her ninja training and streak of bad-assery from hanging out with Wolverine, and I like her smarts. Supervillains? Dark Phoenix. Easy. Although I suppose Granny Goodness also comes to mind. __________________ Dull sublunary lovers love, Whose soul is sense, cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove That thing which elemented it. (From "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne)

03-19-2011, 07:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	nuff said... __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

03-20-2011, 05:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
Fremen With a mustache, the cool factor would be too much Location: left side of my couch, East Texas	Favorite is hard to narrow down... For superhero, I'll go with Medusa from The Inhumans, because of her cool power of being able to control her prehensile hair. Sue Storm would've been my second choice. Favorite super-villainess... I don't know her name, but I recently saw her on the new Young Justice cartoons on Cartoon Network. She's an assassin sent to kill/and or retrieve information that the teen heroes are guarding for the JLA members. She's a cross between Katana from The Outsiders and Lady Deathshrike over at Marvel. She nearly kicked the whole team's collective ass by herself. __________________ Google

03-20-2011, 06:13 AM	#6 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Red Sonja: Seriously. A sword-wielding, scale-mail-bikini-wearing, superhot, fiery redhead.... what's not to like? Supervillain? Mystique. Hot shapeshifters are hot. [Editorial note: Yes, I often choose female comic characters based largely on their sex appeal. However, I think sex appeal is intentionally built into these characters, so it's not like it's entirely my fault. My appreciation of other female character types (film, television, literature) does have other, more important criteria.] __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 03-20-2011 at 06:19 AM..

03-19-2011, 07:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Sydney Bristow from Alias is my favorite. I know it seems like I'm stretching it a bit calling her a superhero, but she's a superhero in the same way Batman is a superhero. There's something compelling about a character that behaves in a very real way despite being in fantastic circumstances. Sure, the character kicked ass and went on adventures and saved the world, but the way the character was written and performed always seemed grounded and whole. She was a character I could relate to, a character complete to a point that, if she were real, I'd want to know and be friends with her. Part of this was carried out in Sydney's evolving relationship with her father, part of it is her friendship and eventually her romantic relationship with (spoiler) Vaugn, a bit part of it was her relationship with her friends, and perhaps most importantly from a plot perspective, part of it was how she managed to respond to wild science fiction and fantasy plots the way a real person would. Then again, my exposure to female superheroes is somewhat limited. I've read She-Hulk and Wonder Woman comics, I've seen the few female superhero movies that have managed to get released (Elektra, Catwoman, Red Sonja, X-Men, Aeon Flux) and a few old myths about the Amazons, but really I'm not up on female superheroes. If anyone knows some decent novels, I'd appreciate the recommendations.

03-20-2011, 07:04 AM	#7 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	since when did you ever see a fat ugly supervillian or superhero? ok, except Homer. He's a bloody legend. ok, and maybe Fat Albert. __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

03-20-2011, 07:19 AM	#8 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Whenever I see "Homer," I still think of the Greek poet first. Code: Baraka_Guru 1 Pop Culture 0 __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

03-20-2011, 08:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	who? ..ok ok that was a joke. im sorry your levitating highness __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

03-20-2011, 12:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
Patrin Upright Location: USA	Do underaged female heros factor into this discussion? I thoroughly enjoyed Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass as a super-tough, ninja-trained, weapons-wielding, quick-thinking, and yes, even cute female superhero. She'd make just about any Dad proud.

03-20-2011, 04:10 PM	#11 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	Back when I used to read comics all the time, I liked Illyana Rasputin. She was both villain and heroine. I was also a fan of the powerless Storm. Despite losing her powers she was still able to best Wolverine in hand to hand combat and win the role of leader of the X-Men. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

03-21-2011, 01:05 AM	#12 (permalink)
Bonkai Tilted Location: Houston,Tx	Rogue of X-Men She steals other mutants powers with just the touch of her hand, how awesome is that?! Plus she's shacking up with Gambit!

03-21-2011, 01:28 AM	#13 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	She also steals hearts... I'm just sayin'. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

03-21-2011, 03:36 AM	#14 (permalink)
Anxst Condensing fact from the vapor of nuance. Location: Madison, WI	I'd have to go with Death: I always loved how realistic she seems. So few people ever portray Death in such a manner. Plus, she seems like she'd be nice to sit down and have a beer with. When she's done, she'll put the chairs on the tables, turn off the lights, and lock up the Universe behind her. __________________ Don't mind me. I'm just releasing the insanity pressure from my headvalves.

03-21-2011, 01:06 PM	#17 (permalink)
Zeraph Banned Location: The Cosmos	What's that from Anxt?

03-24-2011, 07:29 AM	#23 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	Buffy The Vampire Slayer

03-21-2011, 01:54 PM	#18 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	That's from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. If you've not had a chance, The Sandman is a terrific comic book, it's very smart and very mature.

03-22-2011, 02:16 PM	#20 (permalink)
Strange Famous follower of the child's crusade?	I think its ok but a bit adolescent really. The main character always struck me as a jerk. I think the writer kind of thought of him in those terms sometimes (although it also seems very autobiographical). Death is definitely the most likeable character. A story doesnt have to have a sympathetic character to be good, but you kind of have to care one way or the other. But its worth checking out... but I read it after I read American Gods, and it was a bit of a let down for me. The best thing for me about Sandman was it introduced me to John Constantine. __________________ "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." The Gospel of Thomas

03-24-2011, 07:52 AM	#24 (permalink)
Zeraph Banned Location: The Cosmos	So after a bit of thought, I'd have to go with Raven. I have a soft spot for goths, and her powers are sweet. Almost limitless if she lets go of control.

03-27-2011, 11:10 AM	#26 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	if theres a single male out there who didnt have a crush on wonder woman, ill eat my words __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy